The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-05-21
Automobiles and Good Roads
Department Designed Help Farmers With Progressive Road
Value Of Machinery on The Farm
Writer Explains How Power Will Help With Chores Routine
Duties Of Work
Duties Of Work.

o o o o 700 o %@~~~ 9 Q @%%@ 8
% o
% Machinery of the right sort on o
. the farm is perhaps even more 9
. important than the commercial or 8
- pleasure use of the automobile to- 9
Q the farmer. That is why we think o
. the article herewith will be found 9
o more than well worth perusal. 9
10 9
9 . o o 90 Q o o o o o . Q . o @ 9
BY !. J. CHARLTON,
Instructor in Farm Mechanics Wash
ington State College.
ANE of the big steps toward making
~ life worth living on the farm is
the introduction of machinery to
help with the chores. A few of the
chores that are now performed by ma
chinery are pumping water, saving
wood, chopping feed, milking, separat-
ing, churning, washing, ironing, sweep
ing, cooking, lighting, sewing, mixing
bread, making ice cream, grinding tools,
cleaning grain, grinding grain, clipping,
shearing sheep, currying horses; spray
| ing, painting and making cider; in fact,
almost every irksome job on the farm
can be handled with some sort Of me-
chanical power.
l know of one family that carries
water little over 16 rods from spring
to their house. They generally make
three trips to the spring for every meal
cooked, that is, nine trips each day,
covering more than 20S rods. The fam
lily has used the spring since 1856, and
during that time has travelled 1886
miles, or three-fourths Of the way
around the globe, for water If the
carrier travelled one mile every twenty
minutes, at fifteen cents per hour, this
would mean 5000 worth Of time. 1t is
about time that this family should use
some power other than man-power for
carrying water. There is probably not
q farm in Washington that does not
have an equally undesirable chore that
could be performed by mechanical
power.
Six Forms Of Motors
There are six forms of motors in
general use for furnishing power-the
animal body, heat engines, water-wheels,
tidal machines, windmills and electrical
motors All of them can be used on at
least some of the farms of Washington,
and every farm has the animal as a
motor.
This article is to deal with the motor
best adapted to most farms for the per
forming of chores. Undoubtedly the
electric motor is the best suited to this
class of work, but unfortunately the
electrical current would be so expensive
in most localities that it is prohibitive
Wind power is rather uncertain, and is
never steady, 80 it adapts itself to only
few of the tasks mentioned, but when
it can be used, it is exceedingly cheap.
Water. wheels are, of course, convenient
to but few farms. But the heat engine
is one source of power that, like the ami
NAL, can be had on every farm, and it is
the most uniformly adaptible to the kind
of work under discussion.
There are two kinds Of heat motors in
use on the farm-the steam engine, and
the oil or gas engine. Each one has Its
own particular field In most localities
in Washington, steam is well suited fol
the work that requires power for long
intervals of time, and where consider
able power is used The oil engine would
find its field in handling intermittent
and small power jobs 1t is the ideal
engine for the farm chores, and is, OF
course, a close competitor Of the steam
engine in its field.
Reasons for Preference.
There are several reasons why the oil
engine is more preferable for chores
than the steam engine. One is that il
can be started more quickly. You dc
not have to heat up the water. NJ
power is lost after it is stopped. Stored
heat is lost from the water in the boiler
of steam engine, and from the fue
in the CRATE. Also, there is little dan
ger Of fire, If the oil engine is properly
handled; and less danger from an ex