While even among Socialists some persons still hold the opinion, that small farmers are able to compete with the large agricultural enterprises by means of their own thrift and that of their families, experts have come to hold a different opinion. By over-exertion the peasant may achieve his utmost, but from the standpoint of a civilized human being his position is a deplorable one. No matter how much he may achieve, the modern technical development and the science of agriculture can achieve more. But, above all, only by the appliance of science and technique does the peasant attain the full development of a civilized human being, while to-day he is the slave of his property and the helot of his creditor.
The advantages of farming on a large scale are immense. To begin with, the area that can be utilized is considerably enlarged, because the numerous paths and roads and ridges necessitated by the disjointed properties, disappear. Fifty persons, working on a large farm—regardless of the more rational implements used by them—can accomplish much more than 50 persons working on scattered farms. Only farming on a large scale makes it possible to combine and direct the forces so as to obtain the best results. To this must be added the immense advantage derived from the application of all kinds of machinery, the use of the produce for industrial purposes, the more rational methods of cattle and poultry breeding, etc. Electric appliances especially furnish advantages to agriculture that overshadow every other method of cultivation. P. Mack[240] has ascertained that the introduction of machinery led to a saving of over 5000 days’ labor by horses, and that a single investment of 40,000 marks’ capital led to a cheapening of the product of over 12,000 marks or 48 marks per hectare. This computation did not even take into consideration the increase in produce from the introduction of deep ploughing, or the more exact cultivation by machinery.[241]
Deep ploughing led to an increase of from 20 to 40 per cent. in the cultivation of grain, and up to 50 per cent. in the cultivation of potatoes, turnips, and the like. Taking an average of only 20 per cent., Mack showed that, on the farm under consideration, this meant a gain of 55.45 marks per hectare; together with the saving referred to above, this made a gain of 103.45 marks per hectare. Mack pointed out that it was necessary to establish a sufficient number of power plants, whereby not only all the machinery employed could be set in motion, but heat and light could also be supplied. By means of the electric plants, the dwellings, streets, stables, barns, store-houses and factories can be lighted, and if it should become necessary, crops can be reaped at night. Mack calculated that, by the general introduction of electricity, two-thirds of the animals employed for drawing and carrying loads (1,741,300 heads) might be dispensed with, which would imply an annual net profit of 1,002,989,000 marks.
The application of electricity makes agriculture more and more a purely technical, industrial process. The following compilation shows the manifold applicability of electricity in agriculture:[242] The following can be run by electric motors: 1. Machines that heighten the gross proceeds: A. for tilling: seed-assorter and electric ploughs. B. for the harvest: mowing-machines with binders; machines for reaping potatoes; irrigation-works. 2. Machines for reducing the cost of production: A. lifting machines, unloading machines in barns, grain elevators, pumps for liquid manure. B. means of transportation: groves, straps and bellows, field-railways, spindles and cranes. C. for utilization: straw-presses, corn-mills, chaff-cutters. 3. Machines of agricultural industry: A. distillery machines and machines for the manufacture of starch; water-pumps for various purposes. B. dairy implements: refrigerators, centrifuges, churners, kneaders, presses, etc. C. saw-mills, circular-saws and saw-frames. D. drills, turning-lathes, machines for wheel-making. 4. Food-chopping machines, for cattle-breeding: chaff-cutters, turnip-choppers, meal, potato and oat-grinders, etc.; squeezers, water-pumps. Investigations have shown that about 15 per cent. of all farm-labor can be performed in this economical way, by the aid of electric motors.
The amount of manual labor power required for the threshing and preparation of 1000 kilograms of grain was ascertained:
| Number of hours required. | |
|---|---|
| 1. When all the work was done by hand | 104 |
| 2. When small thrashing-machines and riddling machines were employed | 41.4 |
| 3. When an electric thrashing-machine of 20 horse power was employed | 26.4 |
| 4. When a giant electric thrashing-machine with winnowing and riddling machine, elevators, etc. was employed | 10.5 |
There is nothing to prevent the general introduction of electric ploughs. Like the electric railway, the electric plough has already attained a high degree of development. The heavy and expensive steam-plough can be rationally employed only on large areas and for deep ploughing. It is especially serviceable for heightening the crops of potatoes, etc. But the electric plough can be used equally well for deep and shallow ploughing. It makes it possible to cultivate the soil on steep inclines, where it is difficult to plough with horses, or oxen even. It is a great labor-saving device, as may be seen from the following comparison of expenses for ploughing, when horses, oxen, a steam-plough and an electric plough were used:
| Cost per acre for ploughing number of inches of medium depth | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 14 | |
| Horses | 2.50 | 3.00 | 4.20 | 7.70 | 13.30 |
| Oxen | 3.65 | 4.65 | 5.80 | 7.90 | 10.20 |
| Steam-plough, rented, from | 6.00 | 6.70 | 7.60 | 9.15 | 10.70 |
| “ “ “ to | 7.50 | 8.40 | 9.35 | 11.00 | 12.55 |
| “ “ owned, from | 4.50 | 5.00 | 5.85 | 7.30 | 8.85 |
| “ “ “ to | 6.00 | 6.70 | 7.60 | 9.15 | 10.70 |
| Electric-plough, horse power 40 | 2.70 | 3.55 | 4.60 | 6.25 | 7.95 |
| “ “ “ “ 60 | 2.65 | 3.40 | 4.30 | 5.70 | 7.10 |
| “ “ “ “ 80 | 2.50 | 3.15 | 3.90 | 5.20 | 6.50 |
The simple supply and distribution of electric energy, the ease and simplicity with which electric machines can be run and kept in order, make their advantages to agriculture paramount, especially as a thin wire suffices to supply the power to extensive areas. As the employment of electric machines would necessitate a network of electric wires across the country, electric motor-power in agriculture could easily be combined with electro-cultivation, the direct influence of electricity on the growth of plants.