The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-07
rHE TELEPHONE ON rHE FARM

WASHINGTON, Dec. H.-Tho special re-
port on the telephone service OF the coun-
try recently published by the Bureau OF
the Census contains q comment ON tho
influence % the telephone In life on the
farm. Il is asserted that no single
factor has played 30 great q part IN the
anelioration OF tho conditions OF life on
the farms as has the telephone. Hun
dreds of thousands OF inst ruments are
now installed in farmers homes. The
report locates the beginning Of tho rural
service in Connecticut. in 1881. when a
company operating in the cities OF that
State arranged for the connection Of
isolated village systems with the COM
pany's exchanges In the cities. This
opened q new and almost limit less avenue
OF telephone service. but little was done
in that direct ion for a number Of years.
The demand for service in the cities and
larger towns kept the makers OF the
patented instruments so busy that little
was or ever could be done in the way Of
rural extension. The expiration Of fun
damental patents in sos and the fac. that
by that time the urban field was fairly
covered brought the telephone into wider
use IN villages and country hames.
The report states that at the present
time no reliable figures are available as
to the actual number OF farm telephones.
The year covered by the bulletin is 1907.
IL - presumable that the recently taken
census. the details Of which will not he
available for several months. will includs
an accurate report OF the present state
Of the service. The matter OF special
imnnrfanCa hara ths. ,,.,.ppar$ ~ ths,
investigators on the value and the nature
Of the service Of the telephone in the
farmhouse. Among the manifold uses
Of the inst ruments they nete the access
given To farmers to the markets in which
their products are sold. The grain
grower in the West when approached by
a buyer who wishes TO purchase his wheat
simply steps TO the telephone and asks
through the nearest exchange the closing
prices in the Chicago market on the pre-
cedng day or the opening prices on the
present day The truck farmers i'm the
neighborhood Of large citi les telephone to
the city markets and find out whether
there il any demand for their fresh vege-
tables OF whethe the ma rket is glutt Ell
and PRICES low. IL the report is I'M
favorable they wait for better demand
and better prices before carrying their
vegetables or fruits or other products to
the place Of sale.
II an animal OF value falls sick the vet err
mary surgeon is summoned by telephone
II a horse il IT olen word II sent TO all the
farmers on the circuit. In case OF fire or
accident help is called with avoidance OF
the delay involved in the despatch OF "A
messenger. who cannot well he spa red at
all at such time. On many Of these liz
tie country circuits prearranged signal
al or about some regular hour summons
III subscribers to their inst ruments while
Central reads out the important news Of
the day and gives out the weather report
The inst r,imsnf relieves the isolation OF
the women on the farm. Their days are
often spent in loneliness while the men
folks are at their work on Some distant
part OF the farm or absent ON some errand
10 the city or to- some other farm. A few
minutes Of chat or gossip il n measureless
boon 20 many 40 situated.
With the installaf ion Of the telephone
the extension of the interurban street rail-
way and the rural trolley line. and the
rural free mail delivery. life on the farm
has been greatly changed for the better.