The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-16

by having lived through them.
Food has always been plentiful on
the farm and plantation, yet in re-
spect to variety and cooking there
have been marked changes from the
bacon and corn meal of the earlier
day to the we'll filled table of today
in which meats, vegetables, fruits
fresh and dried-and sundry prepared
foods from the store give variety
which the earlier age knew not Of
True, there has been too much rum
ming to the store in many cases and
too little effort to raise and preserve
variety of foodstuffs and provisions
for home use, but the very fact that
people can run to the store and get
large part of their supplies indi-
Gates that they have the money to pay
for them, whereas, in the early days
money was scarcer and people lived
at home on the things raised on the
place. In the manner OF cooking, too,
a change has taken place. The mod
ern kitchen stove was an unknown
thing in the early days and many
man who now enjoys the cuisine
which the modern stove makes posi-
bic was content in his youth-and mad
to be content-with the cooking which
was possible over the open fire place.
| Perhaps some of the older men may
insist that the food was better cooked
over the old open fire place than on
the modern range, but they possibly
| forget the ravenOus appetite OF youth
and the jaded appetite Of age. Ger
tain1y they could not persuade their
spouses or their daughters to change
back to the old method, for the fair
sex know only too we'll the inconven-
ience, labor and limitations Of the
old way Many we'll to do farmers
now use a gasoline stove, particularly
in warm weather, as an adjunct to their
wood or coal stove and thereby Save
themselves much labor and the intense
heat which, in summer time, is enough
| to pull down the strongest woman
who has to spend much time in the
kitchen.
In the matter Of clothing the change
has been even greater than IN the
food supply. From the home spun
clothing and hand sewing of the early
day to the factory made goods and
sewing machines of the presenl time
is far call, but it is a change which
the good housewife appreciates.
Complaint is made even now that the
housewife hasn't TIM and strength to
do all the sewing that is required.
How much less, then, would she be
able to do the spinning and sewing
of the early days. Possibly this is
not putting the matter exactly right
The fact is that the housewife Is as
busy as ever, but she has the salts
faction of enjoying a multiplicity Of
garments that, in the old days, would
have been considered luxurious.
There is as much work to do as there
ever was, but as a result Of manifold
changes, we are fed better and CLOTH
ed better than in the good old days."
"Biled" shirts are becoming more
common and collarless humanity has
taken to collars, cuffs and neckties
In the matter of houses there has,
also, been a great Improvement
There are many houses on the farm
that are not what they should be,
but the change from the early days
has been for the better The one
room log cabin with 'lean-to" was
the common type for poor people, at
least, in Eye o1den time" In that
room the whole family lived, some
sleeping there and some sleeping in
the loft, which was entered by lad
der The chimney was made Of sticks
and mud. Many Of those old houses
are still in existence, but most of the
white people. have moved into two,
three, four and five room houses and
| of