Evening star., 1933-02-05


farms got hit awfully hard by the drought IN
1890, the Government and our home work peo-
ple began to show us how to make the 1arm
pay more by being more careful. They shoWeo
us how we could meat vegetables, 1rWt
and cereals-enough to keep family OF nVe
all Winter without having to buy very mucn az
the store. They showed us how to make nookeo
rugs and furniture of all sorts. They got us
to standardize things and to sell what we
couldn't use In this way we got in money we
would never have got in and it is this extra
money which we call depression money, that
got the new clothes for the girls and sent the
boys to school and fixed Frances up for nef
weddin.'
We were talking to the folks up in the noun
tains not 100 miles from washington wnere
we cleaned this information on silent hunt
for some of the good things that might come
out of depression 1t is in times like these
that people become elemental and turn within
themselves and exploit their own resources.
And the mountain folk of the Blue Ridge ana
the Smokes have done this very thing. They
are a reticent people and do not readily take
to strangers; but once they have seen the pos
sibilities of better things-brighter days and
more ready money than comes In IN normal
times-they are not unlike the rest of the hu-
man race-quick to seize their opportunities
When real hard times came to these folks,
and others who live by the ploW and sickle,
county home demonstration agents and those
of the extension service Of the Department OF
Agriculture at Washington began to map out
a depression campaign They called 1t the
Live at Home" campaign Carefully there
was worked out food plan or budget for
family of five. 1t called for the production at
home of about $3.50 worth of food and the pur-
chase at the neighboring store Of about $63
worth. This program-in reality a conseTva-
ton program-insures sufficient supply and
variety of food to keep five family" through
the Winter and, what is more important, keep
them the best food balance possible. In-s
food includes canned pork, beef, lamb, chicken.
dairy products, vegetables, fruits, cereals 1t
is of wider variety and Of more nutritious quail
ity than is obtainable by city families reduced
to marginal expenditures.
AS a result Of this farm and home produc-
ton program, with marketing of surpiuses,
more money has poured into the lap OF the
rural housewife In the past two years than
would have poured in had not the depression
aroused her to draw to the fullest extent upon
the family resources. In many instances. to
carry out this program, it has been necessary
for families to wait another year to get into the
garden and elsewhere the seeds of the plants
and vegetables expected to yield the winters
food supply. But where that wait has taken
place patience has been amply rewarded. Many
farm women today sell more than $50 worth
of home products q month on the average. In
the State Of North Carolina alone, last year.
women received IN the neighborhood Of $780,
600 for market sales through curb markets,
carload shipments and individual sales.
THIS depression money" comes chiefly by
! the route of the curb market Here the
family simply establishes q roadside stand ON
the farm tended by one of the members The
passing motorist or tourist does the rest. Poul-
try and eggs are the best sellers. Fruits ana
vegetables sell well in season, but one OLD
standkeeper said when got cucumbers
they want tomatoes and when we got tomatoes
they want cucumbers" Poultry and eggs, how
ever, are staple products, as are butter and
cheese, and the returns IN dollars and cents
for the bulk and labor output is greater.
Economically speaking, these curb markets
are the commonest and simplest form Of CO.
operative marketing They are usually open
one to three days a week-sometimes every day
in the week-at specified hours They net
charge Of about per cent Of sales for over
head and sometimes rate manager. Some
put bit more dog than others by follow
ing simple rules of grading and standardizing
of products. For this "city service slightly
higher price IS exacted of the purchaser for
eggs, butter, cheese, apples and other fruit than
he would pay bit further down the road A
ACdi tou1H VI OcduIy oilu SPi lSltllLCoS OAeCAA
color these markets when special days, such as
"daffodil day" Easter market" and Christ
mas market" days. held. Flowers and
wreatlas then adorn these roadside stands in
profusion and one fingers to enjoy their fra
GRANGE, beauty and stirred memories, if not to
purchase.
In West Virginia, as result of the need OF
increased farm income, there has been organ
lied the Mountain State Home Industries
off oct rnio Thoro Y1Nyu
of these shops in as many cities in the State
and they do an annual business of approM-
mately $4,000. Each one is under the man
agement of a county chairman and has paid