The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-11-14
DEVELOPING WATER
ON GRAZING LANDS
This Is Recognized as Necessary in Order
to Permit Cattle to Thrive.

How range which ordinarily can moi
be grazed because of inadequate water
facilities can be opened up for stock, is
told by the department of agriculture
in farmers bulletin 502 on the develop
ment and Improvement of stock water
ing places upon national forests.
No stock range can be said to be prop
erly utilized the department AYERS, if
there is an uneven distribution OF water
On some areas the water supply is not
sufficient for the number of stock the
forage will support. On others the
water supply is sufficient, but is not per-
manent, making it necessary to remove
the animals before the season is over.
Still other areas are made practically
worthless for stock purposes by the alb
sence of water except at rare intervals
during winter
Range cattle need from eight to ten
gallons of waOer day, says the depart
ment, and sheep from one-half to two
gallons unless there is heavy dew and
an abundance of succulent feed. No
matter how good the forage on given
area may be, animals must have all the
water they need or they will not thrive.
Cattle, moreover, should not be required
to travel on an average more than two
miles to reach water, if they are to be
in a marketable condition in the fall.
The flow from ordinary springs, and
even from seeps, can be increased by
digging them out and curbing the sides
with cement, the water being carried in
pipes to conveniently situated troughs.
Swampy spots can often be made to fur
nish water supply by cutting an open
channel from some spring in the middle
of them, perhaps cutting other chan
nels across the main one, and drawing
the spring and surface water to some
storage point outside. Streams flowing
through deep canyons may be made ac
cessible to stock by constructing trails
over which the animals can reach them,
or by raising the water to the surface
Of the canyon by mechanical means.
When natural water supply is some
distance from the range, small dirt
flood water reservoirs can be constructed
almost anywhere to supplement the |
natural supply. ii low place with a |
heavy adobe or clay soil is selected in /
the middle of some open park with slop /
ing hills about it, comparatively little t
work with pillow and scraper will con-
.truct reservoir which, when trampled I
and puddled by use, will hold enough
water for many head of stock for some
time. burrows running diagonally
lcross the slopes will collect the rainfall
u melting snow waters and carry them
iirectly to the reservoir for storage. Ar
ificial reservoirs permit the stock to be
out over a larger area than or
linarly, and remove the need for them
o concentrate at permanent watering
ilaces.
Where the natural water supply is
more than 80 feet below the surface of
he ground the best way to reach it, says
he department, is by drilling or boring
well and raising the water by means OF
windmill or pump. A deep well OF
rom 80 to 800 feet, such as is common
the lcAds tdnnhHult region, fOnpAele
18th windmill, truck, troughs, etc, rep 5
esents an investment of about $1,000, !
nd should easily supply between $50 /.
nd 500 cattle daily. No well is COM
lete, claims the department, without a
with a capacity large enough !
, carry the stock dependent upon it
YER a long calm spell, The cost of
.seryoiT holding approximately 100000 =
illons of water should not exceed 500. !.
The best kind of trough for holding :
alter derived from wells and springs, =
links the department, is the ordinary !,
etal one used by stockmen. Ii is light )
weight, win last long time, and !
'sts little. However, where the ma
rials are readily available and the cost !,
cement is not prohibitive, the depart \
ent recommends concrete as better 4
ian any other trough material.
Work has been done on the national :
rests TO improve the water facilities
the range lands. In all a total of 9
Q separate water Improvement pro. 4
cts have been developed. 32a by the
ers Of the range themselves; l72
rough corporation between the forest I
rvice and the users, and us bv the
ryice alone OF these 676 improve
ants. 37s are springs or seeps, 2S6 are
seryoirs or tanks while the rest are
Ills. trails, and the like.