To Tell Pure Water

The color, odor, taste and purity of water can be ascertained as
follows: Fill a large bottle made of colorless glass with water; look
through the water at some black object. Pour out some of the water and
leave the bottle half full; cork the bottle and place it for a few hours
in a warm place; shake up the water, remove the cork, and critically
smell the air contained in the bottle. If it has any smell, particularly
if the odor is repulsive, the water should not be used for domestic
purposes. By heating the water an odor is evolved that would not
otherwise appear. Water fresh from the well is usually tasteless, even
if it contains a large amount of putrescible organic matter. All water
for domestic purposes should be perfectly tasteless, and remain so even
after it has been warmed, since warming often develops a taste in water
which is tasteless when cold.

Next: Hand Grenades
Previous: Points Of Criminal Law