WATER SUPPLY. 119 



worst of all. If the water is contaminated in any way, 

 the quality of the milk will inevitably suffer ; and many 

 cases occur in which a dairyman, annoyed by a sup- 

 posed mysterious trouble with the milk, and the butter 

 or cheese made from it, has at last found the cause to be 

 impurity in the water drank by the cows. Moreover, a 

 large quantity of water is required in a dairy for cleans- 

 ing the pans, and if this water is not pure the very 

 source of the supposed cleansing brings impurity into 

 the dairy. My own supply of water was procured from 

 springs which were opened in the bottom of a slope be- 

 low the house and barn, by digging three or four feet 

 down to a bed of fine clean sand and gravel, when the 

 water immediately flowed out over the brim and down 

 to a small spring stream in the bottom, which was fed by 

 a large number of bubbling springs in its bed. Such a 

 source as this, conveniently close to the barn, and not so 

 low but it can be brought up to it in pipes, by means of 

 a pump, is the very best ; as the water is pure, cool in 

 summer and warm in winter, and in unlimited sup- 

 ply at all seasons of the year. The manner in which 

 this supply of water was made available is as follows : 

 A reservoir or tank was dug out near the foot of the slope, 

 sufficiently deep to hold an abundant stock, and to se- 

 cure an even temperature, which averaged from forty- 

 eight to fifty degrees in midsummer, and forty-five to 

 forty-eight degrees in midwinter. The pool was lined 

 with a wall of stone laid closely and covered with a small 

 building for protection. Other springs were opened and 

 walled in the same way, and arched over with stone, 

 after providing a safe outlet with drain tiles, and an air 

 trap to prevent access of any small insects or animals. 

 Pipes of galvanized iron were laid for these springs in 

 trenches three feet deep, so as to be safe from frost, and 

 to preserve coolness in the hot weather, and connected 

 with pumps in the house, stable, barn, and barnvard. 



