Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-07-21

20 per cent Cold and hot water, either
lard or soft, is always at hand for
piled into the sink and washed In al
most half the time 1t took previously.
A wash room with permanent tubs
can be provided In the cellar The
washing machine can be run with the
gasoline engine or with a water mo-
tor. While room of this kind may
not make washing exactly pleasure,
1t will reduce the labor more than
half. With a little planning a small
tank can be arranged In the kitchen,
so that all the water that is pumped
for the stock will pass through it. This
is almost as good as an icebox.
A good bath and toilet room is a
great convenience to all the family. A
shower bath in one corner Of the barn
will be greatly appreciated by the
boys at the close Of a hot days work.
The wastes from the kitchen sink
and from the wash room can be run
into a tile and taken away. For the
wastes from the toilet room a sewage
disposal plant will have to be pro-
yided. The most convenient method is
the septic tank This is an under
ground cement lined brick tank d.
yided into two compartments. AS one
compartment fills it overfows into the
next. Nearly all the solid substance
Will be destroyed by bacteria. and the
water that flows out at the lower end
can be disposed of through a tile drain.
The entire cost Of a water system such
as the one described, with the COM
pressed air tank, together with the
sewage disposal plant, need not be
much more than $3.50.
The cheapest method of lighting the
farmhouse is by acetylene gas. This
gas is generated by a machine In the
cellar and can be piped to ali the
rooms and to the barn. If desired 1t
can be used also for cooking. The
average cost of installing an acetylene
plant is about $500. This includes
lights in the barn and in the yard. It
costs little to run an acetylene plant
after 1t Is once in. The average cost is
about cent for a sixteen candle DOW
er light for four hours. Acetylene is
the nearest like daylight Of any kind
Of artificial light and is incomparably
better than the old fashioned oil lamp.
The newer types of acetylene lamp are
provided with battery, so that they
can be lighted by merely turning a
button
RI q
electric light can be had on the farm.
If a gasoline engine is already at hand
the total cost of installing an electric
plant. with lights in house and barn,
need not be more than 1915.
A few electric fans will make the
house comfortable in hot weather.
One convenience Of the city, ice, is still
lacking. The way the ice problem is
most satisfactorily handled In the
country is for half dozen neighbors
to build a cooperative icehouse. The
men club together and fill 1t in the
winter, and plentiful supply of ice is
at hand all through the summer. With
a small additional expense a cold stor-
age room can be built in connection
with the icehouse for keeping meat,
poultry, eggs and fruit. In a number
of communities cooperative fresh
meat societies are successfully run.
The members take turns killing q beef
or q hog, and fresh meat Is supplied
all through the year at much less cost
than it could be obtained in the city.
The cost of heating system, a wash
room, vacuum cleaner, hot water
attachment and other devices Of that
sort Is the same in the country as In
the city. The cost of the water and
sewage system in the country is about
$3.50. The cost of operating water
system in the country is much less
than the cost of city water.
An electric lighting system for the
farm will cost from 1915 up. The life
Of such system can be figured safely
at twenty years. The storage batteries
will not last so long, but the rest of
the apparatus will last longer. This
would mean an annual depreciation of
$18.75. Interest at per cent would
amount to $3.50. The cost of operat-
ing the plant will depend, of course,
on the amount of electricity used. The
cost for lighting the average farm
house and barn for year and furnish
ing electricity for sundry other pur-
poses will not average more than $40
for gasoline This makes the total cost
for electricity $41.25 year. In the
city the average cost for electricity
for an eight room house is about $50
year.
The cost Of an icehouse and of put
ing up ice varies so much with condi-
tons that 1t is hard to give any gen
eral figures. These can easily be OBJ
tanned for any particular locality. how