REMARKS ON E. JORDI’S BOOK,
THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IN AGRICULTURE 127
Ernst Jordi, Der E l è ktromotorinder
Landwirtschaft. Bern 1910
The author is a practitioner from an agricultural school
at Rütti, Berne. This school itself uses an electric motor
for farming operations. The author has collected data on
electric motors in Swiss agriculture. Result: highly recom-
mends that peasant co-operatives use electric motors.
“At present, no other mechanical engine can match the electric motor’s simple and reliable operation, insignificant
wear and tear, great adaptability, instant readiness for
use, minimal requirements in supervision and maintenance,
and the consequent low overhead costs. . . . Production-wise,
it will pay big farms to have their own motor in most cases.
Medium and small farms are advised to purchase and run an electric motor co-operatively . . .” p. 79.
1 volt 8 1 ampere = 1 watt h.p.
kilowatt = 1,000 watts
1 h.p. = 736 watts
Cost of
a. electric motor
electricity:
(4 h.p.)— 6 centimes “effective h.p.—hour with
b. manpower—300 cen-
the use of” (p. 78)
times
c. one-horse
drive—100 centimes
Consequently, the elec-
d. water (very cheap) a
tric motor is cheaper than few centimes anything (except water).
e. internal-combustion en-
gine (4 h.p.)—60 cen- times
!


The author reckons Switzerland’s water-power (according
to official statistics) at 7  ,6 0 0 h.p. Roughly w of
a million h.p. (in a 24-hour day). Rather, up to 1 million
= the work of 14-24 million men (p. 13)
Written in September-October
1914
First printed in the
Fourth Russian edition
Printed from the original