The San Francisco call., July 31, 1910, Page 14, Image 14

About The San Francisco call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

UP ON THE ELECTRIC FARM
PROCURING adequate hired help for the farm
is no longer a serious problem for M..,11.
Miner, at Chasey, N. V. f now that his new
hired man, Electricity, milks the cows, cuts
the hay and fodder, pumps the water/ separates
and churns the milk, turns the- grindstone and does
all the other drudgery on the place.
"Where in the world do you get electricity from
50 far away from the city?" I asked.
"We have harnessed two streams on the farm,"
jjjjpqmi - irumpimifnTi 1 um"tmiWfff& im JWt fi I
laughed the foreman. "One does not have to live m
the city these days to have all the comforts and con
veniences of electricity."
The Miner farm comprises 5,000 acres, of which
1,200 acres are under cultivation and a like number
used for pasturage, so it is easily seen that the item
of procuring plenty of farm labor for so large an_
estate was a constant source of trouble, to say noth
ing of the enormous expense involved.
The old Miner homestead itself is now a beautiful
park, where elk, deer and buffalo enjoy their large
paddocks and where a specialty is made of the finest
stock, the best Durham and Guernsey cattle and
the finest Perchcron and Belgian horses.. Choice
fowls are bred and there is large fish hatchery which
supplies ponds and, fine streams with vast schools of
brook trout.
Three years ago, when help was so very scarce
Mr. Miner conceived the idea of harnessing , the
water power which ran to waste through his estate.
So successful was the installation that the plant has
been added to from time to time, until today it is
the best equipped and most novel application of elec
tricity to be foand in the entire world.
Three concrete dams were built across the Tracy
brook stream,; giving a reservoir area of 170 acres.
A concrete penstock 670
feet long carries this
water from the lower
dam to a tiny power
house under a 19 fool
head, where it is hurlctl
i gainst the blades of two
.powerful turbine water
wheels. To each of the
water wheel shafts is fast
ened the armature of an
'.electric generator pro
ducing 60 horsepower of
electricity at 220 volts
pressure. The power of
these 60 horses it trans
mitted over a slender cop
.per wire one and a quar
vfer miles to the distrib
uting station in the main
group of farm buildings.
. Imagine, P, you can, 60
Worses ranting away and
.conceive of this enormous
power being subdivided and
• applied to the farm ma
chinery. At the pressure of a button there is light
in. every building and even in the yards. A turn of
a switch and a mysterious farm genie stands ready
to turn the 6eparator, milk the cows or do any of the
hard work about the farm buildings.
LAUGHING BY NOTE
WHEN the terms for singing lessons had been
agreed upon the teacher said, "For SO cents
a week extra I will give you lessons in
laughing, too." " •
"Laughing!" exclaimed the prospective pupil.
"What shall I laugh at?" ;>/
"Anything — nothing. But you must laugh if you
expect to be popular. What is more, you must laugh
out loud. The days of ultrarcfinement, when merri
ment could' be properly expressed by a smirk and a
smile, are happily passed. People laugh heartily
nowadays, but at the same time they should * laugh
musically. That is, they .ought to put a few silvery
iiotes into their peals of joy, and those who are wise
enough to study laughing do put them there. Unfor
tunately, laughing teachers are not so well patronized
as they should be. As yet the \u25a0 laughter of most
•people is a series of cacophonous coughs. Z I heard
you laugh a little while ago. It sounded—"
"I know it did," interrupted the prospective pupil,
"but I had a good time just the same."
TJie teacher threw back her head and emitted a
rxvsrry tintinnabulation of her own.
"There," she said, "you ought to laugh like that.
Of course, all laughs can not sound alike. There is
the soprano laugh,. the contralto laugh and the mezzo
laugh; the laugh 'he-he,' the laugh 'ha-ha' and the
laugh 'ho-ho.' The quality of a person's laugh is
largely determined by temperament; but, no matter
what its natural tone, it can be trained into a thing
of beauty. Nowadays all \ students in singing, arc
advised to look out for their laugh. A few have
accepted the suggestion, and in six months from now
any girl who aspires to shine socially, must laugh in
fluent trills. For only 50 cents^ — " .
The prospective pupil shook her head sadly. /
"I'd like to," she said, "but I can't afford it. If
the wbrit comes' to the - worst I'll have to swear off
on laughing altogether."
the Mysterious Power, Imelh'
\s\qently Harnessed, Milks the- Cows
Shears the, Sheep. Palls the Stamps; Pumps
he Water and Does All the Other D
That Made Farming Never ;\u25a0>'>. Joy
This plant worked so well that a; second was in
stalled on the larger stream known r as ,the Chasey
river. Two dams were built across this stream," giving;
a 30 foot fall, for itis the weight of: water- in fallin.g
which constitutes its power, and this water is con
ducted through a penstock 630 feet long to a con
crete flume. SteeLpipes in the bottom of this;flume
conduct the water under enormous pressure td the
water'wheels, Which in turn drive, the powerful; elec-
trie generators. Two* hundred electrical* horsepower
is conducted two and three-quarter miles from this
power station over copper wires to the ;sanie- little -
central station. These power houses are made almost
automatic and require little if any attention/ /Power-v
ful governors control the water gates and quickly
The Electrified Launary, Showingf Motor Driven
-.. Washing: Machine and Centrifugal Dryers
shut them down in case oi
any accident to, the ma
chinery. The . machines
are all self-oiling, and self
regulating.
From the central dis
tributing station the cur
rent is subdivided and sent
out along underground ......
wires to the various farm buildings," ;where^ it r is put
to work. In this station' are located the, electrical"
apparatus for controlling the mysterious current -and
a large storage battery to supply, electricity; in /case"
any accident should happen to the generating ma
chinery. This battery ;is \ merely' a storage reservoir;
for electricity for future use. v \--
In the main'dairy barn a 10 horsepower motor
unloads and handles the hay, taking care, of a large
load of heavy clover in less than "five; minutes.- ;On
the main floor of this barnis a s feed cuttingmachine,
driven by a smaller motor, which'; chops the.f odder"
for the" cattle, and : in the main- dairy section 'al.onea I. one
and a half horsepower motor : operates the vacuum
pump"for the milking machine. •' - •-\u25a0 /
There are five of these milking, machines,- arid; it •? is^
a delightful sight for.,those who, admire cleanliness'
and sanitation ;to see these devices ."milking 10 cows"
at once., The suction^ is .applied . 'by the "vacuum
pump, and an: automatic valve -imitates to/ perfection
the act of hand \u25a0milking. • The milk, does not : for an:
• instant come in contact with* the open air. 1 From .the
rubber^ disks'; and' tubes itVflows 'directly.; to 'thefreser-J
voir in each .device, - : which .in; turn; is ' scaled t'againsti
B/fmsut^af^ffvman^ff^ia^''^aif^aßp^Oßt(t'f^f^ \u25a0 - \u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0- ;v
contact with -the stable.' air. After this, milk' is'ttested'?
in the milk room- it : is « ru'n through -the \u25a0motor 'driyen'
"separator and the. cream is \taken: to" the : butter mak~:
ing section/ .where nt :is!. ripened before'.beingcHurned
by electric power/. Near the : 'dairyj is; the', electric ice
- making plant and -; refrigeratory with'.^a capacity: "of . 20
tons' of ice' ; every 24^hours,* the ammonia^ and^brine
pumps being operated. by. electricity. - V ': '
Milking the Cows by Electricity on the Miner Farm
There is a large grist mill on the premises, which /
grinds feed for the stock, and this mill is driven by a
25 horsepower electric motor. This motor is so ar
ranged that it can be readily mounted on a , truck
and taken to. the fields, where it is used for thrash
ing purposes or cutting, wood. \u25a0'.. There are' also numer-
' Electricity \ Handling • the "Hay i in the Big: Barns
ouii motors • about the sheep ; sheds;! for "\ .root cutting:
and' sheafing; In' the stable electric power is used
for^clippihg -and; grooming, Vas well as ' for •lighting.
Wherever power, is"? required ' about • the ; spacious barns ;
there you .will find a'busy little electric, motor 'doing ; :
the/ 4 work .which i formerly/ had to-be done /by vhand. -
Even •the -hateful, old grindstone, the bane' of every .
farmer-bby^is now! driven rby the: tireless energy -of
eiectricity.'-;: . ; ; .• -", .- \u25a0-. , -" r ."
'\i " , Cooks. and Washes, Too
; f T-The \u25a0 Miner; homestead has :. also been- thoroughly,
electrified;' aiid^there : you -will < find \ electricity cooking;
the -meais,' ; heatin g ? the .= rooms ; and * doing the: laundry;-;
work ' The v large- electric -broilers; in i the .kitchen: are/
a ' feature 1 : of '-theVcooking apparatus.-; In ;the ibasementV
Interior ltti"e!Farrn/ Power Station' WheYe'-ttiev Electric;
Current Is Divided and :: Sent Out "to /the Various , Buildr
irigsto Do Work;' "^^SSll
Electric_Mo.t6rs /Driving Ammonia Pumps in the Ice-Making Plant
. the . laundry ha 3 been completely, electrified with
motor driven washing machines, wringers, centrifugal
dryers, mangles and electric flatirons;
The 'Electric*
Churn in the"
Modern Dairy
One of the \ novelties ! of the , place '\u25a0. is "an ( automatic
weather recorder/; mounted- on ~!top of ' one of the
water/ towers, : which automatically registers in the
house the .direction,' and ; speed VofTthe's wind, the tem
perature \ and 1 all \ the » other i.vagaries ;. of ' the weather.
The^water \u25a0 for JthV;refngeration^tarik -'and for. house
hold; use is obtained jbyj a 'motor driven; pump, - which
forces water into . a ; high \ tank: ' Water for. fire , protec
tion 'is force'diiito tanks ;100 feet ; above the ground by
hydraulic; rains. .- . . ,\''
On , this v farm jis* also \u25a0: a > complete •; sausagej- making
plant, where; the pig products- of ; the < farm- are' worked
up for -the • city trade. 'The; meat ; grinders "are = run* by
electric * motors'; -as \ well as ithe .: niixing ; machines/ and
a^poivcVful;. motor " drives: al'cuttinga I 'cutting machine, , which
cuts up the bones and gristle into poultry food.
"This plant has been in operation for more than
three years," remarked the foreman with just pride,
"and the saving 'in time, labor, insured safety and
sanitation can not be expressed in dollars and cents.
We have, proved that the farm can be electrified, as
well as any other industry, andl see no reason why
form labor should be a sore trial any longer when
electricity is ready to step in and do the work for its
-keep. - . .
"Electrical machinery is now made to wear; it
will last practically forever if taken care of, and the
yearly bills for repairs are very slight. In the old
days we had traction and stationary engines, a small
army of men and horses to do the work on this big
farm. Today those two streams do it without all that
old bother and risk. With, electricity you can have
power where you want it. in any quantity desired,
scattered /all about the farm, always ready and
- * »
The large repair and machine shops on this estate
are also electrified. An electric blacksmith forge ha 3
just been installed to keep company with the motor
driven lathe," boring mill, planer, drills and saws.
There are in all 27 electric motors on" this farm,
aggregating 130 horsepower, and such flexibility of
power would be entirely out of the question with
The ' Grist ; Miir Driven' bv Twenty-Five Horse Power \Etectric tylotor »
gasolene or steam.
The r electrification of the farm is something new,
but the success of. electricity when applied to all tha
other, industries warrants the : statement tKat it will
also 'solve the old problem, of the farm, and result v>
the. production of more farm products at a less cos^
and therefore lower the expense of living. Looking
into the" future one-can see in the mind's eye ths
electric lines stealing out. farther arid farther into tha
country, .where , the large freight . cars will be filled
with -\u25a0:\u25a0 : delicious \u25a0 sanitary farm harvested by
electricity. ; Experiments have recently been made ia
obtaining nitrogenous - fertilizer from the ; air by ;elec
tricity, and - this will also be a great stimulant to
bigger and better; crocs.
The San Francisco Sunday CaU