130 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
Some of this algee smells very bad indeed, and by the application of 
this method to large reservoirs it has in many cases destroyed the 
alge. I know in some cases $25,000 or $30,000 has been spent in 
pumping air to clean out these reservoirs, and they have tried this 
method that Mr. Woods has referred to and the reservoirs have been 
cleaned out for $400 or $500. 
Mr. Woops. Some of these reservoirs smell so bad that even stock 
do not like the water. Of course, all those propositions are strictly 
agricultural, but in reference to the city water supplies the boards of 
health in a number of States have requested us to give them informa- 
tion in regard to our methods. They have done the work at their 
own expense. The Massachusetts board of health is trying it in the 
Boston reservoirs and the New York board of health is trying it in 
the New York reservoirs—the metropolitan system. The Kentucky 
people, in Lexington, have cleaned out the Lexington reservoir. In 
three days’ time we had the Lexington reservoir as clear as crystal, 
and before that cows even would not drink the water. 
The CHarrMAN. I have seen the drinking pools of the farms of the 
the blue-grass region in Kentucky so thick with slime that it could be 
cut with a knife. 
Mr. Woops. It is extremely important to clean this out, not only 
in order to make the water more palatable, but it reduces very much 
the number of insect parasites, such as mosquitoes and other insects. 
Mr. Scorr. This Bordeaux mixture is not a precipitant, is it? It 
does not result in depositing other impurities, does it? For instance, 
you could not put it in Potomac water and make it clear? 
Mr. Woops. No; it would have no effect on the sedimentary mate- 
rials, but it does destroy the typhoid bacillus. It seems to be 
extremely sensitive. One part in ten millions will destroy the 
typhoid bacillus in one hour. 
The Cuatrman. This Bordeaux mixture? 
Mr. Woops. Yes. Here is the point, now. We do not want to say 
very much about this until we get the material well in hand, because 
if some of us should go along, say one part in ten million is good, one 
part in five hundred is better, it might be that somebody would dope 
the water supplies with copper, perhaps, until it spoiled the whole 
thing; that is, you can get enough copper to be injurious, and it has 
to be under the control of the proper authorities, and so it is nota 
thing we can say a great deal about in print at the present’ time, until 
the matter is so adjusted that we can control the use of it or that the 
seg boards of health can control it. It is a good thing if properly 
used. 
Now, leaving that phase of the work, we come to the work in the 
laboratories outside of Washington. We find it cheaper in some of 
our field work to have permanent laboratories located, for instance, 
in southern California for the Pacific coast and the southwestern 
region; located in south Florida for the subtropical region and for the 
southern Gulf States. Wecan put our men thereand send them from 
there to localities in the South very much cheaper, and they get 
acquainted with the region, too, and know it better than if the work 
were done from Washington. 
So we have the Pacific Coast Laboratory at Santa Ana. Their work 
covers everything in the way of treatment of diseases and the breedin 
and testing of crops along the lines I have been discussing. For al 
