CHAPTER LXXVIII 

 THE SEPTIC TANK FOR FARM SEWAGE DISPOSAL 



Modern plumbing fixtures for the farmhouse introduce a 

 new problem, the disposal of the sewage. Present-day ideas 

 concerning sanitation have made the privy and the cesspool 

 less tolerable than formerly. The modern sewage disposal 

 plant, if it is to fill its purpose to the greatest extent, should 

 not only prevent accumulation of sewage to harbor disease 

 and contaminate the water supply, but should also provide 

 for the saving of fertilizing material which otherwise would 

 be wasted. 



Disposal of Sewage into Rivers. If a large stream of 

 water be near, the sewage may be discharged into it in a 

 manner similar to that followed by the large cities. The 

 organic material contained in the sewage when exposed to 

 the light and air as it passes off down the river is rapidly 

 purified by bacterial action. Rivers as a means of disposing 

 of the sewage from farmhouses are rarely available and will 

 not be discussed further. 



The Cesspool. While the cesspool has been the most 

 common method of disposing of sewage in isolated places, it 

 has but few features to commend it and should not be used if 

 there is the least danger of its spreading disease. As usually 

 constructed the cesspool consists of a cistern in the ground, 

 with an open wall, usually of brick, through which seepage 

 takes place. In some open soils this seepage is rapid, and no 

 difficulty is experienced from the cesspool's overflowing at 

 times. In dense, retentive soils, the solid matter of the sew- 

 age closes the porous walls to the extent that the liquids do 



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