permaculture

[FranksFarm@aol.com]

Good day:)  
In a message dated 8/21/02 5:05:57 PM, lfl@intrex.net writes:

<< Look in Gray's Manual of Botany or Wyman's Garden Encyclopedia for a 
list of wild and cultivated willows. >> Thanks Larry.

 I did a Google search and found lots of references on Gray's Manual but is 
the text online in a searchable database? URL?
How about Wyman's.

<<You can create the swales I envisioned with an ordinary tractor and a 
bottom plow. If you have a scraper blade too, all the better, as you can
fine tune the shape and lay of it.>>

Larry...the 20 acre pasture field around the pond seem to have lots of 
shallow dips(swales) that create standing water areas. Makes for a rather 
bumpy ride on the tractor, and impassable during wet times. I was actually 
thinking of leveling this area to make a better seeding area, and making it 
easier to manage. But there are already quite a few trees...volunteer red 
cedars, water maples, gums etc. in these areas.These make most kinds of field 
work difficult since it's very hard to maneuver around them with a tractor:) 
Besides the thought of tearing up that much ground, and then the $$$, labor 
and skills needed to grade, level and reseed that area doesn't seem to make 
this a wise investment.

Besides, I always worry that my lack of experience, and skill with the 
equipment may create more problems than I solve.

Larry...I have a pretty clear idea of what I would like to achieve...a farm 
based on principles of PC, organic, and sustainable ag . A place that is 
holistically designed to work with nature; and to preserve the natural beauty 
of this land and it's bounty. There's lots of wildlife, and a rich diversity 
of trees, plants, flora. I'd love to turn it into an Eco-Village/Sustainable 
Ag Teaching Center.

Oops...am getting off track:)

I guess what it boils down to me is that while many of the concepts we 
discuss on this list seem fairly easy to grasp, and embrace the actual doing 
is often far more complex.  I'm astonished at the expertise, experience, and 
confidence needed to sift through all the details, alternatives, and often 
conflicting advice received as it applies to my farm.

Here's an example:)

I need to buy a pump for the cattle watering system I want to install in my 
paddocks.
Sounds like such a simple thing. But what size pump, what type, single stage 
or two stage? How much pressure do I need to push water from the creek to the 
farthest ends of the system? How many gallons per minute can I expect? How do 
I protect the pump from the weather? from the creek flooding?


It seems that an electric pump works best in my application because it will 
always be on; controlled by float valves in the tank? What kind of float 
valve systems are there? Which ones are reliable?

Then I must also have the utility company bring electricity the pump, which 
means putting in a meter. It seems to me that I don't need a whole lot of 
power there at the edge of my pasture field, so installing a 200 amp service 
panel is overkill. Yet the local electric supply house says cost differential 
is not that great. So maybe I should put it in.

Right now best thing seems to be Munro 3HP single stage,cast iron self 
priming electric suction pump that sells for about $600 including suction 
hose, fitting, filter etc. You also need adapters to go from a 1.5" outlet to 
the 1" CTS ,potable water coiled black pipe I used. I naively thought most 
such pipe was the same:)

And by the way most local stores, even Lowe's do not normally carry 3HP 
electric pumps of any kind. And none carry the Munro line. Meyers seem to be 
the most widely sold brand. Meyers is also a lot more expensive! Geez!

Situations/Applications like this are hardly unique. So...I figure somebody 
on list's like this should be able to steer me to the better choices. Pump 
curves, pressure drops, total head are just some of the jargon you must 
somehow understand, and wade through. That's why I'm always asking questions.

Anyone on the list who can offer insights and help on selecting a specific 
pump?

Got to sign off now.  All the best. Frank