I recently walked through a lightly forested domain of my farm to chatter one of the largerock pilesleft behind from when the previous owners cleared the fields . This particular John Rock flock ( there are many ) is especially interesting because it ’s encompass with hoary object that were evidently no longer in usage . Hence , their current location on top of an out - of - the - way rock pile , where they have remained in the assailable , free from the burial effect of sens and leaves for several decades .
Most items are big chunks of alloy that were clearly part of machines at some percentage point , but there is also some oldwire fence , pot of pipe and various belittled items I ca n’t identify . I guess you had to be there to know what they are .
But on this slip to the rock mess , one object caught my aid . In core , it was a rusty metal bowl attached to a piping about 2 ½ animal foot long . Inside the bowl was a lever , or perhaps a foot pedal is a better description ; when lower , it open a valve in the bowl that is link to the pipe .
It turn out this item is a vintage automatic water dispenser for cattle . My property once was adairy farm , and evidence of this account can still be seen today , with this water dispenser being a striking example . The design is unmistakably dewy-eyed — the metal pipage would have been connected to a water source , with the water held at bay by the valve in the trough . However , when the pedal in the bowl was depress by the nose of a thirsty cow , the bowl would have filled with water by itself , ensuring that the cows always had access to body of water .
It ’s hard to say on the button when this water dispenser was retired from duty and relegate to the rock sight , but it ’s my understanding that some 40 year have passed since cattle roamed this farm , so there ’s a serious fortune that this water dispenser has been out there for at least that long . Certainly the amount of rust on the unit indicates that it has been out in the atmospheric condition for a long time ; the fittings for the various nuts and bolts restrain the water dispenser together have rust forth substantially , impart it quite informal and floppy , and let me assure you that I would never want to drink any urine flow through that pipage .
But finding this water dispenser has sparked my curiosity to do some inquiry and discover out when it might have been made . Despite its eld and extensive rust , it was plainly a quality product at one time . Case in point — after I brought it back to my railyard , a rainstorm revolve through and promptly filled up the bowl with water . It might be one-time , but 40 year after it was last used , the bowl still have pee .
