MISCELLAIJEOUS NOTES, ETC. 165 



To show the influence this water has upon cattle, I am 

 induced to insert the following from my note hook : — 



"March 31st, 1851. — Mr. Somers Tucker, the Government 

 beef contractor, who has upwards of a hundred bullocks in 

 his stalls, and has been out of tank-water for some weeks, 

 tells me that he is compelled to make use of the" water from 

 the Corporation well, in front of Dean's school, for watering^ 

 his cattle ; that he drains the well for that purpose every 

 day, and gives them as much as they please to drink. He 

 finds the well water scour the cattle to an injurious degree, 

 and has endeavoured to counteract the evil by lessening 

 their allowance of Indian corn meal, and iacreasing that of 

 upland hay. 



" June, 1851. — Mr. Tichener Darrell, of Warwick Pond, 

 tells me that he keeps three or four cows, the produce 

 of which, in the shape of fresh butter, is sent to the Dock- 

 yard for sale, were it is well known for its superior 

 quality. He gives these cows tank water only, and assures 

 me that if a cow be allowed to drink the common well or 

 moat-water, as he termed it, the butter produced from the 

 milk will absolutely ' stink.' For this reason every care is 

 taken to keep the cows from touchiag it." 



During the scarcity of rain-water in the drought of 1849, 

 many of the poorer inhabitants were reduced to the 

 necessity of using well-water only, which had a most in- 

 jurious effect on the health of those persons, and was 

 rapidly causing the spread of diarrhoea and fever, when a 

 fall of rain happily replenished the many exhausted tanks, 

 and rapidly restored the sufferers to their usual state of 

 health. 



