The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-03-31
Her Chickens aud His Money.

Women are born poultry raisers. It is
just as natural for q woman to handle
and care for chickens as it is for her to
care for babies, and the sooner you say
to your wife, "Now, look here, Matilda,
we have been keeping hens these ten
years, and have never made cent from
them. Other folks make money from
their chickens, and why shouldn't we?
If you take charge of the business, and
make it pay, you may have all that yon
can make" the sooner will your fowls
cease to be bill of expense. After you
have made up your mind to set your wife
up in the poultry business, make up your
mind to give her fair start. Don't let
her begin with an old -shackle hen
house and a lot of mongrel hens, but
put some decent fowls into it. Don't
blunder ahead man-fashion, and build
the house without consulting the woman
who is to manage the occupants. Very
likely your wife may know more about
what poultry house should be than you
give her credit for.
After you have given your wife a fair
start deal honestly by her. Allow her
the market price for every egg and for
every pound Of chicken meat consumed
by the family, and charge her the mar
ket price for all feed furnished. Don't
have any guess work about the matter,
but keep ar account of the corn and
other grain furnished, and let her keep
an account of eggs and chickens used.
Right here the objections begin to
come in, and, as usual, the first comes
from the male side of the house: 81
can't spare the money to build chicken
houses and buy fancy chickens, es-
peclally as the chances of seeing my
money again are extremely thin" Hold
on there! Whenever I hear married
man say "my money" in that exasper-
punch the obnoxious words down his
do it, as sure as l am living sinner, if
the man belonged to me, and the words
were hurled at my head every time that I
dared to hint that I would like to have
dollar to do what pleased with. Your
money, indeed! Let me tell you that
your wife has fully earned, and has just
as much right to q share of the profits
from the farm as you have. Don't
open your eyes and stare at me
in that idiotic way! Who has cooked
your meals, made, washed, and mended
your clothes all these years? Who
made the butter and cheese that you sold
and pocketed the money for? Who
took care of your children, nursed you
when you were sick, and bore with your
outrageous fault-finding when things
didn't go to suit you? Who patched,
and darned, and contrived, and saved,
and made every dollar do the work of
three And what has she had to pay
for all this just her board and clothes
as she went along. and if you we're to
die tomorrow all that she could claim Of
the property that she has worked SO hard
to help you save would be the use of
one-third of the real estate; and in nine
cases out of ten that is literally worse
than nothing. If it had not been for
your wife's help, would you have been
worth as much to-day as you are now?
If you had been obliged to hire woman
to do the work that your wife has done
for her board and clothes, do you
imagine that you could have done much
more than to make both ends meet p
Fannie Field in Prairie Farmer.