THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 169 



Keeping watch of the measures proposed and methods being 

 adopted to purify the waters, and add sufficiently to the supply of 

 Croton to furnish the City of New York with at least five times the 

 present amount of good drinking water, we knew to a mathematical 

 certainty that it could be accomplished if the water that falls annu- 

 ally in the form of rains, dews and snows was preserved. We 

 also knew full well that the possibilities of our system were not 

 reached when, nearly two years ago, the Hon. Warner Miller, hav- 

 ing looked somewhat into this question of saving, purifying and 

 utilizing these waters remarked as follows: 



" I confess to being unprepared for your claims, Mr. Cole, and yet, 

 if what you anticipate can be only partially realized, the State of 

 New York alone, is capable of sustaining a population of one hun- 

 dred millions." 



The Senator alluded more particularly to Herkimer County and 

 the Mohawk River, great, if not the greatest among counties, and 

 grand among the grandest of our rivers, now moving turbidly on, 

 its waters as unlike those of an hundred years ago as clay is unlike 

 crystal. What is true of the Mohawk, is equally true as applied 

 to nearly all the rivers of the older settled portions of our country. 

 The waters of these are filled with roil for a large portion of the 

 year, and are always polluted; our springs are dried up, and when 

 not wholly so, their waters mix and mingle with drains in which 

 death and decay widespread and prevailing, are borne by rains 

 into the streams supplying towns and cities with water for cooking 

 and drinking purposes. 



We have known for years, that, unless means are provided for 

 fitting and rendering the waters of these rivers and their tribut- 

 aries pure, fungus, deadliest enemy of vegetable and animal life, 

 would go on with its work of decimation and death, and not only 

 the fish would die out and disappear, but disease everywhere 



