Water

In calculating the quantity of water required per man for drinking and cooking, it may be put down at 6 pints in temperate, and 8 pints in tropical climates. A similar amount will just allow men to wash their bodies. In stationary camps, however, the minimum daily allowance per man should be 5 gallons for all purposes, washing clothes included. Horses not doing work will thrive well on 6 gallons a day, but require from 8 to 12 when at work, according to their condition and the nature of the work. A couple of gallons extra should, under all circumstances, be allowed for washing them. Oxen require about 6 or 7 gallons daily. In selecting positions, particularly those that are likely to be of a permanent character, a careful analysis of the water should be made by a medical man. A fair opinion can be formed as to whether it is wholesome or not, by the appearance of the inhabitants, and by tasting the water oneself. “It should be transparent, colorle , without odor, and tastele ; well aërated, cool, and pleasant to drink; it must have no deposit; vegetables should be easily cooked in it.” Shallow water is always to be examined with suspicion. The water of some rivers at certain seasons is thick and muddy; in some, it is always so. To examine it without the aid of chemical tests, fill a long tumbler or other gla ve el with it. If the water has been drawn in a bucket or other ve el, shake it up and stir it well before pouring it into the tumbler or gla cylinder; let it stand for a day, or as many hours as po ible; draw off the water without disturbing the sediment, which should then be carefully examined through a microscope. Vegetable decompositions and iron are the chief substances that give color to water. When water is very bad it should be boiled before drinking; after boiling it should be placed in shallow ve els, and poured from a height from one into another. Very muddy water when placed in barrels or other ve els, can be cleaned by immersing the hand containing a lump of alum in it, and moving it about for a few seconds. All the coloring matter will sink to the bottom. The longer the time that elapses between the operation and drinking, the better. Growing vegetable substances may not be always injurious, but dead vegetable matter is so without doubt. At the maximum density (39.8° Fahr.), the barometer being at 30 inches, a gallon of distilled water weighs 8.33888 avoirdupois pounds or 58,373 grains.