The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-09
rHlRTYYEARS HENCE
orudsery Done Away With BY Labor
saving Machines Operated BY
Alcohol Made at Home From
rtF Waste Products.


In an article in Appleton's Magazine
Day Allen Wiley thus pictures the
farm of 20 or 30 years hence.
I'VE look in vain for the wood lotgs
That disappeared long ago to make
wsy for the more profitable field ana
orchard. The wood pile by the kitchen
door and the big fireplace have like
wise passed away. Nor is there any
ash heap anywhere about. To this
| farmer coal is too expensive, espe-
cially when he knows that he uses less
than 10 per cent of the heat it gener-
ates and that for every ton he buys
he pays for 30 per cent waste. How
you choose to call It? What is the
use of paying freight from the oil
refinery and helping the trust to make
profit when can get something bet
ter for my purpose right at home.'
This reply may not convince. be-
cause as yet we have not had chance
to see for ourselves, but now we will
start beginning at the farmhouse The
reason why no smoke comes from the
chimney is because the housewife is
getting dinner on stove burning alco-
hol-merely q turn of valve con-
trolling the supply and the contact
of the match flame, that's all. Here
and there are lamps which, when
lighted at dusk. give out such q brill
liant yet even illumination that the
ordinary gas Jet is a mere glimmer In
contrast. Spirit furnishes the light.
Over in the barn stands the familiar
tanning mill for cleaning grain, but
no one turns the crank that revolves
Its blades. The farmer simply throws
over the handle of an electric switch
and the mill begins humming merry
tune in unison with the clicking of the
iced cutter, which is also actuated
by the same invisible force. Nor does
The farmer depend on the breeze to
pump bis water. The motor-driven
pump keeps It flowing in steady
stream from the well into the tank
on the roof of his home, where It is
ever ready to extingulsh fires and lets
him save on his insurance premiums
In the orchard the press is squeezing
the juice out Of the apples without a
touch of the hand. The hay press
does its work mechanically with Just
boy to feed It.
IF we happen to be on the place
at butter-making time we see the
cream separators and churns doina
their duty independently OF the house.
wife, who only looks into the cream.
cry now and then to see how thinga
are getting on. This farmer may have
horses, but not for field work, because
he finds he can, do much more with
motor driven machinery ut the same
expense. Even his plows and cultiva.
tors are pulled by the traction engine
with which he runs his harvester and
thrasher. Here the engine must com.
fminicate its power directly to the
farm mechanism; but II he desires he
can operate the tanning mill, the sepa.
rator and the other. appliances In the
house and barn from one source OF
power, using the electric current
which he can readily generate with
his little alcohol engine.
Is this smokeless, ashless, coalesce,
woodless agriculture such Utopian
scheme as 1t reads?" =
In. the course of his article. Mr..
Wiley goes on to show how practica.
BILE the scheme is through the use of
homemade alcohol made from waste
farm products. This alcohol was re.
Gently released from Its exhorbitant
duty of 20 times its cost and Ia now
very cheap.