10 X. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 266 



FARM NO. 2 (RETAIL DAIRY) 



Farm No. 2 was a pioneer in developing ways of doing farm work 

 electrically. Many of the applications and hook-ups were worked out 

 by the owner before the days of rural electrification wnth the result 

 that the working units were not always efficiently balanced. For ex- 

 ample, a five horse power motor was originally used to run the milk- 

 ing machine. With the introduction of milker vacuum pumps oper- 

 ating successfully on 1/2 to IV2 h. p.. the outfit was discarded and the 

 new equipment installed in its place. Many of the first attempts were 

 made with material readily available at a fair price, and a "cut and 

 try" method of hooking up different combinations was followed until 

 a fairly successful result was obtained. 



Description. Three to four-man farm. Family of three adults. Nine 

 room house. Large dairy barn with silo attached; two garages and imple- 

 ment shed. 75 acres of which 30 acres are tillable. 36 head of milking 

 cattle, 2 tractors, 1 delivery truck, pleasure car, modern machinery. Farm 

 located on state road. Retails 250 to 300 quarts of milk and cream daily in 

 city one mile distant. House and barns wired 10 years under cooperative 

 arrangement between farmers and service company, one transformer of 3 

 K. V. A. capacity. 



Equipment. Light Circuit: House lights, 25 outlets, average 40 watt 

 lamps; Barn lights, 22 outlets, average 40 watt lamps; Flat Iron; Washing 

 machine; Bottle brush; Shop equipment; Vacuum cleaner; Milking machine, 

 1% h. p.; Battery charger; Radio. 



Power Circuit Equipment: House refrigerator; Dairy cold storage; Milk 

 cooling pump. 



The fact that this farm shows little or no tendency to increase the 

 annual current consumption from year to year (in fact the 1928 col- 

 umn shows an inclination to curtail) is due primarily to unusually 

 high rates resulting from a small customer-owned distribution com- 

 pany which serves this territory. High monthly bills and compari- 

 sons with surrounding communities' rates constantly emphasize to this 

 farm owner the fact that he is paying more for the service rendered 

 than others. This has resulted in a curtailing of work done by elec- 

 tricity and an observance of strict economy in equipment so operated. 

 Changes in motor power, hook-ups, etc., are made at once on this farm 

 as soon as it becomes evident that the same amount of work will be 

 done with more efificiency and less current ; and these account in part for 

 the decline in quantity of current used. It is worthy of note, how- 

 ever, that unusually sharp scrutiny of the cost of operating equipment 

 on this farm was primarily induced by the high rate. The same rate 

 condition maile the use of any major heating equipment in the house 

 prohibitive. 



The critical observation above mentioned serves to bring out a qual- 

 ity wliicli is characi eristic of most alert farm operators. Stated briefly 

 it is, "Electricity nnist do real work," as compared to some uses in ur- 

 ban residences, where the principal element is not always the actual 

 work performed l)iit llie convenience derived. Convenience is greatly 

 appreciated by the farmer and more especially by the farmer's wife, 

 but continued observation of many farm owners indicates that for 

 farming opci-alions. "satisfactory work" comes first and "conveni- 



