296 DEVELOPMENT OF WATERING PLACES 



Water Requirements of Livestock. — In the development of 

 water on range and pasture it is important to consider the 

 individual water requirements of the different classes of stock. 

 The quantity of water an animal will drink varies greatly with 

 the class of feed, the topographic features, and the weather 

 conditions. The requirement of mature cattle or horses during 

 warm weather, especially when cropping upon dry feed, is 

 approximately no pounds or 13 gallons of water for 24 hours, 

 whereas, when feeding on fresh grass, they will consume only 

 about 60 pounds or 7.2 gallons in 24 hours. It is probable that 

 10 gallons of water per day of 24 hours for cattle and horses is 

 slightly in excess of that consumed on high mountain summer 

 range, whereas 12 gallons per day is ample for mature cattle 

 and horses on the lower, warmer grazing lands.^ 



Mature sheep require from j to i| gallons of water daily ac- 

 cording to feed and weather. If the forage is green and lush, 

 sheep do well without watering for long periods at a time.^ 

 These conditions of succulent forage the herder frequently takes 

 advantage of and does not water oftener than every 8 or 10 days, 

 unless the water supply is nearby. Under similar conditions 

 of feed, cattle require only a small amount of water. For 

 water-development purposes generally it is well to estimate 

 10 to 12 gallons per day for cattle and horses and i| gallons per 

 day for sheep. 



Distribution of Water. — On the cattle range of the plains 

 and mesas reasonably good utilization of the forage is secured 

 if cattle do not have to travel more than 2^ miles to water.^ 

 This would require the presence of watering places 5 miles apart, 

 or a drinking place for approximately 13,200 acres. In the 

 Southwest, where gramagrass occurs in average density, such a 

 tract will carry approximately 500 cattle the year round, 

 averaging 26.4 acres to the head. 



^ Barnes, Will C, "Stock-Watering Places on Western Grazing Lands." U. S. 

 Dept. of Agr. Farmers Bui. 592, pp. 2, 3, 1914. 



2 Jardine, J. T., "Grazing Sheep on Range Without Water." Nat'l Wool 

 Grower, Vol. 5, No. 9, Sept., 1915. 



* Jardine, J. T., and Hurtt, L. C, "Increased Cattle Production on South- 

 western Ranges." U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bui. 588, pp. 10, 11, 191 7. 



