June, 1932] Electricity on New England Farms 33 



Frosted globes are used, and where room temperatures are nearer 70° 

 F.. 40-watt bulbs are substituted for the 50-watt lamps the first week, 

 followed by 25-watt. 



Six service lights are also used in the grain room and general barns. 



From the above it will be seen that lighting plays an unusually prom- 

 inent part in the poultry business. From the 20 lights in 1927 the 

 number increased by the end of 1930 to 107 lights. The average in- 

 crease in layers, broilers and baby chicks was 375%. The increase 

 in lights was about 400% ; the relation between the number of lights 

 used and the birds handled remained approximately constant. A 

 greater number of lights and more current generally would be used, 

 according to the owner, if a lower rate, commensurate with the amount 

 now used and of a type applicable to rural service, were available. 



The total electrical equipment outlay is now $6,012. This figure 

 alone bespeaks the size of business which has been developed. 



The analysis by circuits shows that the expansion of business has 

 brought about some slight changes in the type of equipment employed. 

 The light circuit lost 4% and the power circuit 2% in favor of the heat 

 circuit, which was brought up 6% to a total of 30.4% as against 

 23.8% in 1926. 



Looking through the cost distribution, however, a distinct change 

 between 1926 and 1930 has taken place. The total investment in equip- 

 ment for both the light and heat circuits in 1930 was about one-half 

 that in 1926, and there was a jump from 39% to 69% in power circuit 

 equipment. That the newly purchased equipment has been for farm 

 work will be seen in that two-thirds of the equipment investment is on 

 the farm and one-third in the house in 1930 as against 1926, when the 

 advantage was slightly in favor of the household. This again indicates 

 that the saturation point for the home is fairly definite, not particularly 

 complicated, and may be reached as rapidly as the family wishes to 

 make the necessary investment. Farm development, on the other hand, 

 is not as quick, but has unlimited possibilities of expansion. 



Table 7 and Figure 9 show that from the starting point in 1925 of 

 1,070 kw.-hrs. the load was built up in steady increments to 2,900 kw.- 

 hrs. in 1928. The original average rate per kilowatt-hour of nearly 13 

 cents was apparently quickly affected in 1926, when it dropped to 9 3-5c. 

 Actually, however, this was the result of the misapplication of the rate 

 schedule, and in 1927 it returned to 10 3-5 cents. In 1928 the use of 

 an additional 375 kw.-hrs. brought a reduction of but two-fifths of a 

 cent per kw.-hr. 



In this period when the consumption was nearly trebled (1,070 to 

 2,909 kw.-hrs. ) the total decline in rate per kw.-hr. was 2.5 cents. Since 

 it is probable that to small and average farms, which group predomi- 

 nates among rural customers, 3,000 kw.-hrs. a year could now be con- 

 sidered a very fair use of current, it appears that this particular rate 

 schedule might not offer much inducement to a liberal use of current. 



It has been pointed out in each of the previous farms that even after 

 the experimental load building efforts of the project engineer had been 

 suspended and the farms left to themselves, the use of current still 

 continued to increase, or at least hold its own. In this case, with the 



