DRAINAGE AND GROUND WATER SUPPLY 205 



week, for all other purposes, the total water used for an 

 individual would amount to 10 tons per annum. 



Farm animals consume from 100 to 150 pounds of water 

 daily for each 1000 pounds of animal. Dairy animals 

 producing milk probably consume not far from 100 pounds 

 of water daily for each 1000 pounds of weight. It is 

 probably liberal to allow 100 pounds of water a day for 

 each 1000 pounds of meat produced on the farm up to 

 the time it is marketed. 



For the purpose of bringing the water thus used on the 

 farm into comparison with the rainfall of a region, and 

 without attempt at accuracy, except to make our allow- 

 ances for water-use sufficiently large, let us assume a 

 condition for an 80-acre farm. 



(a) Dairy animals aggregating 1000 pounds for each 

 acre of farm ; or 



(b) Meat-or wool-producing animals or horses aggregat- 

 ing 1000 pounds to an acre of farm, in either case requiring 

 100 pounds of water a day, or 18.25 tons of water an acre 

 for the year ; 



(c) That there are on the farm eight persons, and that 

 each person shall be allowed 10 tons of water annually, 

 the adult allowance for drinking and other purposes. 

 This amounts to 1 ton to the acre for the whole farm, which, 

 added to the amount allowed for the live-stock, makes a 

 total of 19.25 tons of water to the acre annually. This 

 is equivalent to a little more than one-sixth (-J-) of an inch 

 of rainfall. 1 Very few farms are so heavily stocked, and 

 relatively few will be for many years to come. As a 

 matter of fact much of the water used by both persons and 

 animals finds its way back to the soil and is therefore not 

 lost to it. 



1 Compare McGee, Bulletin No. 92, Bureau of Soils, p. 180. 



