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Rappahannock farmers are well equipped with electric power, however, comparatively few are making use of it as a means of having water under pressure for use on the farm and in the home. Seventy-two present of our farms have electric service while only 90 farms or 13% have electric water pumps! _ In fact Rappahannock ranks ^1950 Census) 64th among Virginia Counties will respect to percentage of farms having electric service hut only 91 st with respect to pressure water system. Even considering the number of gravity water systems we have this rating is alarmingly now.
Rappahannock has the lowest percentage of farms with pressure water systems than anyother county in Northern Virginia. Statewide only Bath, Buchanan, Dickinson, Greenville, Halifax, Highland, Lee, Russell and Scott counties have a lower percentage of farms with such systems. While most of these are mountain counties, and thereby would have more gravity systems than many Virginia counties, four out of the nine have less electric service available. Then, too, when it oomes to nearby mountain counties: 36% of the farms in Madison have pressure water systems; 23% in Page, and 26% in Warren. Forty-five out of a hundred farms in Fauquier have electric water pumps white in Culpeper 39% of the farms and homes have electric water systems.
Is this situation due to: cost, insuffideritwater supply, or a need 'for more information ? That of course is the big question.
In traveling over the country one sees more and more television areals oh homes that do not have water systems. Perhaps in such cases TV salesmen have been doing a better selling job than we agricultural workers. Which may I ask is a luxury item? Yet many folks look upon a home and farm water system as a luxury. Perhaps T V suppliers are doing a better job of customer financing than are water system suppliers. Perphaps loan agencies have done a better job in financing cost of barn or machinery shed construction than they have in the case of water systems.' Perphaps few of us have ever thought of trying to get a loan to meet water supply installation costs. Most loan agencies consider a good risk just that, and aren’t too concerned over how the money is used so long as it is for some constructive purpose.
Yea, ‘tis a sad situation here in Rappahannock when we ponder over how few of our farms and farm homes have good water systems. What can be done about it ? Time will tell—maybe less time than many of us think.
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