COMMUNICATIONS. 367 



nortli western states; an average of over two feet depth of water in 

 the form of rain and snow falls on every farm between St. An- 

 thony's Falls and the Ohio river — a flood of water that would 

 be frightful, and soon drown us all out, if it did not rapidly run 

 off to the valleys, or become absorbed in the soil. 



From these well established data, it may be readily calculated, 

 with a few figures, that the amount of water which may annu- 

 ally be collected from the roof of a 30 by 40 feet barn is about 

 800 barrels — enough to afford drink to a goodly number of 

 horses and cattle most of the year — amply sufficient, when we 

 remember that there are weeks and months, after showers, and 

 thaws, and wet seasons, when there is plenty of drink for stock 

 in the fields, even where there are no streams or springs of 

 living water. A horse will ordinarily dr nk from four to six 

 gallon? of water in a day, the year round, or about six barrels 

 in a month — and from 70 to 80 barrels a year, at the outside ; 

 though there are numerous cases and places where they do not 

 get the half that amount, but the above quantity is a great 

 plenty. Now, sufficient substantial cisterns, at the barn, to 

 secure this quantity of water — while it is constantly being used 

 out — can be constructed for as little cost, and greater safety, than 

 is required for digging and stoning up a good well in most 

 localities — and for less than half the cost of many deep wells on 

 our high and dry prairies — and then with greater certainty of a 

 good supply from the cistern than the well — to say nothing of 

 the immensely harder labor required to draw the water from the 

 latter than from the former. And the roof of an ordinary farm- 

 house, too, is sufficient to collect from six to eight hundred bar- 

 rels of pure rain and snow water, annually; and the necessary 

 good cisterns to contain this quantity of water, as it is daily 

 used out, need not cost as much as the usual house-wells do. 

 Thus, with timely thought and care, all the farm buildings in 

 every locality may always have convenient supplies of pure, 

 wholesome water, at about the same cost, for which it is obtained 

 by those who have wells and brooks, and, in most instances, 

 with less labor of drawing and using. 



