The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-10-31
THE FARMERS WIFE,

I shall attempt to paint a pleasing
picture of the varied resources open to
the energetic farm wife who skillfully
combines supply and demand, and If
my completed canvass presents only
cheerful scenes, pray do not think that
1 am a visionary, whose knoElsdge Of
my theme is purely imaginary and
ideal, nor the conditions portrayed are
impossible of realization. a rose is az
real a product and az true to natures
command as is the cabbage head; so,
If my experience of country life has
held more roses than cabbages, surely
that is not to urged against the validity
Of my remarks.
The lavish hospitality and the gra
cious ease of the old South have been
immortaIiz9d in song and story, and all
admit that this imposing structure
rested on the ample foundation Of it's
plantation life, who:e palatial man.
sions always set such fine examples OF
extensive entertaining. The vast re.
sources of nature, as exhibited in laden
orchards, well kept gardens. purple
grape arbors, pecan groves, foe poul-
try and live stock, all contributed
freely to the possibilities of hospitality,
which were made grander by the hun
dreds Of acres of cane or Of cotton,
carefully titled by experienced slaves
While these conditions are greatly
modified t2-day, may it not be truly
said that the possibilities of country
life, instead of being crippled, are
merely differently "distributedG Where
formerly a cane king or cotton king
owned vast stretches of fertile soil,
whereon he lived and ruled in almost
princely splendor, many men now own
small farms which, if properly worked
and developed, may yield a wider dis
tribution of ease and comfort than v as
possible under previous conditions.
The intelligent, enthusiastic farmers
wife still may have her orchards and
poultry yards, and from them she
might prepare quite as excellent edibles
as In the good Old days "Oeto' de wah."
In fact, it is an open question
whether her opportunities have not i'm
proved, for since fruit culture, vege
tables, poultry and live stock have all
received 80 much careful, scientific
thought and investigation, it stands to
reason to assert that the } ieIds of ma
ture in all these respect branches
must be correspondingly enhanced,
at least as regards quality.
With more perfect fruit, preserves
and jellies aud jams are possible; with
a finer grade of gardening products,
better pickles, catsups and canned
vegetables are possible; with thriving
COWS, large eyed Jerseys and Guern-
seys and Attorneys, better cheese and
curd and butter are possible; with fine
breeds Of poultry, better returns are
possible. So we see that in every way
the farm supply is much higher class
to-day. Running parallel with these
improved methods Of agriculture and
their consequent improved results, we
find better educated farmers, and fire.
quentIy college graduates as farmers
wives. These are naturally better
capable Of graphing with the mani
fold problems of existence and OF sue
cesstully wrestlir g from adverse cir
cumstRnces a plenteous harvest of
home comforts.
In fact, the two conditions ara mu-
tually interdependent and in~separable.
Educated farmers create improved
conditions, and improved conditions
make it possible for each succeeding
generation Of farmers to enjoy greater
educational facilities. With an intel.
ligent, thinking woman to preside in
*From a paper by Mrs. Stephen F. Read be-
fore q louisiana Farmers Institute.