Do It Electrically!

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 307, 23 September 1926, Page 7

Do It Electrically!

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"Unit.”)

New Applications oi Electricity for Agriculturists. In a paper on “The Economic Use oi Electric Light on the Earm with Particular Reference to Poultry,” Mr. R. Borlase Matthews, in the course of a paper read before the second British Electric Farming Conference during the Royal Agricultural Show at Reading, described the use of electric light on the poultry section of the farm, for the stimulation of egg production during tire winter months. The system, he said, had now passed the experimental stage, and careful records had shown that the total cost of electric light for this purpose amounted to about the average price of one egg per hen per «nnum. For testing the fertility of eggs in an incubator, ' there was nothing like “candling” them with a powerful electric lamp. An entirely new application of electric lamps was to prevent the crowding of young birds together at the side of a cold brooder house, by suspending a lamp in the centre, near the floor. Another interesting application of electricitv on the poultry farm was to be found in the use of ultra violet rays. Young chicks under this treatment for twenty minutes each day for two months attained the size of three-months-old birds, and were ready for the market at least five weeks before untreated chicks. The death rate among treated chicks was reduced by more than SO per cent., while weak legs and rickets were entirely eliminated. Experiments had also been conducted to determine the effect of ultra violet light on laying hens, and it had been found that in one case, hens given, a ten-minute ultra violet radiation daily during the winter months, laid 140 per cent, more eggs than untreated birds in a control pen. The exposure of any bird to ultra violet light, whatever its age, should not exceed 2(1 minutes per day. As the result of experiments on the influence of very intensive electric light on the growth of plants, Mr. Matthews said he had definitely proved that reallv intensive artificial light would accelerate germination, give greater depth of colour, increase growth, and speed up flowering without any of the unsatisfactory signs that were usually found when artificial forcing. was curried out. Daffodils and Lent lilies, when placed under the light of 1000 W. lamps and reflectors for six hours a night, flowered in four days, growing about three-nuarters of an inch a day. Narcissi flowered in seven days. The control nlants, placed awav from the light, took four weeks to flower. Further experiments had shown that when transplanted seedlings were exposed to intensive illumination for one nigh* - they did not wilt, but actually nut on a week’s growth nnd were exceptionally strong and healthy.

Lamp Improvements. Some of the leading British electric lamp makers have put on the market, recently, lamps frosted on the inside, with the obvious advantages of minim ising the collection of dust on the bulbs and simplifying the task of cleaning them. Recently, a method whereby the inside of the bulb can be frosted without weakening the glass has been discovered, and 'ts results, according to an English writer is a lamp that reduces glare to a minimum and softens shadows, and the light absorption is less than 2 per cent. The frosting of lamps on the inside was done many years ago, but at that time it made the bulbs liable to break very readily, the reason being that the process left the surface of the etched glass jagged By the new treatment the jagged edges are rounded off and the bulb is rendered as strong as a clear one.

It is claimed that the new inside frosting will replace both clear and white-sprayed lamps. When lamps are frosted on the outside the light absorption is, according to an authority, about 4 to 5 per cent., but the inside frosted lamps absorb only 1 to 2 per cent, of the light, because by their use internal reflections in the bulb are practically eliminated. The pearl grev bulb takes on a delicate tint of the colour of its surroundings, and thus will harmonise with any colour scheme. Although the absorption is very low, the inside frosting effectively diffuses the light, protecting the eyes from glare and eliminating specular images Other new vacuum and gasfilled lamps which have been placed on the market have the inside surface of the bulb frosted, so that the advantages of cleanliness and ease of cleaning applv also to these lamps. The gasfilled lamps are of standard construction, but the vacuum lamps have spiralised filaments and are in a distinctively

shaped bulb. The bulbs effectively, screen the high intensity light source from the eyes, with a minimum of light absorption. These lamps also take on by night the tint of the surrounding decorations. Floor Polishing. In most households the operation of wax polishing a floor involves a good deal of kneeling atifl soiling hands, in addition to a considerable amount of labour. An electric floor polisher has been marketed in America to do this work. • . , The appliance, which weighs only 91b., is of strong, but simple, construction, being provided with a to “g“ Tampico bristle brush making 2IIJU revolut'ions per minute. The universal motor for driving the brush takes 0.4 A at 210 V, and can be run off any lamp socket. About ten hours working can, its inventor claims, be obtained from 1 kWh. A novel feature of the polisher is that it practically propels itself, and has only to be guided by means of its long handle. As it takes up little space, the polishing brush can operate under low furniture without removing it. Novel Cloth Cutters.

The old method of cutting up large quantities of cloth and other material by hand is superseded bv portable electric cloth cutters, which have recently been placed on the English market Two types of machine are manufactured, the larger having a vertical reciprocating knife, and the smaller pattern a rotary knife of either 4m. or Sin. diameter. The first-mention-ed type of machine, which is driven bv a motor rated at one-third h.p., and taking approximately 250 W, is designed to cut high or low lays of heavy or medium weight materials, such as shirts, overalls, canvas, overcoats, and rubberised materials. _ The machine is designed for rapid cutting, and when in use affords the operator an unobstructed view of the chalk line guide from a natural position. A lay of cloth six inches in thickness can be cut with this machine. The rotary knife cutters, which are driven by 1 h.p. motors, are intended for use on low lavs of material, and are adapted for cutting to straight lines and moderate curves. A grinder attachment is fitted, and the starting switch and grinder control are conveniently located at the handle. All the wearing parts, of these new appliances are of special alloy steel, hardened, treated and ground, and various other parts are of drop forged steel. A bracket lamp is fitted to the front of each cutter, so that a convenient source of light is at hand for illuminating the chalk guiding line on the cloth when necessary. Power on the Farm.

Recent appraisal of power used on farms in the United States reveals some interesting and significant facts. According to an Agricultural Department Bulletin:

“Agriculture uses practically as much primary power as all manufacturing and central station plants combined. The cost of using this power amounted to approximately 3,000,000,000 dollars for the year 1924. By the aid of this power, however, the average agricultural worker has been enabled to increase his volume, of production nearly three times over the average* of 75 years ago. Power and labour together represent on the average about 60 per cent, of the total cost of carrying on the farm business and _ since these are two items directly subject to the control of the farm operator isreat opportunities exist for the cutting down of production costs through a better understanding of the _ power requirements of farm operations through the adoption of more efficient and less expensive types of power units and by a more extensive use of power to replace human labour. When electricity becomes a prominent factor in agriculture it will accentuate certain tendencies now being developed by other causes. Living conditions will be improved. A further premium will be placed on efficient farm management. Capitalisation will be increased. Changes will be made in the plan of farm opera tions to take advantage of the _ time saved or improvement in the quality of farm products made possible by electrification.”

Technical Terms Explained. Circuits of Direct Current. —There are two systems of electrical supply, by direct or continuous current, written D.C. for short, and by alternating current, written A.C. It is a matter of indifference to the consumer whether be be supplied with one or the other, sirce either will carry out all the work he requires with equal con-

venience. Diiect current is a wave or How of electrical energy continuously in one direction, so long as a circuit is closed. lliat is to say, the current enters th-; house by wire a, passes througn the house wires, lights up the lamps or heals the cookers, and returns to the generating station by the second wire ~- Circuns oi Alternating Current.—Alternating current is an intermittent supply, altering in direction many times a second. a current is urst sent through wire A as oelore, through the house wires, and back again—the whole operation taking, perhaps, one-fiftieth part of a second, r'or an instant there is no cuneiit passing. Then a current is sent m the opposite direction, entering through wire B, passing backward® through the house w.nng, lamps and cookers, and returning througn wire A. Another brief pause ensues, and the operation is repeated. Hie rapidity of the alternations is so great that the lamps appear exactly as they do with a continuous current supply, the filaments glow steadily all the time. They have no time to cool after one impulse has ceased, before they are heated again by an impulse in the opposite direction.

Miscellaneous Notes. Electric fans for intermediate and third class railway carriages are proposed for the East Indian Railway.

Dunvegan Castle, Skye, . which is nearly IUOO years old, has just had an electrical installation put in for the first time.

Electric steaming irons, with a water reservoir, and tiny holes in the ironing surface for the emergence of steam are now being produced in America. It is claimed that this device obviates the need for damping clothes before ironing.

By immersing eggs for 3f seconds in an oil bath brought up to a temperature of 235 deg. by electric immersion heaters the eggs' are made to retain their pristine youthfulness, states the New Jersey Public Utility Information Committee.

In the last year 209 U.S.A, cities closed down or sold their municipal electricitv works to private companies, according to a survey just completed by the N.E.L.A. This brings the total of abandoned municipal plants up to 1129 during a period of a little over five years.

A new electric motor-driven buoy lias been designed to enable a rescuer to reach a drowning person quickly. It is 4ft. long and looks like a small motor boat" On the stern is a bar to which one or more persons may cling. A button on the stern bar starts and stops the motor, while the operator acts as the rudder. Its inventor claims that it is ■ unsinkable and is easily launched in the worst breakers.

The sport of coursing electrically propelled Imres was commenced at Manchester recently. The track used is a quarter of a mile round, and the hare, which is attached to a projecting bar operated from the outside edge of the track, can always be kept ahead of the hounds. One of the hounds covered the quarter-mile in 26 seconds.

An electrical water purifier for home use which is operated from a lamp socket has been placed on the market in America. It is described as being capable of removing foreign substances injurious to health without holding back and accumulating undesirable material. Larger sizes for hospital and hotel use are also being made.

At an inquest at Bradford recently into the cause of tiie death of a twelve-year-old boy, who died through touching a bath with one hand and a defective electric radiator with the other, the evidence showed that some other member of the family, in repairing the radiator had not properly replaced the mica washers and porcelain bushes, so that n live wire came into contact with the framework. The coroner said that the general public should realise the advisability of seeking expert advice in dealing with or repairing electrical appliances.

Au American firm has developed a new portable electrical steam radiator. It is equipped with a heating element, three-heat switch, sft. cord, safety, valve and air vent. The device operates as a hot-water radiator on the two lower heats, but generates a small amount of steam at' the high heat position of the switch It is being made in 1200watt, 2000-watt, and 3000-watt sizes.