American Agriculturist, January 6, 1923 
9 
Acetylene For Cooking 
Heat, Light and Power 
«^AN acetylene gas be used for cook- 
C' ing purposes? If so, are any spe¬ 
cial attachments necessary, and what 
is the best type of acetylene plants?” 
asks C. W. B., of New York. 
Acetylene is quite commonly used for 
cooking purposes, and as such is fairly 
satisfactory fuel. It gives the farm 
housewife an opportunity to utilize the 
advantages of the gas stove, even 
though she be located far from the 
ordinary gas plant. Manufacturers of 
acetylene generators and lighting ap¬ 
paratus have perfected equipment 
whereby acetylene can be used for 
cooking purposes, and nothing special 
is needed except the gas stove. The 
installation of the stove and its regula¬ 
tion for cooking purposes is practically 
the same as for any other type of gas 
fuel. It is wonderfully convenient, of 
course, since all that is necessary is to 
light the gas and let it burn. The con¬ 
stant charging of the stove, which is 
necessary where wood or coal is used, 
is eliminated. 
There are a number of different 
makes of acetylene generators _ on the 
market, practically all of which are 
very satisfactory, and no doubt any 
reliable manufacturer can readily refer 
prospective purchasers to long lists of 
satisfied users. 
Two General Types of Generators 
Acetylene generators are of two gen¬ 
eral types, one in which the calcium 
carbide is dropped into the water, and 
the other, in which the action is just 
the reverse, that is, the water is 
dropped into the carbide.^ The first, or 
carbide-to-water system, is the one that 
is almost universally used in house¬ 
lighting acetylene plants, because it 
admits of much more effective regula¬ 
tion. The outfit consists of a closed 
vessel containing water in the lower 
part, and an arrangement for holding 
carbide in the upper part. The lower 
part of the carbide container is pro¬ 
vided with a special feeding device, 
which allows a certain quantity of car¬ 
bide to drop into the water chamber 
below. As soon as the water and car¬ 
bide come in contact with each other, 
the generation of the gas begins. The 
gas that is generated is led away from 
the container through a system of 
pipes to the burners. 
The second system of generator, 
known as the water-to-carbide system, 
is more adaptable for certain types of 
lamps, which are subjected to rather 
hard usage and which contain only a 
small quantity of carbide. 
Types of Burners and Globes 
The burners used in an acetylene 
lighting system may be either what is 
known as the luminous type, or the 
incandescent. A luminous burner is 
one in' which the fuel is permitted to 
combine with oxygen in such a way 
that one or more constituents of the 
gas evolves light as it undergoes com¬ 
bustion. ^The ordinary open gas burner 
is of the luminous type. An incandes¬ 
cent burner is one in which the_ fuel 
burns with a flame, which is in itself 
atmospheric or non-luminous, the light 
being produced by causing that flame 
to play upon some extraneous refrac¬ 
tory material that has the property of 
emitting much light when raised to a 
sufficiently high temperature. These 
refractory materials are usually woven 
into a hollow texture-like shape called 
The best globes that can be used for 
acetylene lights are those made from 
some material which protects the eye 
from bright and direct rays of light, 
yet disperses and diffuses the light so 
that none is lost, but all is used for 
illuminating. Plain transparent glass, 
unless the surface is especially sharp 
in prismatic form, is rather unsatisfac¬ 
tory for globes. Opalescent glass is 
better. _ 
WINDMILL ELECTRIC PLANTS 
Can a farm electric plant be operated by an 
up and down pump rod 8 ft. windmill. Can 
enough current be stored to run a 1 H. P. 
motor 3 hrs. a day? What do you consider the 
cheapest and best farm lighting plant? Are 
windmill plants practical?—(C. H. T., Essex 
County, N. Y. 
There are several companies manu¬ 
facturing farm electric plants, using 
Problem on the Farm 
the ordinary windmill wheel as the 
means of utilizing the power of the 
wind. An eight-foot wheel is rather 
small, it is b^etter to have a larger 
one, since the larger the wheel the 
more power developed. The amount 
of current that can be stored up in 
a storage battery will depend upon 
the capacity of the generator, and also 
upon .the steadiness and intensity of the 
wind. I would surmise that under 
normal conditions, using a fairly large 
wheel, it would be possible to operate 
a one horse-power motor from such 
a storage battery for three hours per 
day. 
In asking me for my opinion as to 
the cheapest and best electric lighting 
plant for the farm, you give me a 
question which I cannot truthfully 
answer, because there are a number 
that are very good; some have ad¬ 
vantages and disadvantages which the 
others do not possess. I doubt whether 
any unprejudiced person can give you 
a real answer to this question. 
I know that wind electric plants are 
practical, because there are a great 
many of them in constant use. 
CARING FOR THE FARM LIGHT¬ 
ING PLANT BATTERY 
What is an overcharge for the ordinary cell 
of a farm lighting plant battery? If one cell 
is weaker than the others, should I continue 
charging all cells, even though some gas before 
the weaker ones are fully charged? Should 
the specific gravity of the electrolyte be allowed 
to run down about to the minimum before re¬ 
charging or should it be charged more fre¬ 
quently? Is it best to keep the battery fully 
charged or to let it partially discharge?— 
M. R. G. Pennsylvania. 
A fully charged battery should show 
specific gravity of between 1.275 and 
1.3. When the battery shows specific 
gravity of 1.15, it is discharged. In 
determining whether the battery is 
fully charged or not, a hydrometer 
should be used. Do not depend alto¬ 
gether upon gassing as an indication of 
a fully charged cell. There are many 
reasons why one cell in a battery will 
show lower specific gravity than an¬ 
other. The cell may have lost some of 
the electrolyte in shipping, and if so, 
the gravity must be brought up by add¬ 
ing more acid. The acid should not be 
added unless the cells are fully charged 
as indicated by the.hydrometer. 
A falling off of the specific gravity 
can usually be traced to wear on the 
plates, leaky jars or sediment. The 
gravity in all cells ought to be within 10 
to 15 points of each other. It is advisable 
to recharge the batteries about once 
a month. Thi's recommendation varies 
a little with the different makes of bat¬ 
teries. It is not advisable to let bat¬ 
teries become entirely discharged, as 
there is danger of injuring them. In 
most farm lighting plants the charge 
is maintained during the time the en¬ 
gine is run for using current for other 
purposes. It would be best if the bat¬ 
tery could be fairly well discharged 
and then completely recharged. 
DETERMINING POWER OF 
FLOWING STREAM 
Will you Inform me what horsepower can be 
secured from a stream flowing through a 
trough 22 inches wide and 1.2 inch deep at 3 
feet per second? What fall would be necessary 
to give sufficient power to operate a generator 
for farm use?—(R. F. M., Paoli, Pa. 
The stream described in your inquiry 
has a flow of approximately 15 cubic 
feet per minute, allowing for friction 
in the trough. This amount of water 
would have to fall a height of 35 feet 
in order to develop about one horse¬ 
power, and this is not taking anything 
for the loss of power as a result of in¬ 
efficiency, which may be anywhere from 
10 to 20%. Of course, with a lower 
fall, less power would be developed, and 
it could still be used for electric gener¬ 
ating purposes, since a storage battery 
could be utilized to take care of the 
electricity which is being continually 
produced. I should imagine that if you 
could obtain anything like a reasonable 
fall, that it would be possible for you to 
use an impulse wheel and a small gen¬ 
erator, and make an advantageous use 
of it. 
My Engine 
Do the 
Work?^ 
“I set out to build a farm 
engine that would have every 
feature the farmer wanted 
and none he didn’t want. It 
has now been on the market 
six years. Thousands of sat¬ 
isfied users tell me I’ve suc¬ 
ceeded. I’m proud to have 
this engine bear my name.” 
■A. Y. Edwards. 
Then ia no other farm engine 
like it. Simple in construction 
and easy to operate. It is only 
one engine, yet it takes the 
place of six engines. It will 
give from 1^ to 6 H. P., yet 
it is so light that two men can 
carry it easily. Set it any¬ 
where and put it to work. 
Change power as needed. It 
is a 6 H. P. when you need 6, 
or IV 2 H. P. when you need 
only iVz, or any power in be¬ 
tween. Fuel consumption in 
proportion to power used and 
remarkably low at all times. 
Adjustment from one power to 
another is instantaneous. It is 
many engines in one. Operates 
with kerosene or gasoline. 
Easy starting, no cranking. 
Low factory price—now lower 
than before the ' war. The 
greatest gas engine value on 
the market. And you can 
prove all of these statements 
to your own satisfaction—try 
the engine yourself—free of 
cost or obligation. 
What Users Say 
Ivan L. Blake, of Hanni¬ 
bal, IVew York, says: “Only 
engine economical for all jobs. 
I run a 28-inch cord wood saw, 
a 24-inch rip saw, a washer, a 
pump, and a grinder, and it 
sure runs them fine. It has 
perfect running balance, and 
it sets quiet anywhere.” 
Robert Grueff, of Spokane, 
Washinston, says: “It has 
given entire satisfaction. Fur¬ 
nishes steadier power than my 
old engine which weighed twice 
as much. It is portable, adapt¬ 
able and free from vibration. 
If I sold my Edwards today, I 
would order another tomorrow 
Prank Foell, of Cologne, 
New Jersey, says: “It’s a 
great pleasure to own an Ed¬ 
wards engine. I run a wood 
saw, cement mixer, threshing 
machine, etc. Do work for my 
neighbors. Easy to move around 
and easy to run. I would not 
have any other.” 
Clarence Rutledge, of Man- 
itoulan Island, Ontario, 
says: “Have given my Ed¬ 
wards three years’ steady work 
and like it fine. It uses very 
little fuel. I run a 28-inch 
cord wood saw, also a rip saw, 
8-inch grinder, ensilage cutter, 
line shaft for shop, chum, 
washer, separator and pump. 
Have had ten other engines, and 
the Edwards beats them all.” 
Kurt Kruger, of New 
Brighton, Binn., says: “I 
run a 30-inch wood saw, 8- 
inch feed grinder, also a pump 
jack. You cannot beat the Ed¬ 
wards for general farm work.” 
Free Trial Offer 
Now—we want to prove our 
claims to you. “We want to 
send you an Edwards engine 
for absolutely free trial. Just 
send us your name and address 
and we will send immediately 
complete details about the Ed¬ 
wards engine and about our 
remarkable free offer. No cost 
or obligation. 'Write now. 
The Edwards Motpr Co. 
133 Main St. Springfield, O. 
is Best Proof of 
WITTE Log Saw 
...Superiority_, 
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Sawed fifty 18-inch trees in five hours.” (Iowa.) 
Bigger the timber — better she works.” (Can.) 
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“My 16 year old daughter 
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seen’.” (Can.) 
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At Plttaborah $107. “Runs fine on kerosene.” 
At San fVancisco $123. . IWash.) 
I When 
[ • You Buy a 
WITTE You Get the 
^ Beat and Only Log Saw I Make 
It’S ^actical - Durable - Big 
Capacity — Easy to Operate. . m. 
Engine speed properly timed with 
drive gear for steady running and fast cut- 
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Levers. New'WITTE Throttling Governor 
Engine. Uses Kerosene, Distillate or Gasoline. 
Increase or decrease power at 
New will from 600 to 700 R. P. M. 
More Power Than Needed 
W' Saw cuts even and clean without A 
11 Wu excessive vibration, When.used fl 
n Vf Tree Saw, only 1 rig to handle. 
|h No time lost moving or setting, j 
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B Reversible wheels—Built for hard 
sH y work. Only Log Saw sold onlitetimc 
Guarantee. Cash or Terms. Write us, 
Horse 
Power 
Hercules 
My new reduced prices on the improved 
1923 Model Hercules makes it easy and 
cheap for you to remove every stump—to 
clear every acre on your farm as clean as a 
whistle. No stump or hedge too big or 
stubborn for the Hercules, all-steel, triple 
power stump puller. It yanks ’em out in 
less time and with less effort than any other 
method. Make big money pulling stumps lor 
your neighbors. Pull stumps for fuel. I make 
both horse and hand power machines. La^ 
est, most up-to-the-minute improvements, bend 
today for catalog and 
4 ^^00 special folder. 
B. A. FULLER, 
Pres. 
Hercules Mfg. Co. 
423 29th St., 
Centerville, Iowa 
Hand 
Power 
Hercules 
FARM WAGONS 
Sand for 
Catalog ^ 
High or low wheels— 
steel or wood—wide 
jir narrow tires. 
larts of all 
heels to fit 
IT’v kinds, 
Sr %{lw any running gear. 
Yfcla''^ Catalog Uluatrated in colora freor 
Electric Wheel Co., 2 Elm St., Quincy, Ill. 
WHAT? TWINS? 
Yes. 
The names? 
Cheapest Way 
to Clear Land 
PUUVERIZEW * PACKER! 
More value to the 
farmer than any 
tool made except a 
PLOW. 
Write us. 
LE ROY PLOW CO. 
Le Roy, N. Y. 
