Part 25

Ye, use ... this medicine Every day this May or thou dine, Go looke upon the fresh daisie And though thou be for wo in point to die, That shall full greatly lessen thee of thy pine. --Chaucer

1. CAMP SANITATION

Too great stress cannot be laid upon the question of sanitation. Make the camp safe if you would have a healthful, happy camp, and keep it orderly if you would keep it safe. The time to make the camp safe is before and during the process of building and prior to each camp season if an old camp is used. Certain known things are fore-runners of trouble and should be avoided or safeguarded against from the start. Among these are low, damp ground, impure water, an insufficient supply of water, unsafe bathing conditions, such as deep water only, a very swift current, undertow, shallow water and a quick drop, holes, and so forth; proximity to pest breeding places such as pools of stagnant water, marshes where mosquitoes breed, uncared-for out houses, barns, and dumps; inadequate latrine facilities, and so forth.

The keeping of the camp safe is a daily matter which includes the disposal of all waste, the cleaning of the camp grounds and all buildings, the inspection of the water supply, provisions, equipment, the latter in a general way, the guarding against pests of any kind and the personal health of the campers.

Disposition of Trash

Every morning all trash should be collected and properly disposed of. Burning is the only method unless arrangements have been made to have all dry waste carted away. For burning light trash use a small incinerator two feet high and eighteen inches in diameter, made of iron, and with a cover circular in shape and perforated closely with holes half an inch in diameter. When in use the incinerator should stand in an open place away from all tents and buildings. The heavier trash, such as old shoes, paste-board boxes, discarded clothing, should be burned in a heap away from all buildings, care being taken that no bits of hot paper cause grass fires, or blow into the woods.

Wooden boxes in which provisions are shipped can be split up for kindling wood, or if the boxes are large and well made, kept for packing equipment for storage. Some of the well-made boxes are very serviceable to use as seats, and one could be placed in the kitchen to hold wood. Butter tubs, if washed and dried, can be used to hold vegetables or other provisions. Barrels should never be thrown away if in good condition. They are invaluable when packing dishes or kitchen ware and during the summer will hold sacks of provisions such as cereal, rice, hominy, beans, and so forth.

All tin cans should be rinsed out as soon as emptied, burned on the trash heap and when cold thrown into a covered pit, or into covered barrels to be carted away at the end of the season.

Garbage

There are three ways of disposing of garbage when in camp. Burn it, bury it, give it away. Sometimes all three ways are necessary in one camp. If the group is small and there is little garbage it can be thrown around the edge of a hot fire and when dried out, raked onto the hot coals.

In larger camps a portable incinerator can be used. One form has a basin over the fire pot, into which garbage is placed to be dried out and then turned into the fire.

In camps of 100 or more people where burning is difficult, pits for burying garbage have been found satisfactory if properly cared for and dug not near the camp buildings or source of water supply. They should be deep, oblong in shape, and the earth should be thrown up at one side to be used in covering the garbage as soon as it is thrown into the pit.

In a camp where there is no plumbing, liquid waste as well as garbage, can be disposed of in the following way. Dig a trench four feet long, two feet deep and thirty inches wide at one end; eight inches wide and level with the ground at the other end; line with stone, or if this is impossible, use tin, sheet iron, or brick. Put the garbage into the trench, build a fire on top of it, when the fire is very hot pour the liquid waste into the trench at the small end. If there is a great deal of garbage some of it will have to be put on top of the fire which should be made of heavy logs of hard wood. Tin cans can be burnt in this fire and then treated as stated before.

The disposing of camp garbage is not a difficult matter if some system and care are used. It is necessary to have a covered pail near the kitchen door for use during the day. The contents of this pail should be burned or buried every night after supper and if necessary once during the day, preferably after dinner. If this pail is lined with two or three thicknesses of newspaper each time after emptying, it will be kept in good condition.

If garbage is to be carted out of camp, have proper receptacles for transporting it and do not let too much accumulate at any one time.

Under no circumstances allow waste food to be strewn on the ground anywhere within camp limits, or the ground around the garbage pail, pit or incinerator to be untidy.

One of the best disinfectants for latrines and garbage pits is smouldering tar paper. Break the paper into small pieces, throw into the latrine or pit, light and let smoulder.

Pests

At least twice a week camp grounds should be thoroughly inspected to make sure that there are no pest breeding places such as pools of stagnant water, old tin cans in which water will collect, trash heaps, and so forth. It is much easier to keep flies and mosquitoes away by doing away with such places, than it is to exterminate them after they have come in large numbers. If camp grounds and buildings are cleaned every day and all waste properly disposed of, there is little danger of trouble from pests.

In localities where mosquitoes and flies are very troublesome other precautions should be taken. It might be necessary to have mosquito netting over the cots at night and fly paper in the kitchen and store closet. A piece of absorbent cotton saturated in citronella and hung on the tent poles at either end of the tent will sometimes keep mosquitoes away as they dislike intensely any strong odor.

If ants get into the kitchen or store closets borax sprinkled on the shelves will often send them away, or if they are very troublesome dishes of food can be stood in pans of water.

Water Supply

An adequate water supply is most essential for any camp, and should be one of the first things to be considered in selecting a site. Springs and wells generally supply the camper with drinking water; lakes and streams with wash water. Few springs or wells can supply enough water for all purposes when a camp is large.

Whatever the source of supply the drinking water should be tested by the Health authorities before camp opens, and at any time there is any question concerning it. Springs and wells should be cleaned out and the former protected with boards or screening if necessary.

Too much thought cannot be given to the question of the water, as to its purity and quantity. Children drink a great deal in hot weather and much has to be used for cooking and washing. If there is any danger of the drinking supply giving out, to prevent waste, allow only one or two people to draw water and then only when necessary.

Keep covered tanks or coolers of drinking water in shady places, convenient for the campers. Caution all as to wastefulness and if in case of an emergency there is only a very little, place a counsellor in charge of it and deal it out by the cupful, seeing that all have an equal share. Of course, only individual cups should be used.

Should there be any doubt as to the purity of the water, boil it for twenty minutes, place in earthenware or agate vessels, cool, cover and lower the vessels down the well, or put them in the ice box, or some cool place for the water to get cold.

Water for cooking can be taken from a lake or stream. It is generally boiled.