The Bozeman courier., 1927-06-10
TREASURE STATE FARM and LIVESTOCK
HOW DEMONSTRATION WORK HELPS
THE MONTANA FARM WOMAN
methods of clothing construction.
Conditions ImnrnVed
That it is not necessary for the

I.
Conditions Improved
That it is not necessary for the rural i
woman to go on indefinitely wearing /
herself out" until financial conditions are
improved, has been proved by the 339
rural homes that have been enrolled in /
the better Kitchen contests conducted |
in six Montana counties. There is per-
haps no project that has contributed SO |
much toward the happiness, contentnent |
ana etnc1ency OF the farm home as the !
kitchen contest work. To transform an |
unattractive, inefficient, unsanitary, in |
convenient kitchen into an attractive |
efficient, sanitary and convenient kitchen |
with very small expenditure of money |
is not easy, but it is possible and it is /
worthwhile.
A few years ago a story went the
rounds, told of farmer who was accused |
OF working his wife to death" where a
health and strength. But" he is quoted
in reply, these Improvements cost
money and I can get new wife for
nothing" Despite the intended humor-
Gus turn Of the story, it is true that too
many farm women have been wasting
strength and freshness that should have
been reserved for "homemaking for the
care OF the children and for the making
OF the farm home better place to live.
1t was in response to this definite need
Of rural women that the United States
department Of agriculture began to CO.
operate with the states and counties in
extension work Tor women.
Following the kitchen Improvement
work, communities have been interested
to enroll in the livingroom project work.
Two hundred and ninety-one living
rooms are now enrolled in three coun-
ties. Nor does home identification work
end with the interior of the house. Help
with yard improvement and with simple
| Landscape gardening work is being de-
manded.
WOmen's Summer Camps
One Of the features of home demon
stratiOn work in Montana that has
gained national attention is the series of
women's summer camps, where rural
women meet for a few days of recreation
land education. At these camps the wom-
en- hear prominent speakers, see demon
strationS of better homemaking and
housekeeping, and not infrequently learn
quaintance with that art. Relaxation
for the farm woman, so that she may
become interested in the big business Of
living, has brought immeasurable results
in many Montana counties.
We discovered very soon after begin
ming our home demonstration work that
in the communities where the women
met together regularly as a group, they
did more work than where they met at
the call OF their project leaders. A great
many rural communities are already
very well served with organizations; but
! to meet the need Of neighborhoOds where
! the women had no means Of contact, we
! devised the plan of forming home DEM
onstration clubs, that is, clubs organized
for the purpose of carrying on extension
work. 1t was not very long until clubs
organized primarily for some other pur-
pose were asking that they be permitted
I to sponsor the home demonstration work
in their respective communities. This or
: ganization is becoming more definite each
Z year. Now, the clubs keep a record book,
: which enables the agent to make up a
l report at the end of the year, showing
the extent and nature Of their home
! demonstration activities. There are ap-
proximately 200 such clubs in Montana
2 at present with an enrolment Of between
$500 and 5000 rural women.
Many people are subsequently aware
that improvements in standards Of liv-
ing are coming about. They know that
! babies are better cared for than they
used to be, that families suffer less from
o minor ailments and that mothers real
: their families with less expense of then
O own health and strength but too few
: people have any idea that home econOr-
: les teaching and home demonstration
e work are responsible for betterment o.
y standards.
= Interest in home demonstration worl
r is increasing rapily, more rapidly, in fact
r than our limited number Of workers are
: | able to handle.
: Since the further development Of tht
q extension service depends on the placinI
. Of workers in counties, we must wait un
% til financial conditions improve befort
v we can hope for great increase. In tht
: meantime, we are attempting to perfec
n our organization, to increase our knowl
" edge Of conditions and needs, and tt
n standardize our methods so as to maxi
! every dollar spent yield the greatest pos
/, sible return.
# The best argument that is offered 70
i the work in Montana is that voice of tn
hundreds Of Montana farm women VIII
lhave come in contact with the work, ant
: know what is being done. A word O
praise must be accorded, too for the mel
ID who have realized the value Of this wor
ID and have given their support, their tim
ID and their money to foster the sort O
al work that is building toward a NOR
prosperous and contented farm life.