Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-05


We have il Gay county . lady farmer
who, by her own efforts, has clearly demon
strated the fact tina: successful farming is
not at ali beyond The relca of woman. in
T.zas, and that there are no good grounds
Whatever for reasonably regarding II rs
something outside Of womans sphere. She
settled there with no particular line Of
business in view, and to keep time from
hanging heavily upon her hands she started
q small flower garden, mostly roses, for
personal qualification. The plants re
sponded so well to her care that she be-
came much interested in them; indeed, she
soon found herself falling in love with
Texas soil and the results OF its capabilities.
Finally this led her to purchase lands and
enter upon general farming and fruit cul-
ture. She now owns 4 farm Of about 300
acres and is making it as good a success as
could be asked. Everything In the way OF
management had to be worked out by her
own good sense, for before embarking in
the business she knew nothing whatever Of
farming. In a letter 10 Us last fall she ex-
pressed much regrets over there not being
an agricultural college for women, adding
that should such a college be established
she might be depended upon for becoming
one Of the first students.
These remarks were suggested by the
following extract from an address lately de-
liyered before the Massachusetts horti-
cultural society by Mrs. Sarah J. Smith:
What we want for woman now is an edu-
cat ion in horticulture and the things Of farm
life that shall make q happier eirlhood
happier because hands are full and bodies
healthy. and brains less strained for book
lore: more alive TO natures truths and
viviiied with u practical knowledge OF what
goes to make health, happiness hons and
wealth Among all the schools of our land
there is not one TO offer our girls this.
Every avenue in life now seems broadly
opening to women, excepting that opening
in he cultivation of the land. The woman
who owns farm and carries it on does it
shyly and as il she had no right to do it;
and the girl who IS quite at home in her
fathers greenhouses, understanding the
culture and knowing the botanical names OF
all the plants is q wonder to her COM
pauiCns and seems not quite one Of them.
Yet how many q weary hcart-sick girl,
whose whole life has been spent amid
b lex walls, Longs for work in the green
fields. How many d woman who brea hes
the close air OF a factory until the hectic
flush tells OF q life almost spent wishes
she could have been taught work that
should bring her daily nearer to nature,
q work she dare not, cannot learn by her.
self the risks are so great. She can
catch up the broken threads in the loom
and scarce give them q thought: the
great machine seems to he TO work
Of itself But the tender plants, the open
ing buds. the flowers. the bees, the soft lit
tie chickens-how dare she, untaught, han
die these things, direct from heavenf Might
she not destroy life given to cheer and
brighten world! And she looks with won
der, and feels i shame for girls who inherit
the opportunity TO know al this, yet flee
from il in their ignorant contempt OF it.
Our Clay county farrneress was not one
of those who dared not dare. She dared
and succeeded.
While we have pointed to this particular
case because OF our familiarity with it, and
especially because Of the fact that the lady
started in without any previous knowledge
of the business, and yet speedily pushed it
into profitable undertaking. we may add
that there are many lady farmers in Texas
more than in any other state, perhaps.
So very generous are our Texas soils and
other conditions favorable to agriculture
that intelligent management extended to
them cannot fail of success, and there
would be no good sense In supposing that
the necessary intelligence should not exist
with the ladies as well es with the other