THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



Many veins of saturated shale will be touched that 

 supply mineralized water, and you may decide as to 

 whether these will be acceptable for your house 

 supply. One of my wells gives me a strong flavor 

 of sulphur — too strong at some seasons for table 

 use. Another well gives me a strong taste of 

 iron, with a slight taste of sulphur. 



Having a drilled well, or any other thoroughly 

 safe supply of water, it should be invariably carried 

 directly into the house. If it be from a flowing 

 well, or from a pure spring, pumping will not always 

 be necessary; but in most cases a force pump must 

 be attached to your kitchen sink, or to a basin of 

 marble or iron, in some convenient corner of the 

 room. Drainage from the basin should be con- 

 nected with the general waste pipe, so as to assist 

 in carrying off the refuse or the greasy water of the 

 sink. The pipe that conveys the water through the 

 soil and into the house should be of iron, and the 

 connection should be carefully looked after. Too 

 much precaution cannot be taken against lead pipes, 

 or against lead at the joints. Removing lead pipes 

 from my own well — purely from a sanitary point 

 of view — some years ago, I employed a plumber 

 who cemented the joints of the iron with a soft red 



[64] 



