The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-23

feeding and I will promise It will re-
pay you. s.
Cows and Conversation.

Each one of the beautiful Jersey
creatures has a keeper who says good
morning to her. This ceremony is not
only the price of peace but the price
Of Job at Sunny Peak farm. just
petting and caresses are not enough.
A regular conversation in gentle and
audible tones is demanded Of the keep
er by the mistress and is duty which
proves more of stumbling block to
some of the raw Swedes and Norwe-
gians who work for Mrs. HOWE than
if she asked them to move mountain.
rSome of them are more shy about
it than if they were talking to a girl
at first, but | go into the stalls myself,
and the example has a wonderful eff
feet. Every COW lays her head way
around on her shoulder looking for me
to pet her, and the little loving ways
they show in response soon have their
effect upon what you might think INK, was vas
the most hopeless specimen OF country
man. The delighted conversations that
I have with my cows seem tobe a reveal
ton to them and aresoon initiated. {Ihey
soon learn to use gentle tones and the
rule is that they must never speak to a
cow in any way that they would not
speak to me. %z's +.
Barn ''Jewel Casket.'
The scientific cleanliness to which
Mrs. HOWE has added certain affection
ate notions Of her own, borrowed from
housekeeping ideas, is one OF the things
which she has had to fight into the
heads not only of some of her less well
informed hearers, but into those OF her
farm help. The barn which houses the
cows is like beautiful white cave.
Absolutely sweet and thick with
~ md hnt
water, just as a kitchen floor would be,
twice a week in addition to its daily
flushing, gives pleasant odor to the
Niewei casket,' as the barn is named.
This name, by the way, was apropos
of the forfeited fripperies and gewgaws
which Mrs. HOWE began to sacrifice
when her heart turned from things 80,
cial to her Jerseys. The only bit OF
color is the strip of board PARTED blue,
herd are lettered, and-this was one Of
the things which was mirth provoking
among the farmers-eacns one OF the
many windows is hung with the bluest
of curtains Of artistic denim. -
Stalls Have Blue Curtains.
"This IS so after the cows are turnel ]
out and the barn is cleaned and aired.
In fytime the cows can be put into
1t again and the. curtains drawn 10 Keep
the flies out and to make it dark and
cool,' said the mistress. 1t was when
some of these Innovations were first
made that a neighboring farmer, more
adaptable than the rest. came to in
vestigate some Of the wonderful things
he had seen and was conquered. -
"I1l be DANCED If / am going to let
a. woman keep her barn any cleaner
than I do.' was the explanation he
made when instituting some Of the re-
| forms.
To the "fanciers,' who have heard
Of the cows she has sold for $500 and
the calves for which she has not infre-
| quently asked and received $500 apiece,
and who had consequently. raised their
expectations up to marble-lined and
electric-ighted barns, Sunny Peak Of
fers something Of a surprise.
| One of the things which Mrs. Howie
has demonstrated and which she thoroly
believes is that stock farming is good
and practical business for women. She
says that no woman would better I'M
dertake it, however, unless she can do
anything and everything that is nee.
essary in a pinch, from scrubbing barn
floors to entertaining millionaire Gus
toners. A. ~.