Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-05-06

on Farms In
Prepared by the United states Department,
OF Agricultural
There are nearly 100000 radio sets
on farms In the United States, the De
partment OF Agriculture estimates In
4 report on the growth Of farm radio
turing the past FIVE years.
In some states, the department says,
there are radio sets on % to 20 per
cent OF all farms. Estimates made by
the department In 1923 showed $4,000
sets in use on farms at that time
S65. 900 sets In 1924, and $500 sets
early In 1925
Increased power and improved
broadeasting, together with better re-
ceIving sets, the department believes.
will do much to aid In establishing
the permanency OF the use OF radio
for the benefit Of agriculture.
zone station alone in period Of
three months broadcasting Of market
and weather reports, received more
than 1900 letters OF commendation
from farmers. country banks. shippers
Of live stock, and small merchants In
the towns in y agricultural states sur
rounding the station"
Interference among stations may
gradually be eliminated, the depart
ment believes. as many Of the less ac-
tive stations are being discontinued.
and technical improvements are being
made In both broadcasting and receiv-
ing equipment OF 1,458 radio sta
lions OF all sizes licensed to broadcast
since broadcasting began, only $50
were active on January this year.
Cooperative Arrangements.
The department has made co-opera-
tive arrangements with more than 100
stations for broadcasting official mar
ket news gathered by department rep
resentatives In leading shipping and
consuming areas Since the first OF
the year the department has made ar
engagements with about 60 stations to
broadcast on a regular schedule four
additional services dealing with gen.
eral agricultural information.
Literally hundreds Of stations have
requested the privilege Of handling the
government reports, but many OF the
requests have had to be refused the
department says. because the stations
are remote from the departments mar
ket news branch Offices.
when the experimental radio mar
ket news service was announced on
December q, 1920. the report states,
'those in the Department OF Agrlcul-
ture who were directing the new ac-
tivitiy hardly anticipated the wonder
ful possibilities OF radio broadcasting
as we now know It. A laboratory
at the United States bu-
reau Of standards on a 400-meter wave
length, a few enthusiastic amateurs
within hundred miles OF Washington.
and a D. m. schedule Of about 500
words by radio telegraph. composing !
what was called the radio market
gram, constituted the elements Of the
experiment..
'The practical results Of this first
experiment could hardly be called con-
.lusive. but they gave encouragement
o those IN charge Of II TO push on In
he quest Of more and more evidence.
IN April 7, 1927, an announcement
vas made that arrangements had been
completed with the air-mail radio
ervice Of the Post-Office department
o transmit by wireless market re-
'orts several times a day from post
flee stations at Washington. d. c.,
Pa. St Louis. Mo-, and
)maha. Ne5.
Amateurs Were Enlisted.
Assuming an effective radius Of au-
ibIhty OF 300 miles about each sta
lon, licensed amateurs IN the areas
overed were enlisted to copy the re-
orts and to furnish them to shippers
ssOciati0ns, county agents, state bu-
saus OF markets, farm bureaus and
Their agricultural agencies, banks,
ewspapers and local telephone ex-
hanges. A number Of licensed oper-
tors offered to copy the reports. BY
anuary 1. 1922. the market reports
ere being relayed and broadcast by
adio telegraph from seven post Office
.ations 10 a chain across the com
y.
During 1927, reports were furnished Z
, three 81 the then very few radio I
.leuhone broadcasting stations Since
80 sha a@wufra has grown by leaps