PURE WATER FOR STOCK.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 436, 3 February 1912, Page 7

PURE WATER FOR STOCK.

To do well farm animals nr.ist have good water and they must have it in abundance and at all times. The never-failing supply is, therefore, ol the first importance. The great majority of farms must depend upon wells for stock water. A few fortunate ones may have springs or flowing streams of pure water, lr.it th:sc will always be in the minority. Now take it lor S rantcci > then, that the water supply comes from a well. Flow to pump and store this so that it will remain pure and wholesome and can he rca'.h:-d at any time is a problem. If the windmill could be depended upon it would f.-nush tin cheapest power, but winds arc variable, and very often during the hottest clays the windmill docs not run and water has to be pumped by hand. The gasoline engine is being adopted by farmers for the particular purpose of pumping water. They furnish power comparatively cheap, ar.c can also be used for grinding feed, churning, sawing wood and many other purposes. The windmill and gasoline engine, therefore, will continue to be used for supplying water. A satisfactory supply, however, cannot possibly be secured without some means of storing water so that it will run out into a trough as need. STORAGE TANK AND WINDMILL A combination of cistern and tank makes the best water supply system for any farm, whether the water is pumped by means of tb.2 windmill or gasoline engine. Frequently the cistern can be dug upon a hill or slope above the tank and gravity pressure secured for filling the tank. This is probably the best combination obtainable. The cistern of large capacity is not an expensive proposition. This can usually be kept .well filled by attention and care in keeping the pump going whenever there is sum cient wind to turn the mill. An outlet pipe from the cistern to the tank is provided with the terminal closed with a valve. This valve in turn is operated by means of a float in the tank. When the water is lowered below a . certain depth the valve opens and allows tlie tank to replenish its supply. The float in turn closes the valve whsn the depth limit of the water is reached. This insures a constant supply of water for cattle,, horses, and sheep, as long as the supply, stored up in the cistern lasts. In cases where the cistern is not available, a series of tanks may be provided, one or more of them being clsvatcd to secure gravity pressure if desired. The old-style water tank was always built of wooden staves, held together by steel hoops. They were satisfactory when new,, but were comparatively short lived. Galvanised iron is to-day the popular material for water tanks, and concrete is being used with marked success in some localities. Either of these materials will last indefinitely with :easonable usage, and have the adled advantage of being more cleanly :han wood. They can be easily cleaned,, and farmers are yearly b3coming more attentive to details of :leanliness in the care of animals. TURE WATER ALWAYS POSSIBLE The storage plan with pumping by means of windmills is effective and trustworthy for farms where the vvater needed daily docs not too nearly apro::imate the total daily pumping capacity. The pumping capacity of a windmill depends upon the physical characteristics of the region in which it is located. It is plain that the depth of water and the degree of prevalence of winds are powerful influencing factors upon the pumping capacity of a mill. The development of modern pumping machinery and storage tanks, and the use of concrete and cement have placed within the. reach of every farmer a reliable clean water supply system, in all cases where a good well can be had. Of course, the fating of the wells in seasons of drouth .s a. contingency which can hardly bo •net by any escept the most extensive systems of storage, beyond the reach of the average farm, There is no possible reason, ordinarily, for the watering of stock Irom dirty, unhealthy pools, nor for ilthy drinking troughs and leaky tanks bouuded by the creeping muc lole of former days, Good, clean, serviceable appliances of all kind:pertaining to all phases of the fan:; water supply are easily available.