Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-01-03
Kane County Farmers Doubly
Benefited by the In.
teruFban.
ARE GETTING POWER FROM IT
Motors Assist in Tightening Farm
Work and in reducing
Expenses.

SCoIc vi pun pOStS oh tnS anu
Kane county thirty have been expert
menting to ascertain cost and other
factors.
They have demonstrated to their
own satisfaction that they can make
the electric motor take the place of
much human and horse labor on the
farms.
Their estimate of the saving in labor
and money over former methods is put
so per cent. The experimental stage
has been passed and electricity is the
permanent future power of their
farm
These farmers estimate also that
the electric motor will enhance the
value of their farm property fully as
great a per cent. Land in the section
is now valued at from $40 to S125 an
acre. The electric motors that have
been installed and are now being
placed are for saving wood. pumping
water. separating cream from milk.
threshing corn. cutting fodder. blowing
the fields, grinding apples. pulping po-
tatoeS, loading and unloading wagons
at the barns. and a dozen other help
full things once done by the sour-faced
hired man and the patient horse.
All this work can be done and in
one form or another is being done in
Kane county through the medium Of
its electrical feed from a third rail
or trolley wire system.
First fn World to Try 1t.
This is made still more interest ng
through al unpublished report of the
General Electric company, of New
York. TO the effect that Kane county is
the first community of farmers in the
world to attempt to wholly supplant
labor and the power of steam and
gasoline apparatus with electricity fed
from contiguous electric passenger and
freight lines.
Fifty years ago Kane county made
itself famous in another way. The
first railroad Of Illinois was being built
out of Chicago. The farmers of Kane
county held mass meeting to oppose
it's crossing their lands on the ground,
as old documents state. that it would
destroy the plank roads and drive the
inns out of business
But the descendants of these protes-
tors are more progressive and on
nearly all the important farms of the
county handbooks on electricity are
now to be found and close by the red
barns electric motors and wires are
being installed.
Does it pay? Wendell Ballou, super
intendent of the Eigin, Aurora x
Southern Traction company at Elgin,
the query by giving the fol
lowing figures compiled by Mr.. Lueck,
manager of what is called the Lord
farm. one of the richest tracts IN the
country:
How Ii Pays.
Cost of installation of electric mo- s-oo
Cost of power furnished per year %
,.a aPo or renairs. etc. for / year 49,. 1oI
Total cost of electricity first year $40
Comparison with former methods:
Cost of one farm hand, wages, one sooo
cost efe of ff board and lodging same one -
year at SO cents per day .; each a a59
Cost of feed for same, five acres
land production for one year val ooo
COST of shoeing. veterinary. repairs -
to harness etc, for one year 20
Total cost one man and two.
horses one year - =. S'''
Saving with electricity over man ION
and horse power first year $500 -"
The second year the gain is, OF
course, greater, for the electric piaht
does not have to be reinstalled. Inc re-
suit of the experiments on the LORD
farm are that one 15-horse-power mo-
tor takes the place and performs the
work of one hired man and two draft
the basis of comparison
instituted in all the farms to ascertain
financial gain.
Grent Dairy County.
The county in which electricity is be-
ing made as conspicuous in farm as
life is 80 miles long and Is
vide and contains $40 square miles OF
he richest dairy land This county
produces and sells more skim milk,
.ream, butter, condensed milk, cream
cheese and fodder for stock than any
,ther $40 square miles in the world
The population of the county is 10000
md the per capita wealth of the inhabi-
ants about 1000.
For a number of years past the coun-
v has been traversed by third-rail and
rolley electric lines, extending TO all
he important towns and entering Chi
ago. The trolley lines have maxi
mum speed of so miles an hour and
he third-rail system operates when re-
luired 20 and 75 miles an hour with
.ase. The two principal systems are
he Aurora. Elgin & Chicago third-rail
md the Elgin. Aurora & Southern. Trac-
ion trolley. part single and part double
rack.
Feed Wires To Barns i
The voltage of all the lines is 500
more than sufficient to operate all the
airs and leave a surplus for farm USE
TO supply farm with electricity, feed
wires are constructed into the barns