320 Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1879. 
and the prevalent notion of farmers is that such foul water will 
do no harm to stock. Leaving it undecided whether cattle and 
horses are really fond of water spiced with liquid manure, 
or whether they prefer it to pure clear spring or pump-water, 
because for the greater part of the year pond-water is warmer 
than cold spring or pump-water, I must think that yellow- 
coloured foetid pond-water, more or less impregnated with liquid 
manure or yard-drainage, cannot be conducive to the health of 
farm-stock. In confirmation of this view, I may relate a case 
in point which has lately been brought under my notice. A 
member of the Society sent me a sample of water for analysis, 
requesting an opinion whether it was fit for carthorses to drink. 
My correspondent informed me that the water came from a pit 
which received the drains of all his yards, and that in the course 
of two years during which he had occupied the farm he had lost 
two valuable carthorses from colic, whilst others suffered from 
the same affection, but recovered under medical treatment. The 
veterinary surgeon who was called in stated that the water had 
been noted for years for griping horses. 
The water had a deep-yellow colour and a bad smell. On 
evaporation to dryness, it left per imperial gallon — 
grains. 
Organic matter 52*6 
Chloride of sodium (common salt) 50 • 7 
Nitric acid as nitrates 3 ' 8 
It further contained per gallon : — 
grains. 
Actual (saline) ammonia 1'255 
Organic (albuminoid) ammonia ,. "680 
In my judgment, water so largely impregnated with organic 
matter and drainage products is decidedly injurious to horses, 
and ought not to be used for drinking purposes. 
The '.Journal ' of the Society for 1879 contains the following 
contributions of mine : — 
1. Report on the Field and Feeding Experiments at Woburn. 
2. Annual Report for 1878. 
I have completed a laboratory investigation relating to dairy 
matters, the results of which I hope to embody in several Papers 
in a future number of the Society's ' Journal,' for which I have 
prepared a detailed report of the Woburn Experiments in 
1879. 
In the course of the year I paid fourteen visits to the experi- 
mental field and Crawley mill-farm. 
