March, 1927] 



Electricity on New England Farms 



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Farm Xo. 1. This commercial unir consists of a refrigerator of 0V2 cubic feet 

 capacity with the mechanical equipment mounted in the base. It is located in 

 the kitchen where it is subjected to average house temperatures. The cabinet is 

 metal, cork-lined. The equipment is operated 12 months of the year. 



Farm No. 2. The refrigerator is built mto the house with an ice-filling door 

 out through the wall to permit outside icing in the past. It was built by a local 

 carpenter and contains no insulation. It is considerably larger than the average 

 refrigerator in cubic feet of storage space. During the winter months the cur- 

 rent is shut off and natural temperatures utilized by means of the outside door. 



Farm No. 4. A small section of the dairy cooling room is finished in cabinet 

 form for the storage of food. The room is within reasonable distance of the 

 kitchen door so that the plan has proved very practical. The cooling room is 

 somewhat larger in size, and the cost of operation is increased in proportion. 

 (See Cooling Room No. 4.) It is planned to operate nine months with elec- 

 tricity and three months with natural temperatures. 



Farm No. 5. The refrigerator contains 11 1-3 cubic feet storage space and has 

 no special insulating material in its wall construction. It is located in a mod- 

 erately cool room and used lor only nine months out of the year. The com- 

 pressor unit is in the basemenl immediately underneath. 



Farm Xo. 6. The refrigerator contains about o' L > cubic feet storage space and 

 is well insulated with cork. Twelve months operation is practiced against aver- 

 age house temperature-. 



Farm No. 7. This is a cork insulated, wood case, commercially made, electric 

 refrigerator, witli the mechanical unit built into the cabinet. It has nine cubic 

 feet, of storage capacity and operates in a room which stands at average house- 

 hold temperature. The equipment is used for only nine months of the year. 



TABLE 12. House Refrigerator Records on Experimental Farms 



Any well-made refrigerator, if properly insulated, is believed suitable, but 

 proper insulation is an important factor in economical operating costs. No 

 specific size is in demand though boxes of somewhat larger size than those used 

 by the average city family are favored. 



The operation of the refrigerators for nine months and the utilizing of natural 

 temperatures for the remaining three is at present the most common practice. 

 Two farms, however, are already operating on a 12-months basis, and this will 

 be more generally practiced, as the advantages and economy in food spoilage 

 from using a controlled temperature are appreciated. 



Maximum consumption for household refrigerators occurs during July, August 

 or September. Where used for 12 months under excessively warm conditions, 

 this might not hold true. Minimum consumption is reached in the cold "months. 



Dishwashers. Two dishwashers of the propeller type have been in use for a 

 considerable length of time on two of the farms. One is considered by the 

 housewife practical, while the use of the other has been discontinued. 



Farm Xo. 3. This machine is rectangular in shape, having one removable 

 rack large enough to hold the dishes from a family of five. One teakettle of 

 water is required for washing and one for rinsing. Dishes are as easily placed in 

 tin washer as in a dishpan and may be left in the rack to steam dry. A common 

 soap powder is used. The water is drawn off through a spigot valve, which may 



