June, 1932] Electricity on New England Farms 27 



repairs. The flat iron, automatic heat control type, was found to be 

 too slow in heating to keep up with the rapid rate with which this 

 woman irons, and replacement with another style is planned. Low 

 voltage conditions existed for a time on this extension, but were cor- 

 rected bj^ rewiring the line with heavier copper. 



FARM NO. 6 (POULTRY) 



Description. Three-man farm. Family of three adults, two children. 

 Ten room brick house. Hay and stock barn, garage, main laying house, and 

 20 brooder houses and shelters. 180 acres of flat, sandy loam, of which 30 

 are tillable. Located one mile from town. 2,500 laying hens, 20,000 to 

 25,000 broilers, 20,000 day old chicks, 2 horses, 1 cow, 1 delivery car, 1 pleasure 

 car, modern machinery, 9,000 egg incubator using coal hot water heat. Trans- 

 former of 7.5 K. V. A. 



Equipment. Light and Power Circuit Equipment: House lights, 34 out- 

 lets; Barn and Poultry Lights, 30 outlets; Washing machine; Waffle iron; 

 Heating pad; Vacuum cleaner; Water pump; Radio. 



Heat circuit equipment: Kitchen range; Household refrigeration; Flat iron. 

 Distribution of Equipment Costs 



The load on Farm No. 6, one of the two poultry farms under test, 

 resolved itself into largely one of a household nature — 80% of the 

 total number of appliances and 81% of the total cost for equipment 

 being so utilized. 



Making up the 19-20% used on the farm proper, there were but 

 three items — poultry lamps, the water pump and water heater. The 

 last two items are given a position of each performing half duty for 

 the house and farm work respectively. 



Since poultry lights represent winter consumption, and water sup- 

 ply a more or less even load throughout the year, the only appliance 

 reflecting the busy season of the farm was the hot water heater, which 

 was used considerably for scalding fowl to be sold. 



Likewise in the home, the equipment was used with an even tenure 

 throughout the year with the exception of the hot water heater. The 

 increase in consumption in the winter, due to house lights, was balanced 

 by a somewhat greater demand for refrigeration in the summer. The 

 kitchen range was the only cooking unit used and caused no particular- 

 ly greater consumption of current in one season of the year than an- 

 other. No large amount of canning was done. 



From this situation the load curve for this farm would be expected 

 to show a more or less flat contour or negative qualities as far as com- 

 ing to a peak at any particular season is concerned. 



From inspection of the curves in Figure 8, it will be seen that in the 

 pre-experimental year of 1925 a very commonplace distribution of the 

 load occurred, with the undesirable quality of being greater in winter 

 than in summer. 



For 1928 and 1929 a more or less even consumption throughout the 

 year is evident with no consistently repeated tendencies of importance 

 one way or the other. The year 1930 would undoubtedly have pro- 

 duced a similar curve, but failure of a test meter resulted in the loss 

 of the true record. 



