942 
WATER SUPPLY FOR THE FARM 
HOME 
The failure to employ modern methods 
of lightening labor inside the house is a 
great hardship on many farms. Thought- 
fully planned, conveniently arranged, 
and carefully constructed buildings are 
as essential in the country as in the city. 
Plumbing is becoming a necessity, not 
only for comfort and convenience but 
even more for health and cleanliness; 
and the proper disposal of the wastes of 
the household should not be neglected. 
For domestic purposes the water must 
be clear, pure, and palatable; the es- 
sentials being freedom from disease 
germs, turbidity, color, odor and taste. 
Springs and Wells 
Of the various sources of supply 
springs usually rank first and deep wells 
next in desirability. The character of 
the water in a shallow well depends 
upon its past history and present envi- 
ronment. If it has traveled long dis- 
tances through the soil without encoun- 
tering organic impurities or taking up 
objectionable mineral salts, or if after 
possible pollution it has been filtered and 
purified in its travels, its quality is prob- 
ably excellent. But shallow wells near 
barnyards or privy vaults should always 
be regarded with suspicion. It is well 
to remember that the price of pure water, 
wherever you go, is everlasting and un- 
remitting vigilance. 
To locate a cesspool and a well on the 
same small piece of ground is almost im- 
possible without contaminating the water. 
Slop water of any kind should never be 
thrown near the well. The top 4 or 5 
feet of the well casing should be laid in 
cement mortar to prevent water flowing 
in without first filtering through the 
ground. A sewer pipe or waste drain 
near a well is dangerous because such 
a pipe or drain is seldom watertight. If 
a sewer pipe must be run near a well, 
cast iron pipe should be used. 
The carelessness that will locate the 
barn on higher ground than the well and 
take no precautions to divert the surface 
drainage is almost as deplorable as the 
use of the cesspool or privy vault To 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
keep the earth clean in the vicinity of 
the water supply is of the greatest 
importance and requires constant watch- 
fulness. 
Water Storage 
Cisterns 
There are localities where the only 
available water supply is obtained by 
storing the water which falls from the 
roof of the house during rainy weather. 
In other places the water is so hard that 
rain water is desirable in the laundry 
and bathroom. 
Construction 
The size of the cistern needed will 
vary with the size of the family, the 
length of the dry season, and the number 
of plumbing fixtures supplied with the 
rain water. This cistern may be located 
close to the house for convenience and 
should be added by building an 8-inch 
wall not less than 8 inches in thickness, 
laid in Portland cement mortar. The 
bottom should be laid with two courses 
of brick well bedded in the cement mor- 
tar. If the water is to be used for drink- 
ing or for cooking, a filter chamber 
should be added by building an 8-inch 
partition wall after the bottom has been 
paved. This wall should be built a lit- 
tle higher than the outlet of the over- 
flow pipe. The walls of both compart- 
ments should be plastered with a good 
coat of cement mortar, composed of one 
part good Portland cement and two parts 
clean, sharp sand, excepting 10 or 12 
inches of the bottom of the partition wall 
(4 or 5 courses of brick, which are laid 
together without cement) for the water 
to pass through. The water from the 
roof is collected in one compartment and 
is pumped from the other, the filtering 
material being put in the first compart- 
ment. An overflow pipe should be pro- 
vided on the side of the cistern which 
the water enters, the opening of the over- 
flow pipe being fitted with a fine strain- 
er to exclude insects or vermin. A cut- 
off should be placed on the rain water 
pipe leading to the cistern to divert the 
flow to the outside when necessary, as, 
for instance, for a short time at the be- 
ginning of the rains to exclude the dirt 
collected on the roof and in the gutters. 
