528 
polluted water. The belief among farmers appears to be quite wide- 
spread that milk may become contaminated by the impure water 
drunk by the cows, the conception being that in some way bacteria 
pass from the stomach of the cow through the udder into the milk. 
There seems no good reason for believing that this takes place. It 
is true that milk becomes tainted by garlic and weeds which the cow 
eats, but this is a very different matter from the passage of bacteria 
from the cow’s stomach into the milk. The danger from bacteria in 
milk arises mainly if not wholly from the use of unclean vessels, and 
from slovenly methods of handling the milk in the case of healthy 
cows. It is true that if the cow is diseased, particularly if tubercu- 
losis exists or disease of the udder, bacteria may get into the milk 
from the cow. 
While it is true as just stated that bacteria from foul water does 
not pass directly from the stomach of the cow into the milk, it is 
nevertheless important for the health of the cow to have an abund- 
ance of pure water to drink. 
REQUIREMENTS OF A SANITARY WATER SUPPLY. 
The three factors necessary for a sanitary water supply are purity, 
abundance, and convenience. The most important of these factors, 
and that which has received most consideration as a rule is purity. 
It is the most obvious of the three in importance, since people natu- 
rally prefer clean, pure water, and they are generally educated to 
the dangers arising from polluted water as a possible source of in- 
fection. Hygienic examinations of water supplies often begin and 
end with a determination of bacteriological or chemical contamina- 
tion to the neglect of the questions of proper location, abundance, 
and convenience. Now, while it is quite proper- that the purity of 
the water should receive the first consideration, the other two factors 
can not be safely ignored. The water may be pure and sufficient 
for drinking purposes, and yet not in sufficient amount for cleanli- 
ness. For sanitary purposes it is essential that the water should 
be in such quantity that there is no need for stinting in any direction. 
It is essential to have abundance for personal cleanliness, for the 
laundry, for washing the utensils of the kitchen or dairy, and for the 
premises generally. It should be abundant at all seasons. The im- 
portance of the unrestricted use of water is so great that some hygien-^ 
ists for this reason condemn the use of water meters in private houses 
in cities with a central water supply, because many people are apt 
to stint themselves if the water is paid for by the amount used. 
Convenience is probably The least important factor, but it is never- 
theless essential for a sanitary water supply. It seems from the 
result of the inspection of about 300 farms around Washington that 
