52 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



satisfactory home gardening by simple water-lifting de- 

 vices. 



Horizontal Windmills. Devices based upon the over- 

 shot-wheel principle are used to some extent on this coast, 

 but the summer winds at the ground surface are usually 

 too light to operate them well. In its simplest form this 

 windmill consists of four boards, about seven feet long, 

 fastened to long arms projecting from an axle, which has 

 bearings on two strong posts or a framework. The wind 

 only strikes the upper part of the wheel, the lower part 

 being inclosed by a board fence. In a slight breeze the 

 mill revolves about 20 revolutions per minute, but in a 

 good, stiff gale it flies so fast that a sliding board must 

 be raised to shut off the wind. The wheel is connected 

 with the plunger of the pump by means of a crank at one 

 end of the axle. 



Gasoline and Crude Oil Engines. These devices have 

 been greatly improved during the last few years and are 

 now being largely employed for water lifting for irriga- 

 tion. There are several manufacturers in California, the 

 fuel is very cheap here, and this, in connection with the 

 ease with which the engines are managed, constitute them 

 most economical and satisfactory agencies for pumping. 

 The manufacturers give full information and can usually 

 cite engines in operation in different localities where their 

 performances can be personally ascertained. 



Steam Engines. Pumping plants of great capacity 

 operating by steam power are also in use for irrigation. 

 Large vegetable growing enterprises render considerable 

 investment in these lines profitable. Their construction 

 and operation are, however, rather beyond the scope of 

 this work. The advice of a mechanical engineer should 

 be secured in all large undertakings. 



The Chinese Pump. A water-lifting device which is 

 very effective for a short lift, as from a ditch gr stream 

 to adjoining lands, is the Chinese pump, which has long 

 been in use in California. It is a modified "Persian 



