The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-08-18
MoNEY.MAK1NG AT HOME.

After I became a farmers wife
found that very little of the farm
money came to her individually. The
good man made it a strict rule that
no one in the family was to have one
cent until the hired man was paid,
the running expenses of the farm
met, and the taxes paid. AS we
were working a farm on shares, al
most any one can imagine how small
was my share. 1 drifted along in
this way for year or two. My we'd
ding clothes were all "made over"
and nearly all worn out. 1 had one
child, a girl of four years, and as I
was proud. ''too awful proud" the
good man said, wished her at least
to look as we'll as her cousins. I de-
termined to do something or die in the
attempt. My first venture was as a
book agent. Twenty-years ago there
were not so many open doors for wo-
men as now. / took the agency of
Beyond the Mississippi" Of course
I did not know how to handle it, and
it mortified the good man terribly to
take me anywhere to canvass, so l
soon gave that up. I earned 81. so
and book for myself. That was in
the winter.
Then I cast my eyes around for
some other open door. They fell on
the hen house. Why not raise chick
ems? I said to myself. But as there
was not a woman in our neighborhood
who raised poultry, or worked out
doors in the least, it required quite
little grit. However, I went at it.
I think we had about 80 hens, nearly
all pullets of White Brahma stock and
a few barnyard fowls. began to set
hens in March. fused Brahma eggs
as nearly as could. Every hen that
wanted to set was set from that time
until into August. The henhouse
was such small affair that 1 had to
utilize everything could get hold of
b faT aSdst b0xfs Ks RsbjRd
house, and in fact anywhere Biddy
wanted to set, there she was welcome.
In severeal cases she kept her seat
two terms and did her duty well.
1 we'll remember the first sale I
made. Buyers went through the
country then, bringing the markets
to Our doors. A buyer came along
one day and. spied my fine white
chickens. He wanted them for the
4th Of July; this was the 29th of June.
He offered me shilling per pound.
"No," I said then I5c, then I6c.
I went to the back door where the
good man was fixing a garden fence,
and asked what had better do. "Do
just as you are mind to they are
your chickens. The buyer finally
raised to 18c and 1 took it. The next
day he took 40 of the largest ones
and paid me $2I.5o. l can see that
money now; it looked like fortune
to me. In August he took 40 more
for $I8. The price had fallen, you
see. Of course, as 1 bought and paid
for all the food, it was not all profit.
/ did my housework alone. We had
IS cows and hired men by the month
and day, and also I raked nearly all
of the hay, which latter business COM
pletely shocked the whole neighbor-
hood.
At Christmas the remainder of the
chickens were sold. I do not re-
member the exact amount, but 1 do
remember that I had to divide with
the owner of the place and then di-
vide with the good man for the corn
they had eaten, and so it was all the
years 1 raised chickens, but even at
that rate 1 clothed myself and chill
dren and bought-but 1 was not ask
ed to tell how I spent the money. 1t
is another story anyway. But had
to divide so much that added tur-
keys and ducks, and several years I
had geese. The geese and duck
money 1 never would divide, though
/ was borne upon quite hard.
But the income did not satisfy me.
My daughter wanted to go to Gaze
novia seminary. No money to send
her. We had a strawberry bed that
had been picked one year (by the
way, that strawberry bed had quite a
history. l said to the good man
"What are you going to do with that
old strawberry bed?" "Plow it up;
it's served its day." he replied.
"Will you let me have the proceeds
if I will clean it out and take care of
t?" 1 asked. 'rYou clean it out p
he said scornfully and went off. But
resolved to do it. My little boy of
ten years began it for me. He was
plucky little fellow. He enlisted in
the Cuban war. Every afternoon l
worked at it from until S. 80 O. clock,
taking my baby along with me in the
wheelbarrow. My father came to
visit me. He helped me few hours
daily for three days. The good man
seeing my determination took his hir-
ed man and helped one day. And we
conquered it. After the expenses
were paid for picking and marketing
the next season, I had $50 all my
own. 1 can see even now that secret
corner in the old bureau where many
little pile of money has been hid
until / was ready to use it. I can
look around my room and see-but /
wasn't going to tell how spent my
money.
In 1886 l determined to launch out
still more. (All this time, mind you,
I was raising chickens and chasing
turkeys and doing my part of the
farm work.. I wanted "bran-new"
strawberry bed. The good man help
ed me and we set three-fourths of an