Farms and Villages. 
31 
yet no proof, water being always more or less impure, that the 
presence of some plants and animalculae is not an advantage, for 
they are probably the agents in that spontaneous purification 
which water under certain conditions undergoes. Just as small 
birds place a check in the development of many harmful insects, 
so certain forms of infusorial life may be charged with the office 
of destroving and exterminating harmful germs and microbes. 
It is impossible to dwell too strongly upon the immense 
importance of well considering the surroundings of a proposed 
source of water supply, and this is particularly important in the 
case of dairies, where the deadly consequences of using bad 
water is felt in every family supplied. But too many cases may 
be cited where dairies, using water defiled by sewage proceeding" 
from patients suffering from zymotic diseases, have been the 
means of spreading those diseases, and bringing suffering and 
death into the families which they supplied. The recent 
action of the Legislature, in placing dairies under strict super- 
vision, is the direct fruit of our advanced knowledge, and it 
will be the means of forcing upon the ignorant or careless cow- 
keepers those great principles, which, though at first they may 
consider as tending to hamper the liberty of the subject, they 
will eventually find conducive to their trade interests, because the 
health and efficiency of their cattle will improve in consequence 
of the enforced care which will have to be bestowed on them. 
It is a very common, though a very erroneous idea, that dumb 
animals are not particular in what they drink. Like men, they 
will drink anything when pressed by thirst ; but pure water is 
as necessary to the lower animals as it is to man, and bad water 
will spread infectious diseases among cattle just as readily as 
among ourselves. 
I will again touch on the quality of water, and the peculiar 
sources of contamination, as I deal with each method of supply. 
I will, however, remind the readers of the ' Journal ' that an 
analysis of water can be obtained by ^Members of the Royal 
Agricultural Society at the excellent Laboratory attached to the 
Society's offices in Hanover Square. 
Rain-water. 
The most obvious source of water supply is the rain which 
falls on the roofs of our houses, and which can, as a rule, be 
readily collected by the eaves-gutters, and run into suitable 
cisterns. Rain-water is, however, far from being irreproachable, 
when required for drinking and cooking purposes, especially 
when the house is situated in a town or village. The water 
falling through the air readily absorbs carbonic acid gas, am- 
