The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-14

% revolutionize farm
 ing and farm life
 k S throughout tn e
 kS United States. AL &< though the public EYF T-SS556==s knows little on
 this is probably the nothing about it, dhis is probably the most fundamental, the most important, the most vital economic development launched in recent years. It is of such direct interest, not alone to agriculture, but to industry, to finance, to business and to wage earners that have sought out full information and propose to de- vote this and tomorrow's columns to it, confident that 1t will appeal fascinat- ingly to readers. sa
 All life, all matter, we. are told by scientists, consists of electricity in some form or other. Electricity Is the basis of the agricultural revolution now be- ing attempted painstakingiy, scientiff- cally, practically. The farmer has al- ready tasted the benefits of electricity through his possession of self-starting automobiles, the telephone and more re- gently the radio-the up-to-date farmer now. receives market reports over his radio every evening as well as frequent information from federal and state gov ernment departments that radiocast weather reports, crop reports, marketing cohoiLlonss prices, etc. have had little direct experience with electricity except in these forms. Elec- tricity, itself, has been looked upon by the farmers as a 1uxuryb Usually the farmers first thought regarding cleo tFicity is that he. would like to have electric lights in his home and in his farm buildings so he might do away N@ fUh 1n1a Ca and less convenient. On several hun- dred thousand farms, however, the true value of electric service has. been dis covered, and identification of the farms generally throughout the country prom iges to be brought about.
 Electric lighting and electric power have revolutionized industry and com merce. There is every reason to believe they will revolutionize the farm life and agricultural practices; further that they will carry the revolution of indus try to an even greater extent through the decentralization of nianufacture of many staple and easily made products and parts of machinery.
 California and the states in the Pa cific northwest lead the nation-lead the world, in the application Of electric ity to farming practices. For this there Is a reason-seVeraI reasons.
 First, there is the necessity for pump ing water from subterranean streams and lakes to the surface of the ground to transform the desert Into productive agricultural land. It has been proved that electric pumping is the most ef- ficient, most economical, ,sand -tnasmuch as the greater portion of this pumping can be carried on at night, very low rates for electrical energy are made pos- sible. This use gives what is known Rs1 a nfs~a n electrical energy which gives the farmer a direct return in dollars and cents for the expenditure in the form of electric light and power bills. ,t-,&.s
 As a result the electric motor has been put to many uses on the fruit ranges, poultry ranches, general truck farms and other agricultural and allied industrial undertakings. Also the cleo trio range, the vacuum cleaner, the electric iron, the washing machine, the percolator, toaster,- curling iron and other appliances well known to the city housewife, have lifted the burdens from the California women folk as they have in the servantless homes of the city.
 Tn other sections of the country the problems of farm identification are not as simple. Lacking the natural re- sources in the form of water power, the most expensive steam electric genera tion must be depended upon. Lacking the "base load" of power for irriga- ton the urgent necessity must develop or practice power applications which will give the ''base load" or steady de- nhand for electrical energy if the farmer is to enjoy . wholesale rate. In this as in other industries business economies must rule. y-I
 visoning the future demand for elec- tricity. on the farm, leaders of electri- cal industry, through the National Electric Light association, conferred with officials of the American Farm Bureau federation, the American So- ciety of Agricultural Engineers, the Power Farming association Secretary of Agriculture Wallace, Secretary of the Interior Work and Secretary of Commerce Hoover.
 These conferences instead of aming l to force electricity upon the farmers have been held to consider how to pro- tect the American farmer from expIoita- | tton in the electrical field; how to pro- tect him from going ahead too rapidly with farm identification before suit able applications and practices have been worked out.
 The results will be told in tommow's cOIlfFnD. i- Hs-