Connecticut western news., 1909-01-14
UNCLE EZRA AND
 THE COMMISSION
HE ANSWERS THEIR QUESTIONS
Gives Them a few Points on the Con- ditions in Pompoonick and Makes a few Suggestions The Stove Pipe Congress.
Congress.

Congress. Dear MT. Editur:
 I'm going to help the Presidents s com miSshun out by answering some of their questions sent out by the commisshun on country life. know sumthin' about country life because I've lived rite here in Pompoonick all my days and know what I'm talkin' about. Now I wish you d look these anSers over and put in the stops and starts as spose them fel- lers what are on that commisshun are pretty we'll edicated.
 Question I.-Are the farm houses in your neighborhood as good as they should be under existing conditions?
 Answer: I should say, MT. Commits huners that from one to one and half to two per centum are living up to their advantages and opportunities. The other 98 per cent ain't got what many of them mite have, viz; reel, cheerful home surroundings. I don't call it awful cheerful where the family have got to all crowd out in the kitchen to cook and eat and sit down evenings to reed. all hugging the old kitchen stove, roastin' ther face and freezing there back or vice versa, where the settip' room and parlor, if they've got one, is all shut up, colder than the approach to the North Pole, nusty and damp. Chairs too good to sit on ant carpet too good to walk on and never sees the lite of day exceptin' at a wedding. funeral Or when they kleen house. Mite better cultivate the soil little closer to tho fence and on waste places and take the proceeds and buy couple of good second hand stoves, open the window blinds and curtains and live. Many farmers don't half live because they don't take time to stop and think of the enjoyments they mite have. by just spending @ little money and some perseverance. Open up the hull house. let the younguns feel that there ain't nothing too good for lem if they'll only stay home evenings instead of going sumwhere where they may enjoy more bodily kumforts but pizen their minds and get bad habits. If there ain't wood enough, then burn korn kobs. Open up the house and when the sun shines, let it in.
 Question 9. Are the schools of your neighborhood training boys and girls satisfactorily for life on the farm?
 Answer: Yes, if.thsy propose to live as their grate grandfathers did. Nothin' very inspiring about some of our dess- trict schools up this way. School house sets on peece of land just big enuff for the building and if they want to study Nature study they've got to go out in the middle of the rode. Amt room enuff for Q sunhower or a hill of beenes. When the boys and girls go away and see a school house with nice large play grounds and flowers beds, that's where they like to go to school. When we farmers wake up to the fact that the school house and surroundings should be the very pleasantest and most 1se 0SsANO opOV5 kAA0k A4OnOy nuo terestsd parents, children and teecher could make it, then we've got the rite idee of the first principles of training the children for life on the farm.
 Question 3.-Do the farmers in your neighborhood get the returns they reasonably should from the sale of their products?
 Answer: No, they don't always guess when is the rte time to sell. Rather than take 8 good fair price for rye straw in the fall some keep the krop and handle it over about four times and after the rats have eat the heads off the straw and it shrinks in weight, they may get an advance over the fall price of 75 cents ton and think there maxim money. Another thing, some drop their hull apple krop rite in one pile and sell it in the lump, or on the trees instead of sorting out all the large, choice apples and having the bottom of the barrel better than the top, and mark it with 14 Ks and the farmers full name to boot. Nothing like having an honest trade mark and sticking to it. Then sort out the seconds and mark the barrel seconds and take the seconds price just as you did the fancy price for the first pick. A prime article will bring @ prime price and it's worth the farmers while to do his own sorting in every krop and get the benefit. Many farmers are too busy to get their krops ready for market and that's where they lose mummy. I'd rather have three akers of korn and take care of it than to take
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