The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-12-12
Cigarettes:

keeper have left, and she is compelled
to do her own work in her modern
home and model kitchen, has a snap
compared with the average farm wife.
She can light the gas or turn on the
electricity to warm it up. She can
eat it in dining room made comfort
able by furnace heat. She can-well,
she simply has little to do in COMPARE
son to the farm wife.
The University of Missouri College
of Agriculture, through the Home Ec-
onomics Workers of the Extension
Service, surveyed 645 farm homes in
several counties this TALL. The homes
were not chosen because of unusual
conditions prevailing in them. They
were selected at typical homes. On
these farms, which averaged four
miles from town, the usual lines of
work were followed. Of the total
number of farms visited, 407 were &C.
cupied by their owners. The homes
averaged five rooms.
Of the 645 homes, only 81 We're
lighted with gas and % by electricity;
the rest depended on kerosene lamps.
More than 500 were heated by stoves.
How would that suit the city house
keeper? Of these homes, 461 had no
indoor water supply. In 1856 of them
the women had to carry the water,
which means that in rs homes, per-
haps, father or the children carried
the bucket. Only 62 had running wa
ter in the house, although 1876 had
sinks with drain. More facts for the
city woman to think about. And here
are some figures disgraceful even to
the farm: Only 1877 farm homes were
provided with out-of-door closets,
with chemical closets, ID with indoor
closets and septic tank, and the rest
of them, 229, had none at all. A bath
tub served with running hot and cold
water was found in 81 homes. TWEEN
ty-one homes were not screened.
These are some of the most impor-
tant items. Other figures follow.
Number of homes having linoleum on
the kitchen floor 374, kitchen cabinet
1856, bread mixer 81, freless cooker
35, Gamer 78, wheel tray II, dumb
waiter to cellar 10, kerosene stove
381, screened-in kitchen porch 253,
gasoline iron 27, electric iron 10, car
pet sweeper 1877, hand vacuum cleaner
100, power cleaner 5, sewing machine
419.
Perhaps the city housewife could
worry along without these convent
ences. But how would she like to
start her days work at four in the
morning? On the farms visited, S5
women started the day at that hour
in summer and 56 in the winter; 289
began at five in summer and 81 in win
ter; las began at six in summer and
270 in winter; and 20 began at seven
in the summer and 1873 at that hour in
winter. In the summer the days work
on the farm ended at seven p. m. for
70 women, at eight for 258, at nine
for POT, and at ten for 81. The others
are still working. The day ends lit
tie earlier in winter; 274 quit at sew
en-, $50 quit at eight, 81 quit at nine,
and Ia quit at ten p. m. The farm
wife gets an average of one hour a
day recreation, although it is not evil
dent from the survey just when the
hour comes. About 1870 of the farm
wives had no free time during the day
for rest or recreation. Maybe this ex-
plains why women's clubs flourish in
the city and are almost unknown out
side of the corporate limits.
In spite of all these disconcerting
figures, the farm wife is a happy wo-
man. More than half, or 356 of the
farms had automobiles, which afford
ed them means to get away from
home once in a while to help their
naiphhnrs who were hiIsu