Evening star., 1928-06-17
BY THOMAS II. HENRY.

Uncle Sam is trying to get acquainted
with a pretty woman~-the farmers
wife.
what will the farmer have to say
about such goings-on2
will he not resent the presence OF the
strange gentleman who drops In at his
home while he Is away In the fields, site
down In the kitchen, ogles the hired
girl and puts highfaluting notions In
the head Of his better half?
Up to the present the farmer has ac-
cepted 1t quite calmly, and so has his
wife--for they both realize that Uncle
Sam is an old and respectable gentle
man and that the sole object OF his at
tentions is 10 make them healthier, hap
pier and more prosperous. He Is trying
TO tell them what TO eat, drink and
wear how TO build their houses and
how TO bring up their children--and
some OF his notions are new and strange.
But he is accomplishing results
Projects In Home Economies.
During the present year the Govern
nent has 85 projects In home economics
under way In 80 States with total ap-
preparation OF $2i1 900 from the Federal
Treasury matched. for the most part
by State grants. The projects range all
asparagus 10 the use farm women
make of their leisure time and involve
all the sciences from chemistry 10 So
ciology. For the first time the Govern
nent lis in a position 10 find out how
the farmer really lives and~~once this
fundamental information has been OBJ
tained--WiII be able to made congtruc-
tive suggestions for making rural life
richer and more worthwhile.
Many Of the supposed blessings o!
rural life, the studies thus Tar have
shown, exist only In the imagination.
II often has been assumed-~perhaps
the poets and painters are responsible
for it-~~that the farm family, while II
may be poor In actual money. is more
than compensated by the fresh produce,
the robust health which results from
living close 10 nature and the independ~
ence which belongs 10 the wide open
spaces where there Is plenty OF elbow
room 10 do as one pieases.
Something Of n Surprise.
It has been somewhat OF surprise 10
find that one OF the most serious troubles
with rural domestic economy is lack OF
fresh food. The subuSbanite has his
vegetable garden. Even the city dWeller
raises radiehes, spinach and rhubarb In
his back yard. In too many cases the
farmer doesn't have the slightest trace
of a garden patch, He eats his peas
from tin cans. Nowhere is canned food
10 much In demand, Investigators have
found, MS In the country, where there is
the least excuse for 1t. Literally thou
sands OF farm families are suffering
from diet deficiencies In q land 0f plenty
Uncle Sam wants 10 make the farm
home brighter and happier. 80 he Is
sending bright, inquisitiye young women
around 10 the dwellings and rural
scilooIhouses to see how the rooms are
arranged, how the children are dressed
and what is In their lunch baskets
These investigators supplement by per-
soual observation the information which
| has been gained from qnestionnaires
distributed through the area where the
experiment is under way, The principal
| work is done with the faFmWife who has
charge OF the home a1d often is better
able than her husband 10 appreciate the
deficiencies,
Pathetic Cases Turn Up,
Some rather pathetic cases are turned
up occasionally In Western State a
few months ago a sociological study war
women made 0t their leisure and means
Of securing for them more free hours
Some 0f the WOn1sn nearly all gf whose
tiTne was taken up by the household
and farm duties were rather apathetii
and informed the investigators that
they didn't want more leisure because
they wouldn't know what to do with
IT," They never had cultivated habits
0f reading, There we're no nelghbor
hood social organizations. Leisure time
WW asea NHaN s.e...~4s