The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-02-02
sral investor is satisfied. with small,

/
respect than any other great Ameri-
can state. Nearly half of the geograph-
ical area of the state is connected up
by transmission lines between the cleo
trical plaLts of small cities--plants that
heretofore were operated as single
units but which have become united
into one major unit for operation and
otherwise. Three hundred and thirty
five separate municipalities with a
population of a million are grouped
each group served as from single
central station.
A distinct advantage of the plant
combination system is that II enables
farmers to use electrical energy from
transmission lines for farm work, in
creasing farm production and improv-
ing farm living conditions. This, in
turn, greatly improves the business
and social conditions Of the cities that
depend almost entirely upon the far
mers.
Expensiveness Of Animal Power.
The use of power on the farm has
mills, waterpower. But, these have
had their conspicuous objections. The
water wheel could not be relied on
continuously, and its power could not
be distributed and used where 1t was
needed on the farm, 1t was the same
! with the windmill-its use was inter.
mittent and limited. The steam,
or gasoline, engine was better, but, its
power was not easily applied-as in
| lighting. Horses, while the most used,
have been the most expensive sources
of power. At the present time it takes
as much land to grow food for the
horses and mules of the United States
| as is required for the human beings.
! And, ninety per cent Of the horses are
used in agriculture. In addition the
| horse requires housing and care, and
| his work day is short and his years
/ of usefulness Jew. Unlike the OK, he
| is not available as food when he be-
! comes otherwise useless. The use OF
electricity on the farm is the greatest
| advance that farming is now making,
]
| given up to the horse, and reduces the
disagreeableness of farm work to the
minimum In European countries
especially in Germany and Switzer-
| land-electrical energy has done much
to improve farm conditions and out
puts.
Cities Depend on the Farms.
America should do more to make
| farming attractive as a vocation-to
reduce the labor of the farm. The
elimination of draft animals alone
from the farm can be made to IN.
crease the surplus exports of the farm
enormously, In addition, work now not
attempted will be carried on. For ex-
ample, consider the matter of drain
age. Great areas can be freed from
surplus water, while in dry seasons
water can be pumped for cattle and
often for growing crops. Eventually by
the development of the use of
electrical energy on the farm
fertilizers from the air will be-
come a by-product of the great
|
during the hours of minimum use.
| And, this matter of fertilization is be-
! coming more and more important. We
need nitrogen for our farms and we
require 1t in our preparation for war.
An ideal electrical development sys-
TEN would contemplate the use of wa
terpower supplemented with steam,
distributed from central stations by
means of transmission lines every
where that 1t could be made use of to
enhance farm productions and ameli-
crate farm living and working condi-
ously to fuel supply and where water
is always available. A great many d.
versified industries should be encour-
aged-industries that would, by using
power at times of minimum load,
make a steady requirement that would
reduce the cost of light and power.
The small city that undertakes to
hold itself aIoof and operate its own
small, perhaps out-of-date, electric
light and power piant--happy-go-
lueky--is behind the times. II might
as we'll refuse to connect itself by
railroad, telegraph and telephone,
with other places that would make
it accessible from the outer world.
And, as have indicated, not
only should the small plants in the
small cities be tied together to be
operated in groups as units, but they
should do what they can to make cleo.
trical current available for the far.
mers who support and make, practical
Iy, all that is of great value In the
cities. We may build cities and they
may stand--but they will not make
farms nor foodstuffs, But, If we build
up and improve the farms in attrac-
tiveness and output, at the same time
we build cities. and railroads, and
churches, and schools, and all that is
worth while of social and physical
character.
ELECTRIC HARVESTING.
Nine farmers near Abilene, Kansas,