THE FARM HOME 311 



pure. If the natural drainage is not sufficient, a system 

 of drainage that would give the desired result should be 

 carefully planned and put in. An open ditch could be 

 made, but a tile drain is preferable. If it is worth while 

 to drain land to produce better crops, it is worth while to 

 drain to make the home more healthful. 



ChickenS) turkeys or fowls of any kind should not be 

 allowed about the well or in the yard immediately surround- 

 ing the house. They are not only one more means of carry- 

 ing dirt to the house, but they also destroy grass. 



House flies are a great menace to health as well as to 

 comfort. If there is disease in any home in the neighbor- 

 hood, flies may carry the germs on their legs and bodies 

 and so infect other homes. It is generally believed that 

 they breed to a great extent in horse manure. For this 

 reason, if for no other, manure should not be allowed to 

 accumulate in the yards or about the barn. 



Houses should be well screened against flies. Remov- 

 able wire screens are the most desirable. While they may 

 be a little expensive at first, they last so long that their 

 yearly cost is very sHght. If taken down in the fall and 

 carefully put away for the winter, and then given a coat of 

 thin paint before they are put up in the spring, they will 

 last almost indefinitely. Where such screens cannot be 

 had, mosquito netting may be used. 



Bacteria. — Even when the outside conditions are all 

 that they should be, a crusade against dust and germs must 

 be kept up within. A few years ago germs and microbes 

 were practically unheard of. To-day we hear and read 

 much about them, and are just beginning to reaUze their 

 influence. There are a number of terms in common use 

 to-day which it may be well to understand. Bacteria are 

 very simple, minute organisms belonging to the vegetable 

 kingdom. They live in soil and water and on the skin of 

 man and beasts. There are hundreds of species of them. 

 Some species are helpful — such as cause decay of vegetable 

 matter in the soil and so enrich the soil — other species pro- 

 duce disease. Many organisms, so small that they can be 

 seen only with a microscope, whether animal or vegetable, 

 are called germs, microbes and micro-organisms. 



