THE BROWN FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA. 



"Have you heard, Mr. Simpson, how the farmers of Kane County, 

 Illinois, are using electricity on the farms?" asked Ethel. 



"Yes, indeed, I have," said Simpson, "and it is one of the finest things 

 in the world. Fifty years ago the farmers of Kane County were opposed to 

 the first railroad that went through Illinois; now they stand on record as the 

 most advanced farmers in the world. They are taking up the use of elec- 

 tricity on the farm and almost all the work of the farm is performed by elec- 

 tric power. 



"The electric motors which have been installed in Illinois are for saw- 

 ing wood, pumping water, separating cream from milk, threshing corn, cut- 

 ting fodder, plowing the fields, grinding apples, pulping potatoes, loading 

 and unloading wagons at the barn, and a dozen other operations once per- 

 formed by the farmhands and the patient horse. 



"Here," said Simpson, taking a newspaper clipping from his pocket, 

 "is the data on the use of electricity on an Illinois farm": 



Cost of installation of an electric motor $500.00 



Cost of power furnished per year, about 30.00 



Cost of repairs, etc., one year 10.00 



Total cost of electricity one year $540.00 



Comparison with former methods: 



Cost one farmhand wages one year at $25 $300.00 



Cost board and lodging one year at 50 cents 



per day 185.00 



Cost team of horses at $1 25 each 250.00 



Cost feed for same, five acres of land produc- 

 tion for one year, valued at 200.00 



Cost shoeing, veterinary, repairs to harness, 



etc., one year 25.00 



Total cost one man and two horses one 



year $960.00 



Saving with electricity over man and horse 



first year $420.00 



"The second year, of course, the gain is greater, for the electric plant 

 does not have to be reinstalled, and $40 should cover the cost of power and 

 repairs for the second year. The result on this farm shows that one fifteen 

 horsepower motor takes the place and performed the work of one hired man 

 and two draft horses. 



"Here in California," continued Simpson, "there is an abundance of 

 cheap petroleum and an enormous amount of electric power is developed 

 from mountain streams. Every farm in California should have its electric 

 line and its motor. Any intelligent ten-year-old boy can run an electric 

 motor." 



The May and June "Brown Family in California" will tell how the new 



vegetable cellar was built from some rock on Mr. Simpson's place. 



♦ » * * * 



BUILDING PERMITS AND REAL ESTATE SALES OF 

 SAN FRANCISCO IN MARCH. 



Building permits to the amount of $2,086,919 were taken out in San 

 Francisco during the month of March. This sum exceeds the February per- 

 mits. In that month San Francisco stood fifth in the magnitude of its 

 building operations in the list of the principal cities of the country. Real 

 estate sales in March amounted to $4,950,673, mortgages to $2,128,115, 

 releases to $1,846,581. Bank clearings for the last week in April were 

 $29,963,843, being 16.7 per cent greater than the corresponding week in 

 1904. 



