Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-08
A Woman Farmer,

A real business farmer, who is :
woman, lives at Pennington, n. H.
says the American CuItivator. She il
Mrs. Hester B. Pinkham. She man
ages 55-acre farm and makes more
! money from 1t than most or the men
in that locality. There are men who
are born farmers, and now and then
a woman. Every item connected with
Mrs. Pinkham's career indicates the
real New England business farmer vi
the type which always succeeds
whether man or woman. The earliest
account is at eight years old, when
the heroine Of this sketch used TO ge,
up at O'Clock in the morning, milk
( four cows before breakfast and drive
them to pasture. A little girl who
will do that is pretty sure to grow up
/ into woman who can manage farm
/ if she cares to do So However, this
young woman learned the shoemaking
trade and worked at it until after mar
rage. Nine years ago her husband 5
health failed, and the couple hired a
20-acre farm to give him outdoor life.
/ The wife took boarders, and made a
great success at it, besides selling
bread to the town people, pastry,
meats and the like. So successful was
this combined operation that the cou.
pie cleared $1,000 in six years.
/ Says Mrs. Pinkham: During this
| period 1 used 20 acres Of my fathers
farm, which l bought for raising poJa-
( toes and garden vegetables for my
own boarders, and for pasture, and l
would buy cattle, swine and poultry
and butcher them on the place, thus
making enough profit from the sale of
meats to supply all the meats used on
my tables. After the deaths of my
husband and father, both of whora
died from injuries received by being
thrown from a load of hay. l was ply
sically unfit TO continue keepirs
boarders, and gave it up. l sold the
farm l then had. Since beginning &C
tive outdoor life on my present farm
my health has greatly improved, and
greatly enjoy the change from run
ming a boarding house. Besides farm
ing has always been my favorite occu-
patton"
The requirement of the present
farm indicates her business ability
She bought it at auction on a stormy
day, when few bidders were present
She paid only s525 while the 35-acre
wood lot alone had $3.50 worth of mer-
charitable timber and young growth
which would double in value in 10.
years. The farm itself was a good one,
with substantial buildings. There are
about 20 acres of tillage land, and the
crops last year sold for s275; this in
Guiding hay. grain, potatoes and vege-
tables.
Mrs. Pinkham, with a hired man,
did the work She is about As years
old, and of slight build, but able to
do all kinds of work about the farm,
including the use of the AK and scythe.
She doesn't hesitate to wear overalIs
and jumper when the work requires.
Pure-bred Chester white swine are
feature of the farm, the young stock
being sold at good prices. Over co
young pigs were raised last year. The
stock also includes cheap cattle, chick
ems and Belgian hares. The hares
alone netted $40 last season. The own
er is quite trader, buying and selling
all sorts of farm stock. Il buy when
people are obliged to SELL" she says.
1t is only then l am ready to buy. l
sometimes buy rundown stock and put
it in good condition to sell again.
have never been beaten in a horse
trade"