The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-01-05
WHAT VERMONT WOMEN KNOW OF
FARMING,

am glad to see that so able a writer
as Il. b. B. laura Brigham Boyce, have
| guessed right) has taken up her pen in
defense of the farmers families OF to-
day. agree with her in all that she
says. or course it would not pay for a
girl who could earn 'one dollar day
teaching school or three dollars a week
doing housework' to knit stockings or
mittens for sale. But there are u great
many women who cannot leave their
homes to engage in such occupations
who can and do knit stockings for sale,
dry apples, pick berries and do other
things to get money and other necessary
things, comforts, luxuries, etc. For it
is true, as Young farmer says, every
increased blessing demands increased
exertion.' / know a young woman
whose husband bought two sheep in the
spring, paying therefore eleven dollars,
il my memory serves me right. She
learned to spin, and from their wool the
year knit stockings enough, counting
what was used In the family, to pay for
the sheep. know another woman who
kuits stockings and mittens for sale, and
also takes in wool to spin on shares. l
knew another woman who also knit
mittens for sale, picks berries, makes
hay and does so many other things that
it would astonish you if | should tell
them all. She told me that she had sold
twenty five dollars worth of stuff from
thesgarden, mostly strawberries, and
with the help of her children, the Oldest
only twelve years old, picked raspber-
ries enough to come TO sixteen dollars,
Perhaps L. b. B. will think that the
children have to work as hard as the
little girls who used walk on plank to
SPIN They do work, each one does her
harey, but the attend school during the
fail and summer. have an organ at home
and, yes, Mr.. Editor, think they bid
fair to excel the ability of their parents.
But right here comes in that quotation
Of the young former, Every increased
blessing demands increased exertion.
As l could not earn my salt, to say moth.
ing of my board, knitting, | have to do
some other way, so | raise strawberries
and dry apples-nOt cider apples. We
do not raise them, but nice good apples,
that sell readily for fifteen cents per
pound. haveIsold elghty.five pounds
besides putting up enough for our own
aud going without ourselves. True, we
can not keep our cake and eat it too, but
what is cake good for hut to eat, and
what is money good for but to use!
VERMONT WOMAN NUMBER ONE NOT DIS
MAYED.
did not expect to stir up such hor-
nets nest by my paper on farm life, st
| seem to have done; but | am glad of it,
for we have found out that farmers
wives can write-and farmers, too, il
some one will stir them up. am sorry
my ideas were 80 misconstrued. | have
looked over my paper carefully and now
| cannot see why any one should have
supposed | advocated return to any
thing 80 impracticabe as the ways oI
fifty years ago. | only undertook Il
show how small things are turned TO &C
count. neglected to mark the quota
ton of the Boston Journal correspond
ent as a quotation. for it was she, anC
not |, who accused farmers of living OF
salt pork and saleratus bread It only
goes to prove that half the world doei
not know how the other half lives Il
d. b. says the children OF fifty year
ago had practically no childhood 1t II
true they were not pettcd and INDUCED
as they are now, and learned to work a
an early age, but were they not the bet
ter fitted by 1t for the busy and indus
trious life most OF them led and was no
! The robust heaith they had due largely