The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-11-18
THE NEW HIRED MAN.
Long Island Farm Which Employs
Electricity to do the Chores

have been improved and revolution
lied until agriculture Is little short
of an exact science. Each year sees
new and successful machines in
vented to take the place Of the old
hand drudgery on the farm each
year farming becomes more human,
with less backache and hard work
for the men and women on the farm:
each year the conditions of the rural
Inhabitants of the country are i'm
| proved with new and better farming
machinery, telephones, rural free de-
livery and better prices for farm
produce. --s.,..
For years the most perplexing
problem of farm life has been the
employment of suitable labor. Farm
hands are very scarce and they must
be paid good wages or they will not
stay. Modern invention has produced
a machine for nearly every disagree
able chore on the farm but these
diverse machines require power-if
There is no engine handy then the
wheels of these machines must be
turned by hand
And it is right here that science,
remembering this eternal worry of
the farmer has stepped in and solv-
ed the power question with electr-
cal apparatus and motors just suit
ed for farm work. This new hired
man never kicks at getting up at
3 40 a. M; never objects to scrub
bling the milk cans and never gets
\ mad and quits the very morning that
! fiVe acres of hay are ready for the
barn. And he will even do the chores
at the barn and help about the house
at the same time.
An idea of the extent in which
electricity is being used in agricul-
ture may be gained from a descrip-
ton of 300-acre electrically operat-
ed farm on Long Island. This farm
a portion of which is salt marsh
land not cultivated. was for years
allowed to grow wild 1t was about
| three years ago that the present
owner, New Yorker, purchased the
property and proceeded to farm it
along modern lines
The first thing the new owner did
was to wire the house and barns for
Electricity for light and power. One
hundred and sixty electric incande-
scent lamps were installed about the
premises. All the machines about the
barn were old, but were easily clean
lea up, and by supplying a few miss
| ing parts, were arranged for belt
| iflVe from commensurate The feed
! cutter, root cutter, fodder cutter.
| tanning mill, grindstone, circular
saw corn shelter, small drill press
ana a horse clipper were grouped
so as to be driven by one 3-horse-
power motor The fact that no two
OF the large machines were needed
lat the same time made 1t possible to
juse such small motor.
It cost $500 to install the pri
ate plant consisting of a 1O-horse-
power gas engine driving XIV.
generator. But the yearly cost figur-
led out as low as s650-less than two
thirds of what the owner must have
oail to rent electrical power. That
SEQ was made up of, first, interest
on investment and depreciation of
iplant at 9 per cent. $40; and
lsecond, OF running expenses for fuel,
| lubricating oil and minor repairs,
SOW. There was no cost for labor.
because the plant required no expert
attention after the daily starting of
IeDgine and generator. One could do
a full days work and give the cleo
ltilc hired man. between times, all
the attention requisite.
The power plant was installed in
Ian unused onestory carriage shed
located at the westerly end Of the L
formed by the linked group of farm
buildings. That was about $50 feet
from the BUILDING containing the
arm machinery and the creamery
but it is permitted of utilization of
a structure otherwise idle
| 1t was found to be most economi-
lcal to install storage battery to
}provide a continuous supply Of cur
rent so the engine need not run all
the time. or in case anything happen
Led to the plant.
The new farmer turned loose this
icurrent on a churn. elect really driv-
len, and made 1t grind out, regularly
ievery day. from ten TO twelve pounds
of butter inside Of fifteen minutes.
serious mistake was made by
Ierecting an $4,000 gallon water tank,
with windmill; when, for 5000 a
|one-horse power electric pump could
have been installed which would have
been far more simple.
An automatic refrigerating plant
worked by electricity, was installed
that is free from dampness, free
from waste of single pound of en-
lergy, Immediately clean and perfect
lin It's regulation OF temperature.
with such refrigerating plant not
ionly is the labor of harvesting and
tdaily hauling of ice eliminated. but
the farmer achieves the ideal means
iosnerserving many of his products
Though periods of low prices until
such a time as the advance In the
market enables him to sell at the
highest rates, often double what he
would have received without 1t.
small motor drives the bottle
washing machine and the pasteuriz-
ing apparatus. and, twice a day, II
works the milking machine on two
cows at time and enables one man
to attend to two or three machines at
once. With milking machine prop
ieTly cared for as to the details OF
cleanliness. not single germ can
POSSIBLY invade the milk supply, be-
cause from the time II starts from
the udder until ii is all in the herme-