40 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



sod or a layer of sand or, best of all, a pavement sloping in all 

 directions. 



If due precautions are taken in the disposal of sewage, care of 

 waste and garbage, and in the proper construction of wells, there is 

 little danger of well water becoming polluted. An abundant supply 

 of pure water is a great step toward insuring the health of the house- 

 hold dependent upon the well, and increasing the wholesomeness and 

 healthfulness of the butter, milk, cream, and other products sold from 

 the farm. (N. H. C. B. 53.) 



Table Use. Pure water for table use is essential to health. 

 Clean water coolers, pitchers, w T ater bottles, drinking glasses and pure 

 ice should be used. Many persons overlook the first requirements of 

 an attractive table in this respect, and also are exceedingly careless 

 of the water and ice supply which to a very great extent menaces the 

 health of the household. Water may be clear, cold, free from odor 

 and taste, and yet be unfit for drinking purposes, because of bacte- 

 rial contamination from sewage or other causes. In the same way 

 ice may look clean, yet contain very objectionable matter, including 

 micro-organisms. 



Where water may be contaminated in any manner, a simple 

 way of removing the contamination and making it useful for drink- 

 ing purposes in the household is to boil it. After being boiled it 

 should be covered and allowed to cool. Many persons object to the 

 use of boiled water and insist that it has a flat and unpalatable taste. 

 Fresh water owes its sparkle to the air dissolved in it, and the flat 

 taste of boiled water is due to the fact that the air normally present 

 in drinking water has been almost entirely driven out by heat. If 

 fresh water is boiled for a short time only, it retains more or less of 

 the air dissolved in it, and when properly cooled is by no means 

 unpalatable. A few minutes of vigorous boiling is sufficient for 

 safety, and a few minutes of vigorous shaking will remove the "flat 

 taste." 



Water properly distilled is free from harmful impurities and 

 is very satisfactory for household use. Boiled or distilled, or other 

 water which is practically satisfactory for drinking purposes is fre- 

 quently contaminated by adding dirty ice or by keeping it in a water 

 cooler which has not received proper attention. If there is any doubt 

 as to the purity and cleanliness of the ice supply, it is advisable to 

 cool the water in receptacles placed near the ice, or in some other way 

 so that the water is out of actual contact with the ice. 



Under favorable conditions the process of freezing is undoubt- 

 edly a process of purification. Under ordinary conditions, however, 

 contaminated water will produce an impure and unsafe ice. Ice is 

 generally handled in a manner which is not conducive to cleanliness 

 and should be carefully washed before using in water intended for 

 drinking. 



A great many persons who are very careful to secure pure water 

 for their table do not exercise the same precaution with water used 

 in their kitchens for cooking purposes for washing vegetables pre- 

 paratory to cooking, and lettuce and other foods which are eaten 



