South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-11-10
from The Wheeling iu,,lliseoe.r.

ST. Clairsville, Nov. 1.-Your ar
ticle in yesterdays issue upon tie
milk and butter business provokes q
few words of comment.
The reasons assigned by yorrfrienJ
Sisson Tor tue falling OFT i'm the milk
and butter production in the territor,
east OF " heeling will apply as forcibly
To this region. Never within my re.
collection were mich cows Us scarce
and high, and butter in so great de-
mand at n season when the neadows
and pasture fields were fairly rank
win grass, aud when proveuder foi
winter consumption Was SD abundant
There Is little doubt but this state
OF affairs was brought about in part
by the high prices prevailing for beeI
cattle Tor u year or more past, which
induced many farmers TO fattcn fol
the butcher the young hcifere tha,
would otherwise have been retained
for mich COWS. And. in addition 10
the reasons already given, there are
other, and believe equally poten,
reasons for farmers abandoning the
! 'iA''N s'h OQtNSi DuSltlcSS. GOllle
these | will mention briefly.
The duty OF managing the dairy
has from time immemorial been i'm
posed upon farmers wives along with
raising poultry, weaving calves, work
ing tue garden and last but not least
rearing children.
How the labor OF milking ard at.
tending To a herd OF or cows ut al
seasons and III all sorts of weather i.
sufficient TO tax the strength OF ai
able bodied man. and when this work
is added-as tornierly-to ,he multi
tudlnous duties OF Il farmers wife, tn,
labor simply becomes slavish.
Is it surprising then, that in these
days OF prosperity and enlightenment
among farmers, when farmers home:
are beng made more attractive, and
farmers children are growing up Il
breast OF the times IN culture and Ell.
lightenment, is ii surprisingly ask, that
tins burden Is removed from the wea.
ry back OF the farmers wife.
There are few we'll 10 do farmers in
this neighborhood that keep more
cows than are needed To supply thcil
own tables with cream and butter
and the only butter offered by sncl
on tic market is The surplus which i,
made when the COWS arc fresh ana
the How OF milk is abundant. pre-.
dict therefore, that the dairy OF the
lniurc will be Il sTecial branch Of agri.
culture III every neighborhood mana
%ed and operated by experienced men
with moIern appliances that will alb
sol G ali the surplus milk and coaver.
1t INTO butter and cheese.
Another reason may be found il!
the fact that modern farmers homea
III conformity 10 the laws of hysienc
are established ON the highest and
hc"ltLiest site uron tie farm, aud con
selnenily too far away from the old
time spring house. with It's cooling
waters ga essential to all successful
buttor making Aud, is yet, ice
honses arc among the luXnries which
few Turner's (owing to the difficulty
o! procuring ice) can indulge in.
But the sUhject of domestic help
which your friend aIludcs to is be
coming serious problem for farmers
to solve.
Reliable, Trustworthy competent
help can scarcely he procured in the
country al any wages 80 that in the
busiest sCaSOr. farmers wives are
hardened with the work OF the whole
house i'll addition Ia cooking for IL
large corps OF hungry farm hands.
Those girls who are willing To work
out. are usually attracted To the towns
and cities, and those who should work
out, whose circumstances in life de e.
nand that they engage in some work
for ilIcir support are restrained by
the belief that the occupation is
meniat
The farmer experiences little tFou-
! ble in procuring help for the farm. -
| Indeed ~. the midst OF harvest or in
! fruit picking season Inc car engage
| any ct his neighbors boys to work at
the customary wages, and they nc.
cept il gladly. But the tatmer's wife.
be she ever SO busy or hard pressed
with work, could not procure the belp
of n ueigIibor's daughter for love or
money-that would be degiading')
This stigma upon honest labor must
be removed, and the condition of af
fairs altered or we shall pray for the
removal of he embargo upon the
heather Chinec.
~ Il. MCKELvtY.