Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
Use
ALTERS FARM LIFE.
New ''Hired Man" Benefits
Every One Concerned-Rap-
id Growth Told.

Life on the farm is not what it used
to be. The farmer has found new
hired man, through whose help drudg-
cry has. been banished, with much
weary, breaking toll.
In the change the farmers wife has
also benefited, and so have his chill
dren, to say nothing of the cows, the
poultry, the pigs and other inhabitants
Of the barnyard,
The explanation is easy. writes H. H.
Slawson In Popular Mechanics Maya
zine Electricity lis this new chore boy
which is changing the age-long habits
of earths oldest industry. Farmers are
enjoying the advantages of the electric
fan in The COW barn, electric lights in
the haymow electric radiant heat In
the pigpen and electrically driven i'm
PIGMENTS from grindstones to threshing
machines And they even make nay
now while it rains-with the help OF
electricity.
EIectricity's Uses.
An authoritative count reveals 227
profitable uses for electricity on the
farm. These range from A-battery
eliminators, animal groomers and six
other uses under IA" to bull tanners
and IL others under "B," down through
90 letters of the alphabet, to wood saw
pumps the water, shreds the fodder,
husks the corn, separates the milk
Crinds bones, feed, fertilizer and Sau-
sage, cleans, bags and HOSTS grain into
the bins, dries, bales and elevates hay.
heats water. hotbeds and incubators,
helps ventilation in the house and the
stock barns, and also traps insects in
the orchard and garden or thieves IN
the henhouse.
It cools or warns, sterilizeS or pas
teurizes and bottles the milk. II hulls
oats or sprouts them. 1t stimulates
plant growth and furnishes refrigera-
ton. It shears sheep and sprays WHITE
wash and insecticides. In the farm
house it does everything that electricity
can do in the city home, including OPP
Grafton of the player piano.
Rapid Growth Told.
In 1924 there were in the State OF
Illinois. all told, only 2,201 farms pro-
Vided with central-station service. But
on January /, 1929, there were 1924
electrified Illinois farms. Indiana has
1853 farms getting such service:
California farmers claim to be the
heaviest users of electric energy, as
there are $4,000 electrified farms in
that State. Altogether more than $780,
600 farms in the United States are
served by electric light and power COM
panies.
But there is a tremendous problem
to be solved before rurai america can
be completely electrified. In Indiana,
according to the 1925 Federal farm
census, there are $4,000 faIins, the
value of which is almost 81 ,375, 000,0 600.
On the basis of three to the mile, a
rough estimate would call for $1,000
miles of power lines to serve these
farms, and on the basis of construction
costs Of $1,000 mile, this would mean
an expenditure Of $65,000,000 for lines
alone.
Additional Costs.
A like sum would be required to wire
and equip the farm buildings making
the total installation cost almost 10 per
cent Of the value of the industry in
Indiana. g
Electricity, to make its way on the
farm, thus has to justify itself from an
economic standpoint. In this regard,
one of the State committees or the re-
lation of electricity to agriculture sub
nnits the following. Ten cents spent for
electricity will perform one Of the fol-
lowing tasks Cook for two persons for
one day; do the family washing for one
week: run the vacuum cleaner 10
hours; operate the milking machine l
hour and 20 minutes; separate J. 500
pounds of milk; heat 150-esg i1cu-
bator for two days; saw one and two
thirds cords of wood; pump 500 gallons
of water; run q tanning mill 0nree
hours, or cool a refrigerator tor IL
hours.