A few weeks ago, I posted some photos of my water sprinkler collection on The Heirloom Orchardist Facebook Fan page. I've been collecting old sprinklers for a while, even though they really have little to do with the agricultural practices of an Heirloom Orchardist.
Why would an 18th or 19th century farmer have little to do with water sprinklers? Well, the answer is obvious, really. Besides being luxury items (used by those who are concerned about the appearance of their lawns and flower beds) sprinklers require two things to work: First, the Heirloom Orchardist would need a large and reliable water supply. And second (and this is the big one) he'd need water pressure.
In modern developed countries, it's easy to recognize how we take for granted the availability of fresh water. But nearly all Heirloom Orchardists had access to some sort of water supply. Heck, it's hard to live without one. And some fortunate Heirloom Orchardists even had large and reliable water supplies. But water pressure? Well, that's a different story.
It's wonderful that many of us have modern plumbing systems to carry water right into our homes. But what's just as wonderful, is that when we can turn a faucet, water comes spurting out all by itself! Compare the convenience of water pressure to using a well-crane:
So, after posting those sprinkler pics on Facebook, I did a little research to determine how an Heirloom Orchardist would move water around for various domestic and agricultural uses. The most obvious was to pump it with wind power. But I stumbled upon this "Handy Farm Device" and chuckled. I think you'll chuckle too. It's from the the book entitled Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them, by Rolfe Cobleigh, published in 1912:
"Dog Power For Pump: This sketch shows an arrangement for making use of the dog for carrying water. It simply consists of a wheel 8 feet in diameter and 18 inches wide, with room enough inside for the dog to walk around, where he acts as a tread power, which causes the pump to revolve. In southern California there are a number of these dog-power pumps, which cost less than $15. A good size dog can easily earn his living in arrangement of this kind."
I know I can't, but could a hamster teach an old dog a new trick?
