THE IRRIGATION AGE 



983 



Spraying a Field by Electric Power. 



A Reinforced Concrete Substation for Supplying Power to Farms in the West. The Oil-Switch House Is in the 



Center of the Picture. 



Milking by Electricity Is Better for the Cow and 

 Produces More Milk Than Hand Methods. 



used on the circuit if the current were de- 

 sired for other than lighting purposes. 



For large estates, where the first cost of 

 installation is not considered except in re- 

 lation to the saving afterwards effected, a 

 comprehensive electrical equipment is prof- 

 itable, considered as a dividend-producing 



Motor-Driven Pump Used by an Up-to-Date Rochester 

 (N. Y.) Florist for Watering His Plants. 



investment, besides bringing in considera- 

 ble returns in the way of comfort and ab- 

 sence from worry and care. 



The Virginia estate of Thomas F. Ryan, 

 the well known financier, is a typical exam- 

 ple. In the main power-house there is an 

 alternating current generator operated by a 



producer gas engine, which 

 furnishes the energy of 80 

 horses or 500 men for in- 

 stant dispatch in any re- 

 quired amount for electric 

 lighting in the house, farm 

 buildings and about the 

 estate generally, and for 

 operating the dairy, driv- 

 ing the farm machinery, 

 working the flour and 

 grist mill, manufacturing- 

 ice, and doing the thou- 

 sand and one other chores 

 about the place. 



In the main residence, 

 current is at all times 

 available from the storage 

 battery located in the 

 basement. This is charged 

 from the main power 

 plant, or in case of emer- 

 gency, from a smaller 

 auxiliary plant some dis- 

 tance away. Not only is 

 the house electrically 

 lighted, but the dish- 

 warmers in the kitchen, 

 heaters in the chambers, 

 and the various cooking 

 devices, are all operated 

 by electricity. Ultimately 

 there will be hardly a task 

 about the Ryan estate 

 that will not be done or 

 materially assisted by this 

 wonderful agent of civili- 

 zation. A general view of 

 the farm appears above 

 the opening paragraph of 

 this article. 



The electric automobile 

 or wagon is a useful ad- 

 junct about a farm, and 

 where horses are not reg- 

 ularly used for other pur- 

 poses, electric vehicles will 

 be found profitable, con- 

 venient and speedy. For 

 loading farm products in 

 the field and conveying 

 them to the barn or to 

 market, the electric truck 

 will often be found 

 cheaper than the horse- 

 drawn wagon, and its 

 great capacity and speed 

 in running will greatly 

 economize the time of the 

 drivers. In fact, Germany 

 has gone even a step fur- 

 ther in this direction, for 

 in that country there is a 

 farm which has a narrow- 

 gauge electric railway for 

 transportation purposes, 

 and its results are said to 

 be highly satisfactory. 



The importance of the 

 problem of irrigation 

 must not be overlooked in 

 a review of this nature, as 

 it is closely associated 

 with the development of 

 electricity on the farm. It 

 it generally admitted that 

 the addition of a hydro- 

 electric plant to an irriga- 

 tion project adds materi- 

 ally to the value of the un- 

 dertaking and to the re- 

 turn on the investment as 



