I uo^rA-LL-Q^.
VOL. LVI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SEPTEMBER 28, 1901.
NO. 39
;E*qjcvicncc •Department.
How Can the Work  of the  Farmer's  Wife  be
Simplified?
The Kitchen Should be the Best Furnished Room
in the Houee.
1st Premium—We farmers' wives may
simplify our work by a judicious use of
la-ad as well as hands. We must be sy-
tematic. It pays to take time to plan
the day's anel, so fa*, as practical, the
week's work before beginning. In the
construction of the farm house, study the:
•[••eels ot those who are to occupy it. We
may love symmetry and beauty, but must
not sacrifice comfort and convenience to
architectural effect. The town house
I bat pleases our eye is often entirely un-
suited to the farm. If we would make
out* work easy, we must save steps by
having our living and work rooms on a
level. Nothing is more wearing ou the
busy housewife than flights of steps. If
we have an upstairs let us keep it for our
spare rooms. Build yimr stairway easy
and convenient. Last summer, when the
mercury registered 105 degrees in the
shade, a neighbor complained of not sleeping well: "It is so hot np stairs under
the slate roof; but it saves tbe wife work."
t pitied the poor man. but smiled at liis
simplicity, as I thought- of those painfully
pi-cciso anel expensively furnished downstairs rooms and the novel labor-saving
arrangement of climbing those stairs at
least three or four times daily. Oh,
vanitas vanitatuni! The same conditions
are found in many other houses among cur
well-to-do farmers. Yet these same housewives complain bitterly of "so mnch hard
work." The kitchen should be the lightest
and best furnished room about the house.
Let me describe an ideal farm house
kitchen: The room is 18x15. It has a
triple window on the east side, high enough
from the lloor for the work table to stand
beneath it. This table is a model in its
way. It is about five feet long, but Sufficiently narrow to be passed through the
deem* and has an eelge or border three
inches above the top surface, in order to
prevent dishes or other matter from sliding
off. It is lined with zinc aud is on easy
running castors. A slight push will carry
it with its weight of dishes, to a cupboard
en dining room table, saving many steps
daily. Ky this table is a high stool where'
tlie presiding genius of the kitchen sit-.
.•mil does much of her work, instead of
standing for Incurs every clay. On the
west side of the room, opposite the
triple window, are folding doors, opening
into a broad screened porch, which is
closed in winter by movable batten decors.
In tbis porch are well and cistern. At the
end of this porch, and opening from it, is
'he dairy, a 11x14 foot room, instde measure. It has double walls, 15 inches apart.
This space is firmly packed with saw dust,
an equal thickness of which is over the
ceiling. A ventilating flue, passing through
Ihe center of the ceiling, keeps the* air
within pure. The one window, like the
walls, is double. This department is
supplied with the latest labor-saving improvements. A small ice-bouse in the
yard is stored every winter with this
greatest eef summer luxuries. perfect
e icier prevails everywhere on this model
farm in* poultry yard, garden anil lawn.
The intelligent farmer values the sancity
eef home life too much to keep others than
Ihe family in the house. A neat tenant
lion i'. on the farm provides a home for
a w irtby man and bis wife. Again I
would say. be orderly, be systematic. Let
the* farmer's home and home-life be plain
and unaffected. M. M. D.
Study the Laws of Health.
2d Premium.- It is no wonder that
housekeeping is mew regarded as the incest
honorable and exalted position woman can
occupy, for it requires so many qualifications of head, heart and bands. The duties
of the farmer's wife are many and very
complicated. The morals, health, business, happiness and success of the family
depend, to a great extent, upon her qualifications. The care-worn faces and bended
forms we sec among tbem are proof that
their work not only needs simplifying but
also improving, by better methods and
more general knowledge and scientific understanding of their work. Educated wo-
.iion are now paying attention t" th" details of housekeeping and intelligently investigating its needs. They no longer regard it as work fit only for the coarse and
ignorant, but work that is worthy of the
time and attention of intelligent hands.
The farmer's wife should save herself
much time, labor and expense and prevent
many troubles and failures if she would
study the laws of health, hygiene and
chemistry of food. One of the greatest
drawbacks to the farmers' wives of thc
present time is, they devote
time to physical labor in supplying the
physical needs of tb- family; tii
raiment and shelter. We rural women,
should havp a higher ideal of our duties
and place our lives Upon a higher plane,
and devote equal efforts and attention to
the culture and development of the moral,
intellectual and spiritual nature. The
farmer's wife needs to cultivate the social
side of her nature. Time should be taken
for pleasure, reading, riding, visiting, entertaining and for reflection. All this
may appear to make their lives more burdened and complicated, but instead it develops the different parts of their nature
and makes them and their household more
intelligent, happier and useful and more
respected. Much of the work can be
abbreviated, and oftentimes omitted without any loss of comfort or money. Knitting, unhealthy fancy cooking anel tedious
fancy work are not necessities and should
be omitted where one's time is limited.
Clothing can be made plain and look just
as well and save much time in- sewing and
iaundrying. Woolen carpets can be dispensed with in dining room and kitchen,
and oil carpets and linoleums substituted.
This will save much work and dust. Patchwork quilts, which require so much time
to make, are no longer needed, as heavy
colored bed spreads, cotton blankets and
light weight comforts are just as good and
so much cheaper. Entertaining would be
more pleasurable antl at the same time
; ilel.ed of its terrors to the rural woman
if plain, simple refreshments were served
instead of elaborate feasts. Simplicity
has always been the emblemof true culture.
Take time for reflection and not allow*
every moment to be spent in perpetual
confusion. Thus if the work is simple
held all around, there will be time to devote to the culture of the intellectual nature while at the same time the body will
be enjoying a much needed rest. Provide
books and magazines, feci- we can no better
afford to starve Ihe mind than the body.
Housekeeping is too often attempted by
Ihose who have given no attention and
study to the practice of the art and as
we have said, it is a complicated occupation for it includes cooking, sewing, Iaundrying. social study, accomplished entertaining and congenial companionship.
Washington Co. C. W.
Make Everybody Help
3d   Premium.—Simplify  the work,  first,
by Cringing each family member Into a right
ful share therein. The family where thee
children "help" is the exception rather
than the rule. Boys and girls can make
their own beds and keep their rooms in
ofder; can be* taught lo put their own
things away, and tauht to work in a way
that will make it delightful. Most children want to do what mother or father
does, but are put aside until when they are
old enough to help they do not wish to.
Always encourage every effort at helpfulness.
A cream separator saves a great deal
in handling milk. Some think washing
midlines are work savers, while others
run a machine can wash by the
old way. It saves work to fold the clothes
from the line. Many pieces ir thus folded
will be almost tis smooth as though ironed.
Seen" do not even iron every day dresses
and aprons. I think starching ami ironing
keeps them clean much longer, but there
Is a difference of opinion.
When baking bread utilize the top of
stove fer other things. In kneading bread.
it the dough is chopped occasionally with
a chopping knife it facilitates the process
to a great, extent. Linoleum on a kite hee.
Hoot* i^- a great work saver, but paint is
tint to lie dispisod. The work is lessoned
half in cleaning a floor by even having it
well painted. Enamel the sides eef the
cook steve occasionally and wash tie top
or rub clean with paper. This saves the
daily blacking. I have seen woodwork
painted dark red snd varnished, and it
Saves s great deal of labor in- cleaning, be-
-ides it always looks nice. Kitchen chairs
treated the same- way, can be simply wiped
off anil the weekly scrubbing be clone away
with.
If flies egt into the parlor, don't worry
but set a dish of poison fly paper in there
and shut the door. It is much easier than
driving them out, and you will not get
gray  fletting.
Short skirts for wearing to do housework save a good deal of washing, and if
made of dark material will alho be labor
savers in that way. Shirt waists or tea
jackets are easily done up and with a
dark skirl one can be fresh and neat all
llie time, nearly. Painted floors for. bedrooms are clem and easily taken care of.
Saves heavy sweeping, and also the sewing
eef carpet rags, or lifting heavy carpet at
Cleaning lime. White bedspreads fthi
labor-savers, as Ihey are much easier
washed than bed quilts. Some turn a
white spread baek down in daytime. This
is false economy in work and expense as
well. V cheap bed spread costs aboul as
little as anything, anel is easy to wash.
Hence I advocate the white cover for
every bed in the house.
Put away all the useless frippery in the
rooms. Th'ey will look neater and be-
much less work to dust and care for. A
cabinet for shells, curios, etc.. is a great
work saver, as the things can be kept in
it and not need moving every time the
room is cleansed. Time can be saved by
avoiding trashy reading, and devoting it
tjo that better. Nothing helps the work
along like a serene mind, and the Bible
is a great panacea for all unrest. Lillian
Whiting's first and second volumes of "The
World of Beautiful," simplify and enlarge
life greatly. The third volume I cannot
recommend wholly. Kerosene saves work
in washing windows, mirrors, etc. It is
a great cl- user. Iron bedsteads are clean
anil easily cared for, while mattresses save
.nuch work over the oldtime feather bed
tend husk tick. These latte r produce a
great deal of dust and fluff. System is a
good thing, but a cast iron rule breaks
many things if not itself broken.     Taking
thought in all things saves count less steps.
Hardly <m>* women In ten knows how or
uses the appliances ecu her sew ing machine.
Learn how; Ibis saves time'. Hags for
bundles* save time. Keep those pieces
like things in- wear iu a handy bag, and
jou will not have fo spend fifteen minutes
hunting up a patch. Kitchen cabinets are
work simplifiers. lt. S. M.
Sen tii Dakota.
A Montgomery county reader suggests
tbat "a very important item in helping
matters, is that of the water supply. With
modern ideas in wind mills and piping the
water can easily be brought into the
tile-hen, and it is not a hard task to add
some lew roils of pipe for carrying off
waste water." Also, "where ice may be
had, or ice box, co'ivenient to the dining
loom, is one of the greatest possible helps
through our long hot summers." She
further recommends "judicious slighting in
the Ironing," aud the use of ready-to-wear
clothing where possible.
A Reader, Decatur Co., says: "Waiting
lor one- thing to cook in the only available
kettle you possess is fen annoyance ami a
waste- of time. Use a mop for the kitchen
.-ind porch floeers. it is better to wear out
a mop onee a year than break your back
sopping up bucketfuls of water with a
cloth alter a stubby broom."
E. I',., Jackson Co.. advises housewives
as follows: "Make as few trips as possible from one room to auother. Think,
before you slarrt, what articles you will
need to use during the next hour aud take
them with you. Don't stand to do your
work; sit in a chair, having a good back,
if possible. Make your work clothes without tucks oi- rtrffles. Try to persuade yourself that you do not need carpets on your
floors."     ,
M. E., Knox Cee., believes that "the only way to simplify anything is to uso
brain and not brawn. Some one says: T
am too tored to think or plan.' It is not
thought, but worry, (lack of thought),
which tires. When we have learned this,
and when we have taught our children the
value ed' using tbe intellect iii everything,
then simplifying will follow, ami the worry
and the* drudgery that comes into so many
lives will lie swept away."      ,
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 centa
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should reach us one week before
date of publication.
Topics for discussion la future numbers
of the Farmer are as follows:
No. 291, Oct. 5.—Tell how to store vegetables and fruits for winter use.
No. 292, Oct. 12.—How should houses,
pens, etc., be constructed for tbe economical feeding of hogs through the winter?
No. 293, Oct. 19.—Why shonld the home
be attractive, and how can it be made so?
No. 294, Oct. 2G.—Give experience with
power machines—hydraulic rams, windmills, naptha engines, etc. What is best
and cheapest?
On account of the large space it would
require we are unable to publish the list
of premiums awarded at the State fair,
but if any subscriber wishes to kueew the
awards in any particular class, or to any
exhibitor, we will give the information on
request iu the query column.