METHODS OF RAISING WATER 129 



10 feet. The ram, therefore, is most useful when operated with 

 heads of less than 10 feet, and where the water is not to be raised 

 more than 250 feet. Higher heads, however, than that indicated 

 have been used with satisfactory results in some cases. 



Given a flowing well or spring with a few feet of head and a 

 moderate yield, this appliance can frequently be successfully used 

 to lift an adequate supply of water to a house and barn at a con- 

 siderably higher level. With 5 feet of head at the ram the water 

 may be conveniently raised to about 30 feet, while with large 

 rams and favorable conditions of head and volume water can be 

 carried as much as half a mile and lifted 200 feet. The length of 

 the supply pipe should be at least 30 or 40 feet to give the most 

 efficient results. An actual test on a small ram costing $9, with 

 70 feet of supply pipe and 12 feet of fall, showed that with 2.1 

 gallons per minute furnished to the ram, 0.3 gallon w r as delivered 

 through 100 feet of pipe at a height of 50 feet above the ram. 

 The only cost of operating is that of repairs. 



Turbines. - - Turbines, like rams, may be successfully used to 

 lift a portion of the waters that operate them. Besides having a 

 higher efficiency, which on experimental trial has been found to 

 be as high as 80 per cent and can generally be depended upon to 

 equal 75 per cent, the turbine has the advantage over the ram in 

 not having to depend for its power upon the water which it is de- 

 sirable to raise. Water power from a stream may be utilized to 

 work a turbine, which, however, may lift not the water from the 

 streams but from some other source, such as a deep well. Any 

 fall up to i ,000 feet or more can be used to advantage and water 

 may be drawn from any depth and raised to almost any desirable 

 elevation. 



Power for Pumping. Windmills, gasoline engines, hot air 

 engines, steam engines and electric motors are all successfully 

 used in pumping water, but the situation of the farm and the 

 relatively small volumes that are to be raised will commonly rule 

 out all but the first two forms of power. 



On large portions of the western plains, where the winds blow 



