VOL. LXIX
INDIANAPOLIS, JAN. 3, 1914
NO. 1
Lighting Systems Suitable For Farm   Homes
Up-to-date farming methods have
called the lighting problem prominently into view because farm administration in its newer phases make it imperative to have light in locations
where it was considered unimportant
before, and to have more light everywhere. Good light adds much to the
efficiency of the farm. The barn, the
dairy and the stables are the farmer's
work shop. The progressive farmer
.(•nd the manufacturer are both learning the same lesson, that good light
pays. Work in a well-lighted room
can be done so much more quickly and
so much better than would be the case
if poorly lighted.
A good lighting system also adds
much to the comfort or farm life. It
. an have much" to do with the "back
to the farm" movement. It places farm
life on a much higher plane. There is
nothing more cheerful than a well
lighted, warm sitting room in which
in. family can gather, and there is no
!letter way to combat the lure of the
.ity for the sons and daughters, than
to provide the home with these city
:.rts. The farm Dome is beginning to    take  its distinction    from the
■ luality and brightness of its lights. The
evening passersby always judge it in
this way.
The lamps of  olden  times were  used
■ hjefly in temples, and had an oil or
fat or some combustible material like
pitch or resin for their fuel. Ever
since these primitive lamps attracted
Uie attention of some inventive mind,
steady progress has been made in the
development of lighting systems. Especially in the last one -hundred years
lias invention been active. It is but
recently however that the farmer has
been afforded advantages such as those
who live in the city have long enjoyed.
In modern times we have three principal illuminants, oil, gas and electricity. All are now available for use on
the farm.
The Modern Oil Lamps.
The oil lamp with which all are familiar is by far the most common. It
is a very dependable lamp and has
been greatly improved in the last twenty years. Each lamp requires frequent
attention In filling and cleaning, and
in addition the burners should get a
thorough cleaning at intervals. When
well cared for, the oil lamp is an entirely satisfactory solution of the lighting problem in homes where but little
light is required, and where the portable lamps are not likely to cause any
tire  hazard.
'Til and gasoline lamps are now made
in which the fuel is converted into a
■^■s. and this heats a mantle until it
• "tnes incandescent. These lamps
give a very bright light and are
economical in their use of oil.
They require rather skilled attention, however, and it takes a
few minutes to start the light.
The danger of breakage of the fragile
mantles is particularly great with
these portable lamps, and the mantle
has to be in good condition in order to
give a .satisfactory light.
These oil lamps can hardly be class-
The Importance  of  Goo^^vumination in   Rural
Buildings and V^ to Provide It.
ed as lighting systems. A mof1' ^^n
of the gasoline lamp, howt. "v'V.tNde-
serves this name, for in it gaso^ne or
gasoline vapor is supplied to gas chandeliers and  fixtures.
Merits of Acetylene Gas.
The   acetylene   lighting .system   is   a
popular  form   of  gas  lighting.    Acety-
commercially without the intense heat
of the mammoth electric furnaces such
as have been built at Niagara Falls and
other large water-power centers. The
gas is generated in automatic machines of various capacities. In the
smaller sizes one charge of carbide
will supply sufficient gas for from one
to three weeks,    while    in    the  larger
A  Modern Electric  Lighting  Outfit   Suitable   for     the     Farm   Home.
lene is a gas which is made by bringing water and calcium carbide into
contact. Calcium carbide is a product
of the electric furnace. It, like aluminum and carborundum, is a product
which has long been known to the
chemist but which cannot be produced
sizes supplied for use on the farm sufficient carbide can be put in the machine so that it will operate without
any attention whatever for as many
months. The process of cleaning and
re-charging is a simple one in the modern  machine, and    usually    takes  less
Recharging the Tank of an Up-to-date   Acetylene    Lighting   System.
than half an hour. An acetylene light
is brilliant and steady, and it does not
tire the eyes. Tho reason for this is
that the color of the light is exactly the
same as that of sunlight. The gas is
so rich in illuminating power than a
25 candle-power light gives out one-
tenth as much heat as a 25 candle
power oil or gas flame.
The .Safety  or This System.
Xo matches are needed in connection
with an acetylene plant since friction
lighters have been developed to sucli
a point of perfection that they throw
a spark into gas jet as the valve is
opened. Electric lighters are also sol J
which turn on the light from a distance. These are particularly convenient for out-door and cellar lights. The
acetylene lighting system is one of the
safest systems known. It is interesting to know that of all the 4000 fires
reported in four large agricultural
states but one of them was chargeable
to acetylene, and in that case a portable lamp w;,s overturned. The safety
feature is very valuable in barns. The
barn lights are entirely enclosed and
are provided with friction lighters.
There is no danger of fire and no need
of lanterns in  a  barn  thus equipped.
Many of the buoy lights anchored by
the government near treacherous
shoals and dangerous rocks are lighted
by acetylene. The buoy holds a very
large supply of carbide and operates
automatically that is they light at sundown and go out at sun rise, for
months at a time. The channel of the
ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama is being lighted with acetylene to
guide the ships, in their passage
through it at night.
Electricity in the Country.
Electricity is also being used extensively for farm lighting. The suggestion of such a possibility ten years ago
would have been laughed at. The electric plant has very recently been made
more available for use on the farm b.'
the invention of the Tungsten, or
Mazda, lamps. These lamps require
but one-third as much current as the
former carbon lamps and can therefore
be used where the cost of power and
equipment for the old style lamps
would be prohibited.
There are many varieties of electric
systems, but they may be generally
divided into two classes. In the first,
the engine and dynamo are so designed
tjiat current can be used just as it
comes from the machine. ' A storage
battery i.s always atlde;I to provide current when the engine is not running.
It is the intention to supply current direct when the load is heavy and to use
the battery as an auxiliary. These
plants are necessarily of rather large
capacity. They are very well adapted
for large farms and country places.
The better grades of these plants give
a quality of service which is fully
equal to that given by the city central
station.
The more usual and less expensive
farm lighting plants make the storage
bf.ttery the principal source of cur-
Continued on page  19.