The Need for Electricity on the Farm

THE gasoline engine has revolutionized farm operation. Formerly, tread power was the only kind of power which the farmer was able to use, and but few farmers had that. Most of them depended upon some sort of power that was hauled around the country from farm to farm. When gas engines came into general use, farmers bought them for many purposes and no longer depended upon transient power except for such work as threshing. Since then, many have come to own their own thresher. As a result, familiarity with the operation of machinery, together with the scarcity of help in the house and out, has increased the demand for a power that can be used on a moment's notice and for a variety of services. There is no power that fits that need like electric power and those who have their own electric plants have developed many uses for the current. These plants have relieved the drudgery of house-work to a very considerable extent. The washing machine and the vacuum cleaner, the pump and the sewing machine have been added to the equipment of the home since the power to run them has become available. The care of such an individual plant is, however, considerable and those who can connect with the larger power plants (i.e., central station service) are more and more seeking such connection. Here comes the difficulty and the hindrance to a larger power development on the farm. Big power companies do not seem to want country business. They will run their lines right through a property, but are loathe to give the people thus inconvenienced with the poles and towersany of the current that runs over the line.