STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

nicoley · Coach

Family Debate.. Help Solve!

luckylily · Gucci

The original point of daylight savings was to give an extra hour of daylight in the evening. This would allow people to use less electricity and work later.

There's a history here, which is actually pretty interesting:

http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

FashionPrincess · Hermes

Hmmm, I thought the origin of daylight savings time was for the farmers, more time to plant and harvest.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

FashionPrincess wrote:

Hmmm, I thought the origin of daylight savings time was for the farmers, more time to plant and harvest.

Same here.

luckylily · Gucci

FashionPrincess wrote:

Hmmm, I thought the origin of daylight savings time was for the farmers, more time to plant and harvest.

You are right. That is what I meant when I said it allowed people to work later.

bex · Chanel

nicoley013 wrote:

We are having a debate at our house... Help us answer!! Ok, Next year in the US they are making daylight savings time an extra month long, so they say to help be more fuel efficient, because we dont have to use as much electricity, etc.. But what exactly is the reason for daylight savings time... Why not just have it all year long? How did this all come about?

oh are you serious? its gonna be a whole month longer????? i HATE daylight savings time and absolutely LIVE for the day when it switches in the spring and we have light for longer...

so sad

wicked · Coach

Bex- From what i've heard we're getting an extra month of long days, not short ones.

bex · Chanel

wicked wrote:

Bex- From what i've heard we're getting an extra month of long days, not short ones.

phew! thanks wicked....

cc · Marc Jacobs

Actually, I think most farmers have historically been opposed to Daylight Saving. Wouldn't farmers naturally adjust their sleeping/waking hours to the sun as opposed to articifially changing the time since animals go by the sun and not by clocks? I thought that's why Indiana didn't observe DST (although I think they just recently made it state-wide).

I think the first federal DS law was passed during WWI which supports the idea that it was mainly done as an energy conserving measure.

ETA: Here is an article from the National Review which explains the agricultural position.

"Well, it turns out that DST had nothing to do with farmers, who traditionally haven't cared much for it. They care a lot less nowadays, but when the first DST law was making its way through Congress, farmers actually lobbied against it. Dairy farmers were especially upset because their cows refused to accept humanity's tinkering with the hands of time. The obstinate cud-chewers wanted to be milked every twelve hours, and had absolutely no interest in resetting their biological clocks — even if the local creameries suddenly wanted their milk an hour earlier."

And from the Indiana Daylight Saving FAQ:
"Q: Some farmers oppose this change because they say it disrupts their routine, especially during planting and harvest. Is this true?

A: Some farmers do oppose allowing Indiana counties located in the Eastern Time Zone to participate in DST. They believe that it will minimize their ability to participate in evening functions and activities by taking early morning daylight and shifting it into the evening from April until October."

-- Edited by cc at 09:19, 2005-12-19