The Detroit times., 1910-04-20
USED SCIENCE IN
HER SOIL FILLING
Rented an Abandoned" Farm,
Which Under Her Hands Again
Produced Crops.

Bartholomew. graduate OF tho
Massachusetts State Agricultural Col
lege at Amherst, Is the only scientific
woman farmer I'm Worcester county.
She manages Evergreen farm, In
Westboro, about fifteen miles from
this city, and last year cleared $3.50
on five acres OF land which neighbor-
ing farmers said was not worth turn
Ing over, and her entire crop. com
posed of garden truck, she maketed
T ifcseff IN Worcester.
She Is twenty three years old, was
I graduated from the Agriculture Col
lege al Amherst In 1908 and picked
/ out an abandoned farm In Westboro
az the place to put her education into
practice. She selected for Its cheap
ness a farm that everybody said was
too far gone TO bother with. and this
yeyr expects to make 5000 an acre.
| She was not an agriculturist by in
heritance. I'm fact knew not the slight
est thing about farm life and never
! took an interest In agriculture until
her health began TO get poor and she
abandoned her original Idea OF becom
ing stenographer to look for outdoor
employment The scientific farming
4 lHEOTltS tOOh HOiu vi HCi anu q ~OeA ~
at Amherst appealed TO her She put
in three years at the school. and when
she came out agreed with Helen
Holmes and Mary Lambert. schooi
day friends, TO go into scientific farm
ing.
Started Without a Cent.
Her home was in Merose, few
miles out OF Boato, and neither she
nor her parents had penny to start
/ tIer In the farming line, She came to
Worcester, where she rented Ever
green farm In Westboro from l.. {.
Mdgley, a grower of roses. She Dor
rowed money to pay the first months
rent. and with her father and. mother
and her two friends began her career
as soil tiller. Her friends, Misses
Holmes and Lambert remained with
| her but a short time, as the income
| from the farm did not look encourag-
| Ing. and went TO Kingston, Mass,
where they are now engaged a"
agriculturists on a far more elaborate
scale than Is Miss Bartholomew.
The first year Miss Bartholomew
devoted Ave of the twenty acres OF
land to small garden truck, and to
| ktt lut DtSl ltSult sic hiiAtt hCi ONh
fertilizers and was criticised for 1t By
| the old time truck raisers in the
neighborhood. She specialized In
vegetables. selected her Worcester
market and made her own contracts.
She made daily trips to Worcester in
| the season, starting from the farm at
$3.50 o'clock in the morning, reaching
here at O'Clock. and was back at
work on the farm at 9 o'clock.
She paid no attention to the hay
! land the first year, devoting her en-
tire energy to the five acres OF land
which she developed along scientific
| lines and kept a set of books concern
! ing every detail OF the work. even
charging her mother and father for
everything taken from the farm for
! the table.
| Her most profitable crop the first
GEAR was tomatoes, but she raised a
considerable crop of peas and corn.
Her help consists of. schoolboys who
go to the farm before and after school
in the season OF pulling weeds and
planting. and she pays them 10 cents
an hour The boys average fifteen
years of age. and she says they do
more work than men and cost much
less.
Now Has Three Horses and 200 Hens.
This spring she bought three horses
J and has her father take care of them
She has fifty apple trees and this
year will look after the fruit end OF
the industry, will lease the nay land
and in addition TO garden truck farn
ing will devote some OF her attention
to poultry raising. She has 200 hens
at the present time, and with incuba
tors expects to have 1000 chickens
this summer for the broiler market
She made money last winter in eggs,
selling them at retail at prices rang
ing IS high as SO cents a dozen and
from that down to 35 cents
She contracted with the farmers in
! her territory to take all their eggs
for the season. and made on this con-
tract five cents dozen. Her garden
produce Is a little earlier than that
OF her neighbors, which she attributes
to her knowledge of the soil and
fertilization as taught her at Amherst
She never uses a fertilizer, sold in the
open market, but makes her own mix.
ture and also applies It to the ground
Speaking OF farming by women, she
discourages II, saying: IL would not
advise women to become farm man
ayers II is hard work, and unless a
woman is peculiarly fitted for the life
keep out of 1t. This business belongs
TO the men, and let them run it,"
|