The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-01-02
HELP FARM WOMAN
Housewives of Progressive Farm
ers Asked for Views.
Many Seek Means of Increasing Per.
sonal Income and Better Means of
Marketing Produce Other
Farm Topics of Interest.

PcfhfHCfL Ot
To ascertain the fields in which
farm women desire specific assistance,
a letter of inquiry has been addressed
to the housewives of $4,000 progress
sive farmers in all the counties of
the United States. This letter asked
no questions and left every woman
free to discuss any need which &C.
| Cured to her. She was invited to
take the matter up with her neighbors
and make a reply which represented
not merely her personal need but the
recognized need of the women of her
community. Replies to this letter
have been received in great numbers.
There has not been time for COM
plete analysis of these letters, but
is evident that women want help 10
practically every phase of home man
agement, from the rearing and care of
children tc methods of getting the
heavy work, such as washing, done by
cooperative agencies.
Many women seek means of Incl cas-
ing the precious personal income
| which they receive from poultry, but
ter making, or the garden in their
care. Many asked the department to
suggest new handicrafts or gainful
home occupations, and others seek
better means of marketing the pre-
serves, cakes, or fancywork that they
now produce.
The overwork Of farm women and
their fear of the effect Of overwork on
their children is the text of many of
these letters. The difficulty of secur-
ing domestic help, due seemingly to
the fact that daughters of farmers
no longer take positions as home
makers, has added to the farm house
keepers burden.
Many ask the department to prove
to the men that their work Is worth
something in dollars and cents. Still
others express a realization that their
own lot is hopeless and self-saerif1c
ingly ask that better things in the
way of education, cheaper school
books, improved schools, lectures, IL
braries, and museums be provided for
their children. Many request that the
department establish a woman's bu-
reau, issue weekly or other publica-
lions designed for women and dealing
with matters Of cooking, clothing,
home furnishing, education Of chill
dren and care of the sick.
Cooperation in SoiI-Survey Work.
With the view of making soil sur
veys more valuable to the farmer, a
new basis of cooperation has been es-
tablished by the department Of agri-
| culture with the states through their
| experiment stations, agricultural col
leges, and agricultural bureaus. I'm
der this plan the department will give
precedence in conducting detailed soil
surveys to those states which cooper
ate with che department in the matter
and which request that such surveys
be made.
During the past year 10 states have
appropriated money for soil surveys
in cooperation with the department.
If the request for soil surveys on the
part of cooperating states absorbs all
| the departments funds for such work,
no projects will be lndertaken in non
cooperating states. 1t is believed
that where the soil surveys are made
at the special request Of the state ag-
ricultural agency and In districts
where the state is actively engaged in
extension work, the state authorities
| will be willing and able to help the
farmer to gain the greatest possible
benefit from the departments reports
and soil-survey maps.
Farm Demonstration Work.
In the boys demonstration work in
| the south, 480 members Of the boys
corn clubs in the various southern
states produced yields of over 100
bushels of corn to the acre. The work
of the canning and poultry clubs,
through which the girls Of the farm
are encouraged to preserve in form
suitable for home use or sale such
products as tomatoes and other veget-
ables and fruits as can be profitably
produced for local consumption, on
many farms has yielded satisfactory
results.
In the northern states a good be-
ginning has been made in farm DEM
onstration work during the year. This
work is prosecuted for the most part
in cooperation with the agricultural
colleges through county agents, who
! devote their entire time to the study
OF local agricultural conditions and
needs and act as counselors and ad-
| visers to farmers, encouraging the
| ~dontion of imnroyad methods and
where advisable the introduction Of
new crops.
While the organization and estab-
lishment of this work in the north
and west is too recent to indicate in
| any very definite way what may be
expected to result from it, summary
of the work of the agents in the 80
counties longest established discloses
that more than $500 farms have been
visited and more than 1900 farmers
meetings addressed, with all attend
ance exceeding 10000 Cooperative
! work has been carried on directly
with nearly 2,400 farmers, many of
whom are being encouraged to select
and test carefully their seed corn.
Legal Standards for Food.
The establishment of legal stand
ards for judging foods would render
the food and drugs act more effective.
less expensive in its administration.
and supply needed legal criteria. On.
der present conditions 1t Is necessary
In the individual prosecution to es
tablish by evidence q standard for