Electricity on the Farm

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 65, 18 March 1936, Page 12

Electricity on the Farm

Electricity is proving its value for many farm purposes, but its greatest value, according to recent American experience, is the. cooling of cream on the farm. Where a sufficient premium for high-grade cream is paid the increased return, according to an Ameri-

can survey, is sufficient to pay for tho total cost of electricity- to the farm. This sounds good. It would be interesting to havo the cost to the American farmer of the electrical refrigerator, and if the refrigerators being used for cream cooling arc much cheaper than the household types of refrigerators becoming so popular in this country. This matter deserves immediate investigation.

Another American farm use of electricity- is the electric fly- screen. This screen is not really a screen at all but is a panel to place in the window or door made up of parallel bars of wire about three inches apart. A charge of electricity- is maintained in the wires sufficiently- strong to kill any- insect attempting to get through, even though it does not touch the wires. Being moist the insect’s body acts as a conductor of the electricity- and will cause a spark to jump between the wires strong enough to kill it instantly. A special transformer keeps the voitago high enough to make tho current veryjumpy, but the amperage is low enough to ensure no harm being done to humans or livestock.