Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-12-03
WOMEN AS FARMERS.
Some Who Have Taken Up Western
'iaims-Raising Mistlctoe

! From time immcmorial women have
, been tiliers of the soil but always as
serving men. IL has been reserved for
the United States TO produce the woman
f1affner III independent ownership, toiling
of her own Will and reaping herself the
fruit of her labors.
! One of the most picturesque instances
OF the woman farmer Is furnished by
Miss Gates trained nurse of New York,
who had gone to the West Tor her health
shortly before the opening OF the Cher
oEee strip in oklahoma. She was liyin.
! in Guthrie. o. T., and decided that she
might AS well become {: landed proprietor
! The homestead claims of 100 acres were
To be assigned to those first stalking" or
| ma rkinS them after the hour designa ted
for the opening" Miss Yates took ad-
vantage Of her vicinity to the strip 10
| look il over in advance and select her
claim. The opening day she crossed the
| lire minute after the hoIr "a minute
before would have invalidated her
rights, seated on a plow. TO which TWO
heavy horses Were attached. ana made
the run. the first on the strip.
Her clever idea was 10 stake the
claim by a plowed furrow. beginning on
the outer edge In this way she incIoSed
the land in incontesiabie fashion. She
had hired man with her. but she drove
the I'low. Tn" next day a small cabin
was built for the hired man. She lived In
GIthri" until a tiny house could be built,
th"n took personal possession. Five
years of Residence. We're req q1ircd To per-
feet The claim. but Ut the end Of two
y
turn I" III" east. ani transferred her
rights IL settler. who paid enough for
tho claim TO give the cntcrpriSing pre-
emptor a clear profit of more imam
slv1. She had seeded sixty acres 10 cot
ton and the remainder 20 corn and wheat.
and waS employing fiGiy negro hands
when she transferred the claim.
Another nurse timber claimed Il
homestead. which is done hy planting
trees III in tr".lcss soil. She set out -
trees. built a log cabin and sent for her
~ h..r
sister and brother. She has become al
most the physician of tho surrounding
hom"stcadS. and Is making 2 good living.
tIn Long Island i% a farm bought o.
several trained narses of New York 4 .ew
years ago. Their wcr" tiIrc. in the en-
tcrprisc At first. bat Miss Mary L. Cron-
the third, who wished 10 relinq lish her
interest.
Their idea is to have 4 home to which
to retire V hon old and unable TO continue
in active professional life. They rent the
farm on shares to an energetic man, and
reserve TWO rooms in the house for their
the city. They expect to have the place
free from mortgage within a few years.
In Geor"ia is farm devoted TO mistic-
toe and holly growing 1t is owned BY
the Carteledge family. consisting OF
mother and two daughters. but the
daughters do the farming.
II all began through the failure Of the
elder sister to make -: Immediate tri-
umph in art. to stldy which she went 10
New York She realized in thc great city
AZ she never could have i'll her rural
Southern home that talent for art Is
too general to leave much hope for spe-
cial distinction. and wisely concluded To
turn 10 something that would bring more
speedy returns. Being an observant
young woman. Miss Cartcledge noticed
that holly and mistletoc brought ex
tremely high prices. and bethousht hec
that on the $40 acres at home in Georgia
both grew wild III abundance She went
back and she ana her sister began To pre-
pare for making the neglected luXuri-
ance Of marketable val IL. N the months
of January and February following they
set out ten acres of young holly trees
with their own hanus Their negro farm
worlds. AS they believe that it they diG
they wound die As soon as the tree BE-
came tail enough to cast z shadow 'he
measure of their graves.
Last Christmas tho SISTERS found the
trees 50 grown that they required thin
ming out, and the trees that Were re-
trees. and brought high prices. rs they
were sy-rmetricIl and covered with large,
rich berries. They plant the lnistletor
berries under the bark Of old Oak trees. !
in th.. fork or ho..uw. where they can
get 4 hold as they germinate.
Kansas has its succs ssful women farm
ers: too. iie.en and Edith Raym"nd are
Chicago girls. whose parents died some
years ago leaving them Il few thousand |
dollars. 1t was not enough 10 support
,h' m in the city. anG they finally decided
10 blS Il ldiiit Itt-H 'ttSht ti-if'S tiNiVH
lin jackson county, MIN. and devote
themselves to raising fruit They also
raise corn for their stock ana wheat ana
Vegetables for their own use.
Two other farmer sisters In Kansas ar"
Martha and Carrie James. of Usage
county Their father died and they uu
dertook tu keep the farm going. They
do all the work. Miss Carrie James was
one Of the piCncerS who secured q claim
in Oklahoma. which she leased, and visits
once y wear to collect rent ana assLrc
hcrstl that il is being properly cared for.