A couple of nights ago I was reading to my grand-kids from their favorite book, Piping System Fundamentals. We were reading the section on how to properly specify equipment for a pumped system. They all appeared to be a little confused, so the oldest asked “Pop Pop, why is it so important to know the system requirements when specifying equipment?” I then decided it was time for a Darcy’s Fable.
The Farmers and their Horses' Power
Once in the deep woods there was a bear, a puma, and a wolf. They were all friendly animals wanting to shed their common stereotypes passed down throughout the ages in popular fables and folk stories. These three friends decided to make a career change and tried their hand in farming.
After a couple of days of being farmers they were sitting down together and shared their experiences. They all complained about how hard it was to prepare the ground for planting.
All of a sudden the bear said “I think I will go into town and buy a horse!”
“That’s a great idea,” said the puma, “I am hungry and a horse would taste good now.”
“No, no, no! I want the horse to pull my plow not to eat it,” replied the bear. So, after a lengthy discussion, each of the friends resolved to go to the market and purchase a horse.
The puma told the horse trader, “I am the fastest animal in the forest; I must have the fast horse to pull my plow. As my farm gets bigger, and to meet my future goals, I would like to have fast horse that will be able to run while pulling the plow.” By the afternoon, the puma came back from the market with a Thoroughbred horse. 
At the horse market the wolf said, “I am not the strongest or fastest animal in the forest, so I must buy smart. What type of horse would you suggest that I purchase to help me around my small farm?” So, later that afternoon, the wolf returned from the market with a mule*.
The bear and the puma laughed at how funny and small the wolf’s mule looked, and teased the wolf for is choice. “That animal will not get the job done at all!” they said to him. The wolf took no mind.
After a week the bear, puma, and wolf were again at their favorite watering hole for happy hour and the conversation turned to their horses.
The bear said that his Belgian horse was so strong it could pull the dark out of midnight. But that it was so big that it wouldn’t fit into the barn.
The puma said that his Thoroughbred could run faster than the wind but it was so high strung that it kicked out the walls in the barn.
The wolf said that his mule was a hard worker, and he enjoyed living in the dry barn.
After the crops were in the bear, puma, and the wolf meet up at the harvest ball. Soon the discussion turned to their farming success.
The bear said that he had to sell his larger Belgian Draft horse. He said that although his crops were in early because his big horse made such short work of the plowing, the horse was so big and hungry it ate half his crops! In addition, the Belgian was just too big to work around the bear’s small farm.
The puma said that he too had to sell his Thoroughbred. His crops were planted late because the horse didn’t want to pull the plow. Due to the late planting and short growing season his crops didn’t come in that well. The Thoroughbred horse enjoyed running but would not help around the puma’s small farm.
The wolf said that with the help of his hard working mule he got the crops planted on time. Since the mule was the right size for the small farm he didn’t eat a lot of the crops and was able to help around the farm. The wolf said that after the crops came in he had enough money to pay all his bills, put some money in the bank for the future, and buy some more land and a second mule to expand the farm.
. . .
All of a sudden one of my grand-kids said, “Now I get it Pop Pop, if you don’t size the process equipment to meet the systems requirements, the operating and maintenance cost will be excessive which affects the plants profitability.”
With a twinkle in my eye I said “Yes my little ones, you learn well.”
The youngest of the grand-kids wanted to know what became of the Belgian and the Thoroughbred horses. Well, the Belgian was sold to a brewery in St. Louis and is making nightly beer runs. The Thoroughbred was sold to a jockey to run at the track but it turns out the Thoroughbred was a nag and never finished in the money and is now working at a glue factory.
* To be correct a mule is not a horse. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Mules are typically more patient, sure footed, and live longer than a horse, and are typically less obstinate, faster, and more intelligent that donkeys.[1]
If you like reading about my Piping System Fundamentals, Darcy’s Fables, let me know! I’d welcome your version of a Darcy’s Fable as well. Send your email to blogger@eng-software.com. Thanks for reading!
1. Jackson, Louise A. The Mule Men: A History of Stock Packing in the Sierra Nevada, p. 5 (Mountain Press Publishing Co, Missoula, Montana, 2004).
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