CXXXVIII. IRRIGATION GEOLOGICALLY CONSIDERED. 
quantity of water absorbed by the intake beds from rain 
falling upon them must be increased considerably by reason 
of the water flowing down these rivers from areas to the 
east of the intake beds. As however, this increase is an 
unknown quantity, it has been omitted from the calculation, 
and we would accordingly emphasize the fact that our 
estimate of the amount of water annually absorbed is prob- 
ably a minimum one. ; 
With reference to our statement that the water annually 
absorbed by the intake beds exceeds by 2735 times the 
amount which is being drawn from the existing bores, it 
must not be inferred that it would be possible to increase 
the flow from hores to that extent. If our view as to the 
pressure being hydraulic be correct, it is obvious that there 
must be a point beyond which the bores could not be multi- 
plied without so lowering the hydraulic grade by diminish- 
ing the frictional resistance to the movement of the water, 
as to convert artesian into sub-artesian wells. 
VII. PossIBLE Usks oF ARTESIAN WATER.—With regard 
to the possibility of increasing the range of usefulness of 
artesian water it may be mentioned that in addition to its 
employment for the use of stock and for irrigation, there 
are many other purposes to which it can be applied. For 
example, advantage is taken of the high temperature of 
the water, and its curative properties, to use it for hot 
baths, as is the practice at Moree, Charleville, etc. It can 
be utilised as a source of power for electric lighting, shear- 
ing, driving sawmills and other machinery. 
The area which can be irrigated from the bores is 
obviously a consideration of vast importance. According 
to the usual estimates it is possible to irrigate one square 
mile of land by means of a bore yielding one million gallons 
of water per day. The present outflow of our bores being 
136 million gallons per day, it would be possible from this 
