The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-22
The Farmers Kitchen.

spreading tree or ENJOYS the cooling
shade Of his y~ine-covercd veranda.
His severe labor. for Il time. IS over
and he enjoys with n Test the rest
now accorded him.
Eating and drinking are indulg-
ed in, however, with accustomed
regularity. Leisure seems to add
keeness to the appetite and the
farmers wife and her help If she
IS fortunate enough to have any, ARE
..driven almost to death IN the ef-
fort to appeasc the raycnouS apre
tiles Of the ..mcnfolks.
And now right here, We wish to
enter an earnest protest against the
farmers .kitchen.' In a great
many cases this portion Of the
household economy receives less
consideration than the stable, hog
pen or chicken house. The wife is
forced to attend to the daily routine
of preparing meals without con-
| veniences for lightning the labor or
increasing It's efficiency. Often the
kitchen is the old house of ear
lier days, days, when the farmer
was Young and just beginning life
for himself. This house is often
made of logs. 1t is dark, dilapida-
ted. damp and unhealthy. There
are 10 shelves, no closets, Chat
great desire of the .emale hearty no
nothing that is enticing. The yell
spring or cistern is often some dis
lance off, the wood, if any be pro-
vided is wet, green or rotton. Of
ten the women must go INTO the
timber and ''tote" their w fire.
wood. while husband. son and hired
men are Iolling in IT," shade.
The kitchen of n nv "well to
do farmer is a cal. or shantv,
placed at a short distance from the
back door of the residence. 1t is
usually as bare of conveniences as
the one before described. 1t is
most likely hot, smoky and uncom-
Portable. The prepared meals must
carried to the residence through
mud and rain or %scorching sun or
freezing wind, and the female por-
ton Of the household are found
fault with if any dish is not nicely
prepared and served up ''piping
hot"
We could multiply Illustrations
which have come under Il Obscr-
walton, but these will suffio for our
purposes. We wish to make up
our farmers to the necessity of a
reform in the culinary department,
with the shadow Of a doubt. Money
is free spent for improved nipple
ments Of agriculture, but the good
wife must get along somehow, with
what she has. How she manages
to get along as well as she does is
one of the mysteries.
Woman is physically inferior to
man to strength. She is charged
with the pain and often eve daily
labor is not RENTED to any consid-
cradle extent because of this. Isit
any wonder that they beat all this
with a show at least of cheerfulness:
Is it any wonder that they become
prematurely aged and are called tc
their eternal rest in what should be
the prime of life 7? A reform in
this direction is imperativeiy de-
manded in the name Of civilization
of the nineteenth century, reform
that will add years to wOmcn's life
and increase, tenfold, her sphere Of
usefulness.
We do not feel equal to the task
Of describing . model kitchen
though we have occasionally seer
and inspected such. We considel
this part of the house of much more
Importance than and parlor, ant
its comfort and convenience should
be a source of constant solicitude
for it will pay to add to these 0,
J every possible occasion.
5 The model kitchen should be OF
a level with the dining room anC
contiguous to it. A single step vii
add greatly to the fatigue of tn
: feet which must take this step, II
and down, hundreds of times daily
Y The ceiling should be high-no
less than eight feet and ten o
5 twelve is better. There should b
: windows and doors on two sides a
r least and oD all sides, if possible
i The kitchen should have galIerie
on all sides. These need not b
o expensive ones, but the roof Shout,
be light. Honeysuckles, climbin
e roses, ornamental beans, cypreS
II vine or any of the long catalogue
of vines should be trained to cove
IS the sides Of these galleries wit
5. their perennial yerdure. W
If place particular stress upon thi
# item. The vines shield the door
anl minlnu- from IL 90 e II