The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-09-07
AN UPLIFT FARM
ADVISER.
The new WOMAN In A new JOB
GOT GOOD FOOD Al SOME FARM
HOUSES NEVER SAW ALFALFA BE-
FORE.

FORE.
(The following bit Of good-natured
sarcasm viii &C relishcC by many a
farm woman who n;~ been "advis
ed."j
This has been strenuous week
for me. have teen out in the country
lecturing and teac hing the farmers
and their wives how to produce more
food, also how to save food and how
to cook and do hOuseWork.
Several experts and demonstrators
have been over this territory ahead of
me, and 50 | found most of the people
somewhat enlightened. In fact, |
found several farmers who were
working hard and whose fields had
been planted already, but | found
quite a bit of land that was not plant
I ed | remember one farmer who had
a large bare field that he was cult
waiting almost every day but planting
no seed in the ground. | remonstrated
with him and he said he was Sum
mer-f -fallowing and getting ready for
Fall wheat. | explained to him the
! emergencies of our government and
the necessities of the people in our
cities and that time was precious this
year | tried to get him to SOW the
wheat at once and not wait till Fall
| He seemed very obstinate, SO | left
! him some bulletins and circulars and
came away.
We get very good food at some farm
houses. In fact, it seems quite too bad
that common farmers should have such
an abundance when city people have
to pay so much for what they eat.
told some of these farmers that they
should not eat potatoes while they
are so high. I also found farmers
wives quite eXtravagant with milk and
cream. They use cream in coffee and
upon berries and fruit. Some of them
even feed milk to calves and pigs
Some of the women use butter in
cooking, and even fry potatoes in but
ter. They will not be allowed to do
that long, however, for | have direct
ed that hereafter they use lard for
cooking grease Many object to so do
ing because lard costs them 80 cents
q pound at the store and the same
stOrekeeper pays only "A cents a
pound for butter, but | told them that
LIlC Ldl IllSL IL IOl " IOuSIuCI uOIldl >
and cents, but rather the requirements
of the people in the city. 1t has rain
ed most all week. and many farmers
have taken the weather as an excuse
for keeping out of the fields | sue
ceeded in driving a few of them out,
although they claimed that it would
damage both land and crop to work
when it was wet fear that it will
take continued and persistent effort
to make some of these people do their
bit. Perhaps if the government would
furnish the farmers with rubber coats
they could accomplish more.
Most of the women refuse to follow
my suggestions. l had quite a time
teaching one woman how to make
salad. She said that her people pre-
ferred plain cooking, and that she had
so much to do with pigs, chickens and
children that she had no time for
complicated dishes. The salad I was
teaching her contained only 16 in
gradients, for some of which we had
to send to town. | explained how much
better it is to use a great variety of
materials rather than run the risk of
using too much of any one article and
producing a scarcity of it. At one
place | found a lot of strange plants
growing in a fence corner. Upon in
quiry | found that it was horse-radish.
I informed them that this was very
nOurishing food. and Immediately
stopped the other farm operations
and soon had the whole family dig
ging and canning horseradish The men
objected and wanted to stay at their
work in the hay field, but I told them
that if they sold their cattle they
would not need so much hay, and also
that people needed beef more than
they needed hay. One woman positive
ly refused to leave her churning to
help me gather mushrooms, which |
wanted canned for the city trade She
said she did not know the difference
between the different kinds of fungi,
but I happened to have a copy of
Reeves on Fungus Plants" and from
it | read to the woman and her chill
dren while they hunted the mush-
rooms. | had a very pleasant time in
the woods and as a result of our COM
bined labors we gathered nearly three
quarts Of the toadstools, as the chill
dren called them and thanks to my
bulletin upon canning we soon had
them in a can.
Several farmers have small plots of
Alfalfa, plant that I never saw be-
fore, and which | have read is rich in
protein. | have been thinking that if
We could find some way to utilize this
protein as food for the farmers and
their laborers much of the food that
now goes to feed the farmers and their
children could be brought to the more
discriminating people in the cities.
| think we have done much good
this week. | shall have no scruples
about accepting my salary tonight
But first I shall go to the best res
taurant in this city and if my check
cuts under four dollars l shall be
fortunate.
MEHITABEL +