1910.] Water Supply and Small Holdings. 291 



Artificial Ponds. — Artificial ponds may be formed in 

 favourable situations in open country ; but experience goes 

 to show that, except in districts where the rainfall is well 

 above the general average, they are not very successful. One 

 reason is that in order to reach the water-logged subsoil the 

 ponds must be either too deep to be easily accessible to 

 animals,, or their sides must be so gradually sloped as to 

 diminish somewhat seriously the cultivable area of the field ; 

 then, too, the disposal of the excavated earth over the field 

 is both troublesome and expensive. 



In cases where surface-water alone is relied upon for the 

 feeding and replenishment of artificial ponds, as where they 

 are formed in the side of a slope, the prevention of leakage 

 is usually a matter of some difficulty. The presence of land- 

 springs is naturally favourable to the maintenance of artificial 

 ponds, but as land-springs occur only at the overflow points 

 of subterranean reservoirs, a dry winter will generally rob 

 these ponds of their sources of supply. 



Pools. — Broads, or pools, formed at selected places, by the 

 widening and deepening of ditches so as to intercept and 

 retain some of the running surface-water, are sometimes 

 successful, chiefly on flat land of heavy character, but these 

 also are liable to failure in dry seasons. 



On the whole, it will probably be found that, if each small 

 farm is to be self-contained, reliable natural ponds will be 

 either insufficient in number or inconveniently situated, and 

 that artificial ponds will be both expensive and unsatisfac- 

 tory. 



Streams. — So far, animal needs and trade uses only have 

 been considered, but if we add to these the needs of the 

 households we shall find that surface-water, other than such 

 as is provided by the neighbourhood of pure and permanent 

 hill-streams or large lakes, is unsuitable. Where streams 

 are available, and the portions reserved for animals are care- 

 fully guarded against the fouling of up-stream water, human 

 needs may be fairly met, as the stream itself will probably 

 afford sufficient motive power to actuate whatever device (such 

 as a water-wheel, turbine or ram) may be found best suited to 

 the task of propelling the water to where it is needed, or, if 



