The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-08
THE HORSELESS FARM.
AGRICOLA NOVUs. THE NEW FAR
MER, Uses ELECTRICITY.


chimes, Tree FeIIers. Weed killers
and Dear knows What AII-EIec-
trio Food Culture-A Real Novelty.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Myriads Of wonderful inventions in agri-
cultural equipment Indicate that farming
is fast entering the category of digniied
science. Uncle Hayseed is rapidly outgrow
ing his reputation of being unprogressive
and unsophisticated. Young men may now
go from agricultural colleges to practical
farming without becoming recluses from
modern city notions. The growing extern
sion of rapid transit to every rural town
ship is said to be the conception of a new
era in what was until now the back
woods" Uncle Sam employs scores of
scientists and a large corps of men of let
tiers to create and diffuse knowledge among
all followers Of husbandry who care to
become adept in the most advanced meth
DDS Of cultivating the field and producing
food.
Let us visit a model farm, fitted up ac-
cording to the most recent notions of the
agricultural engineer
This farm is conducted by my friend,
Mr. Agricola Novus, who is a graduate
from a well-known agricultural college.
His house is an ideal suburban mansion
and his barns and outhouses are hand
some specimens of architecture. Agricola
himself is a well-dressed man. the best in
the county. Everything belonging to him
is an emblem of progress and prosperity.
Owing TO the labOr-saVlng machines which
he employs he hires but third of the
hands needed on an ordinary farm equal
ling his in erea These hands, however, re-
ceiVe wages, with living expenses, equal
the nav of high grade mechanics in the
city.
creek running through the Novus
farm has been damned and adapted to turn
ing several powerful turbine wheels. These
are constantly engaged in making electric
ity. There IS not a horse ON the place,
since my friend believes these beasts to be
both expensive and unsanitary. Electric
motors, fed by movable cables are to be
found everywhere. The great barns, with
their many windows, are lighted by cleo
trio lights and ventilated by fans driven
by electric motors. In the carriage house
is to be found every variety of automobile
light and heavy vehicle.
Every acre of ground employed in culti-
vadng vegetables is fertilized by the most
powerful plant stimulants and is under
lined with a grating OF electric wire: Dur
ing the growing season current OF cleo
tricity is kept constantly circulating
through this system. At short intervals
there rise in the air high poles bearing
electricity and diftusing it under the
ground. These poles also support bright
| in order to supply the nutritious rays
which sunset shuts off. BY means of this
| electric grating and lighting NoVus grows
his vegetables three times as rapidly as
any farmer in the neighborhood, while he
has two harvests in each year.
1t is interesting to watch his electric
blows. Ihey were imported from vienna
where they were lately invented Their OPP
GRAFTON is extremely unique. on either side
of the field to be titled is placed a vehicle
bearing an electric motor. BY a system of
a 8
tending from one vehicle to another BY
the winding or unwinding of this rope
giant plow is dragged to and fro across
the field A single plow cuts five or six
burrows. Each time it arrives at one side
of the field it is turned around and the
cable set running in the opposite direc-
tion. Each motor is moved an equal dis
lance to one side, so that the plowed rows
VIII be perfectly even and uniform. There
are smaller plows Of this design, cutting
but a single furrow and requiring but a
small supply of electricity Still another
type employs long stationary cable fas
tened to the earth on elmer side of the
field by a movable anchor. Upon the ct-
bic travels the pillow, itself equipped with
an electric motor. Through a system OF
drums and wheels it propels itself along,
the anchors being equally moved after
each trip. All of these plOWs run at a
rapid speed and save manifoldly more
time and labor than old-fashioned horse
plows.
In fact, all of Agricolas field machines
are automobile. Hay-rakes reapers fer
tilizers and such like may be adapted to
this cable line or have compact motors
of their own. Taking advantage of re-
cent experiments made successfully in
Denmark my progressive friend had adapt
ed electricity to his threshing machines
which formerly required several changes
of horses each day when in use Gables
running from his power mill to the barns
supply electricity for operating the corn
huskers and shelters hay-choppers and
feed mills, while the hay is brought in from
| the field and deposited in the loft by
overhead tramways, whose forks swallow
| up haystack at one bite and propel It
| rapidly Tor ten miles, If necessary. These
tramways may be temporarily set up in
any part of the farm.
A wielder of the hoe is a rare individual
on this farm ElectrocutiOn is the mod
ern method of executing weeds. Just as
a mild current will nourish plant life a
severe and sudden current viii Kill it for
ever. For general spring wedding of
| fields not yet planted is used an ingenius
| invention. 1t Is a horseless vehicle bear
strong current. Extending down from
the frame is a series of many wire brush
es. AS the vehicle moves along these
| drag along the tops of weeds, causing
an amateur lightning stroke to each sli-
I perfuOus Vegeta BILE The other side Of
/ the current is transmitted to the ground
through the metallic spokes and tires of
/ the vehicles wheels, so as to complete the
/ circuit. Thus, if this machine be run
over a freshly titled field it will kin every
/ germ of vegetable life there appearing
/ before the planting of seeds to be culti-
/ waited. The part to be Weeded is first
I WdlcAtu since pants are best as cleo
/ trio conductors when wet For less ex-
/ tensive wedding is used a long lance, CON
/ nected by wire to a small vehicle bearing
/ a light generator. This is simply pierced
/ to the root of the weed. after the method
/ Of killing hair by the electric needle.
] The NOVus residence is heated and
] lighted by electricity from their ample
/ power station, and in the cuisine no other
/ heat is used to prepare the family meal.
/ Although no fuel is therefore used for
/ any purpose, upon the place, there is
/ often occasion to fell trees in the wood
i land when timber is needed for building
/ purposes. The trees in this small forest
are subjected to electro-cuture, and
4 hence grow to great nights and dame
/ ters within a very few years. To accom-
! plish the fan Of any Of them very inter-
/ esting invention is used. This was i'm
| ported from Buda Pesth, where such ma
/ chimes are now made for Telling the great
trees in the forest Of Galicia. This auto
/ matte tree-feller is operated by electric
/ ity. A motor is mounted upon a small
/ two-wheled wagon. This vehicle is
! drawn up to the tree and fastened tight
I ly to 1t by clasps and chains. From the
/ body of the carriage extends the cutting
/ apparatus, a tube automatically revolv-
/ ing in a horizontal plane so as to de-
/ scribe a Semi-circle. In the end OF the
4 tube is a revolving saw-chisel which
I turns around through the tree in earnf-