577 
this requirement is more neglected than the matter of pollution or of 
I abundance. Most farmers take pride in what they regard as the 
II purity and abundance of their water supply. Each one in the 
, j neighborhood ^vill frequently boast of his spring or well in these 
j I respects, but many of them ^vill year after year haul the water up in 
I i a bucket out of an open well or pump the water by hand into a pail 
ij or bring it by hand up hill from the spring. Where such exertion 
j as this is necessary in good and bad weather alike persons ^\dll resort 
ij; ^ to economy in the use of water for cleaning purposes at least. 
i ; No one rule for preserving health is more important than cleanli- 
|j, ness, the frequent bath, clean underwear, cleanliness of vessels used 
ill ^for food, particularly cleanliness of receptacles for milk, cleanliness 
I of dwelling and stable. Nothing is so conducive to cleanliness as an 
I . abundant and convenient supply of clean water and anything which 
I ^ facilitates the unrestricted use of pure water is in itself a hygienic 
I measure. 
I SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY. 
I Of the water which falls to the earth as rain, hail, or snow, a large 
I part is evaporated and taken back up into the air. Of the rest a 
■i part runs off to feed the brooks and rivers, and a part sinks into the 
soil. It is mainly the portion which sinks into the ground which is 
Fig. 53. — Geological formation favorable to the obtaining of water by means of artesian wells. 
Harrington: Practical Hygiene; Phila. and N. Y., 1901, p. 321. 
of interest as a source of domestic water supply for the farm, for it 
feeds the springs and wells. It percolates through the soil until it 
reaches the so-called “water table” which is a more or less porous 
layer of gravel or sand hung upon an impervious stratum of clay or 
rock (see fig. 53). 
45276°— Bull. 56—12 37 
