Cornell Xllntversit^ Xibrari? IRew IPock State Colleae of agriculture C.iA<....%s:3£~. 1633 Cornell University Library S 521.T475 The home on the farm and its improvement 3 1924 000 971 733 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000971733 SCIENCE m FAMING, A TEXT-BOOK OF The Elements of Agriculture, Inelnding Agricultural Chemistry. BY E. S. THOMPSON. Printed on Heavy Tinted Pa]ier, Elegantly Sound in Cloth, Price by Mail, Post-paid, $1.00. The book has been written in responfe to the widely ex- pressed desire for a text-book of tlie kind that should be thor- ough and complete, and yet within the cemprehension of all who are willing to give a reasonable degree of study to the subject. The chanter on Chemistry is thorough and complete, and fits the student for tlie comprehension of other scientific writings. The other cliapters consider the soil and the air; how the plant grows an.l liow the animal lives; the composi- tion, character, and uses of foods; the laws of feeding; results of experiments in feed'ng; proper combination of foods for different purposes; methods of saving and using fertilizers; valuation of foodts, fertilizers. The book contains a great number of valuable tables, many of which can he obtained in no other book. The book is one of Great Practical Value to every intelligent farmer. The tables of the valuation of different measures will alone be worth many times the price of the book. SCIEiNXE IN FARMING is by no means a book of mere theory. It contains the results of the latest experiments and investigations, by the ablest agriculturaliats of the day. It should be in every farmer's library. Address all orders to TEE FAEM ECONOMIST, Springfield, Oluo. THE HOME ON THE FARM AND ITS IMPROYEMENT. BY A CORPS OF WRITERS: R. S. THOMPSON, MRS. M. D. KB WISH, ''BE TH sample;' ''HA ZLE T7," MAGGIJ: J. HENDERSON, MRS. CLARA D.OLNEI. PnBUSHED BY THE FaBMEES' AdVAKCE, SPEINGFIELD, OHIO. i383, COPYRIGHT, 1883, BY R. S. THOMPSON. SUCCESS II FARIIIG, A Series of Practical Talks With Farmers, — BY— 'Waldo F. IBro-wn, One of the Most Popular Pgncultural Writers in the United States. SandsoTYiely Printed on Heavij Tinted Paper and Elegantly Bound in Cloth. The Book is Well Arranged and Systematized, aad Full of Practical Common Sense. PRICE, by Mail, Posfpnid - OJSfi: DOLLAR. Published by The Farm Economist, Springfield, 0. Its twenty-one chapters coiifiiiJer: Whatcon=tUutP8 puccess In t';trmijg? pelfClioi) ot fiirni, niaiiageinent, biiiltliiigs, fences, draining, fertilizinir, liiretl lielp, iinpltneiits, wheat, corn, grasses, clover, poia'os, Rprci;il crops, fruit, garden, stock, poultry, timber, and country homes. WHAT IS SAID OF " SUCCESS IN FARMING." Two Chapters Worth More than the Price cf the Book. I liave received Succkss in Farming, and I h;ive received from two chapters — " Fitrra IJuilding " and " Hired Help " — beuetic worth far more than the price of the book. Frankfurt, Ohio. A. B. Clink. Every Farmer Ought to Ha-s^e It. I have read Success in Fakmixg, and every farrner oiisht to have it. It suniafsos my mo^t sanguine expectations. There is no theory ahout it. It is sdl, facts. A cliild caa understand it. It only needs to be read to be npprec inted. :pacon P. 0., Ohio. JpsisPii Love, INTKODUCTION. This book, as will be seen by the title page, is by- several diflerent writers, but it has been the aim not to make a mere scrap book, but a work that should harmonize throughout. How far we have succeeded in this, the reader must be the judge. We had but little occasion to use the works of other writers. The poetry was picked up where we could find it. We knew who were the authors of some of the poems; others we did not. One piece, in the stress of the occasion, was written for the book. Mrs. Henderson's cook book, and "Housekeeping in the Bine Grass," have each been borrowed from, to the extent of a few receipts. The book was published that it might be useful. We send it out into the world, hoping that it may accomplish the end of its being. CONTENTS. PA.GE CHAPTER I. THE HOME ON THE FARM. .... 9 CHAPTER 11. BUILDIKG THE HOME 15 CHAPTER III. wrrHiN DOORS 29 CHAPTER IV. AROUND THE HOUSE 53 CHAPTER V. FLOWERS FOR THE HOME. . . . , 71 CHAPTER VI. HOUSE KEEPraa .89 CHAPTER VII. MANNERS 113 CHAPTER VIII. LEISURE HOURS . . 183 CHAPTER IX. HEALTH IN THE HOME 148 CHAPTER X. BREAKFAST, DINNER AND TEA. . . . 167 THE HOME OH THE FARM. -'Twere well if often To rugged fai'm-life came the gift To harmonize and soften. "If more and more we found the troth. Of fact and fancy plighted; And culture's charm and labors strength In rural homes united. "The simple life, the homely hearth, With beauties sphere enshrouding, And blessing toil where toil abounds, "With graces more abounding." CHAPTER I. THE HOME ON THE FARM.. The chief end of all human labor is human hap- piness. The chief source of pure and elevating happiness is the home. The sweetest title that has ever been given to the heaven for which we long is "the home over there." The nearest approach to heaven . that can be found upon the earth is a home in which abide peace, taste and culture and over which Love spreads her protecting wing. The best inheritance a man leaves his family is the memory of such a home ;' the best gift he can make society is a family reared in such a home's pure atmosphere. Then, as the chief end of all human labor is happi- ness, and as happiness is found chiefly in the home, it is evident that the chief end of all labor on the farm, is the home on the farm. The measure of a man's success in farming is the character of his home, and science in farming is valuable in proportion as it en- ables the farmer, by wise management of soil and crops, to attain a better, a more comfortable and happy home for wife and family. The aim of the farmer should therefore be, not alone to improve his soil and increase the productions of his farm. This should be done, but it should be as the means to an end — the end being a bettei 2 lO THE HOME ON THE FAKiVt. home, more of the comforts and joys of life for his family, and more opportunity for moral, social and in- tellectual advancement and elevation. It is a mistake to suppose that a comfortable and happy home is attainable only to men of large means. Money is useful in the home, but money alone can never make one. It may make a palace, it cannot make a home. We have seen elegant buildings cost- ing thousands of dollars, furnished with lavish expenditure and provided with every luxury and con- venience heart could desire or money purchase, and which were not homes. Money is useful, a wonderful blessing, but there are some things which cannot be bought with money, and a home is one of these. Some of the happiest homes we have ever known were those of men with small farms and very moder- ate means. There comes now before our mind the JDicture of two homes — very ideal homes, yet they are the homes of men the world calls poor. There is no place where the very ideal of a perfect home can be so nearly reached as on the farm. In the production of the true home there must be intelligence, and no class has more natural intelli gence than farmers and no persons are more favored by circumstances and surroundings for the develop- ment of intellect. If a farmer's family care for neither mental pleasures nor intellectual advance- ment, the cause is not to be found in their occupation, but in lack, either of inherited ability or proper train- ing. There must be taste and refinement to make a home, and where will we find surroundings so well calculated to guide and develop the taste, and refine and elevate the character, as on the farm ? Do not THE HOME ON THE FARM. 11 the graceful vines, and blossoming iiuwers, and bend- ing trees, and fragrant winds unite to teach lessons the most elevating and refining ? Surely, if there is any place on earth where Nature has indicated that taste, refinement, intelligence and culture should be found, it is in the home upon the farm. The character of a home has an influence upon the character of its inmates, which has not always been fully recognized. We are unconsciously influenced in tastes and character by that which surrounds us. If we are surrounded by that which is reflued and beautiful, we learn to love that which is refined and beautiful in moral and intellectual life. If we are surrounded by ugliness and coarseness in physical things, ugliness and coarseness of mind and heart will cease to be repulsive to us. It is therefore the duty of every man who has a family, to surround them with all that will tend to refine their characters, elevate their lives and develop within them the love for the true, the good and the beautiful. And there is no place where this can be so well and so easily done as in the home upon the farm. The idea has been too long tolerated that there is something degrading in farming. We have been taught in our popular proverbs, in story books, lec- tures and sermons, that the " horny fisted son of toil " had need for much muscle and little brains, and that any exhibition of love for elegance, refinement and beauty was an indication of unfitness for the position. We have been taught that farmers should be con- tent to wear coarse clothes, eat coarse food, use coarse language and have coarse homes^ We have been taught that farmers and their boys and girls ought 12 THE HOME ON THE FARM. not to strive " to rj's9 above their station." It is great- ly to the credit of the farmers that they have never fully accepted this doctrine although it has been taught for centuries. Nor is there a shadow of truth in the doctrine. There can be nothing intrinsically degrading in the occupation which the Good Father gave to man in his primitive innocence. To say that the farmer is degraded by his occupation, is to offer an insult to the Creator. Of course a farmer ought not to go beyond his means in dress, or house, or style of living, but there is no reason why a farmer should not have as com- fortable and attractive a home, as well educated a family, and live as well, and dress as well, use as good language and have as good manners as any other man with an equal income. There is nothing in his occu- pation that need interfere. It is not necessary that a farmer should be ignor- ant, or his family uneducated. There is no place where education can be of more practical value, nor where it can be the source of more unalloyed pleas- ure than on the farm. There is no class better fitted with the natural ability to acquire and use an educa- tion than the farmers. Neither is it necessary that farmers should be coarse and rude in their manners, and unacquainted with the laws of good breeding. There is nothing in the occupation that is in any way incompatible with true gentility. It is one of the good signs of the times that (this old idea, of which we have spoken, is rapidly passing away. Farmers are beginning to have a higher appre- ciation of themselves .and of their calling, and are THE H05IE ON THE FARM. 13 securing from other classes a recognition of its true character. There is no way in which they can ac- complish more in this direction than by the improve- ment of home and home life. As has already been shown, the character of the farmer and his family will be influenced to a large extent by the home in which they live. Inasmuch, then, as the character of those who follow the occu- pation will determine the respect it will receive from the world, it is evidently the farmer's duty to en- deavor to give himself and fjamily the hap,piest and most perfect home possible. He should cultivate his farm, feed his stock and improve his soil, having ever in view the great end of a home supplied with more comforts and adorned with more attractions. He should strive to elevate himself, mentally, morally and socially, and study to surround his family with influences that will educate their minds, reflne their tastes and elevate their characters. This is a duty which he owes to himself, to his family, to his calling, to his community and to his country. To awaken a deeper interest in, and higher appre- ciation of the true home ; to incite all farmers to greater efforts in the improvement of their homes, to show that a home worthy of the name is attainable by all ; and to aid those who are desirous of better and happier homes, by giving them the experience of those who have traveled the same road before, is the purpose of this book. THE HOUSE THAT HAS CLOSETS. How dear to the heart of the house-keeping woman Are comforts of which so few architects tell ; Nice children, good servants and plenty of room in The*well fitted mansion in which they must dwell. But the first of the blessings kind fortune can give her, If she in the city or country abide, Is that which she longs for and covets forever, The big, airy closet, her joy and her pride — The roomy, clean closet, the well ordered closet, • The big, airy closet, her joy and her pride. The house may be perfect from garret to cellar. Well lighted, well aired, with cold water and hot, And yet to the eye of a feminine dweller. If closetless, all is as if it were not. How oft has she sunk like a dove that is wounded, How oft she has secretly grumbled and sighed, Because she saw not, though with all else surrounded, The big, airy closet, her joy and her pride — The roomy, clean closet, the well ordered closet, The big airy closet, her joy and her pride. CHAPTER II. BUILDING THE HOME. The first point to consider in preparing to build a home is the location on the farm. The nearer the center of the farm the home can be placed, the more convenient it will be for-those who work the farm, and the legs distance will have to be traveled from the house to the fields and from the fields to the barn. This saving of labor will be so considerable in a life-time that it will pay to secure a location 'as near .the center of the farni as is con- sistent with other interests. It is not, however, a good plan to put the house a quarter or half mile from the public road. When possible the home lot should front on the road. Otherwise, either a lane must be kept up, which in- volves waste of land and unnecessary fencing, or else the house must be approached through a series of gates, which, when in good order, give considerable trouble, and when in bad order are an intolerable nuisance. Besides, the home will be more pleasant and cheer- ful if the inmates can see the passers-by upon the road. The women of the family, who are often kept considerably within doors, obtain much pleas- ure and companionship in this way. In the dark 16 THE HOME ON THE FARM. ages, habitations were set as far from the highway as possible in order to be out of the reach of traveling marauders. In this country and this age, we no longer need to make our homes fortifications, and comfort, convenience and sociability alike advise us to have the home lot front upon the public road. Convenience to neighbors should also be considered in determining the place for the home lot. The woman in a farm home is often left alone, or with one or two little children, while the men are at a distant part of the farm, and the older children at school, and her situation is not very pleasant nor always safe, if there is no other house within sight or call. When two farms join, it will often improve the condition of life in both homes, if the houses are put within hailing distance, and the social advantages and safety for wife and little ones thus gained may often well be allowed to outweigh considerations of con- venience to the farm. While the corner of the farm is the worst place in which to put the home, with reference to convenience to the farm, yet when four farms corner together, if the four homes are placed in the adjoining corners the advantages of companionship and mutual help may far outweigh the disadvantage of distance to travel across the farm. In the newer sections of country where farms are being laid out, this idea might often be put into practice, and little farm com- munities formed which would greatly relieve the loneliness and other dispdvantages of a new country. It will be seen, then, that the points to be consid- ered in selecting the site for the house are : 1. Convenience to the farm. 2. Convenience to road. BUILDING THE HOME. 17 3. Convenience to neighbors. And that the first consideration should be made subordinate to the other two. SIZE OP HOME LOT. The size of farm and house must be taken into con- sideration in deciding this question. If a man has but forty acres of land on which to make a living, it would usually be absurd for him to devote five acres of that to lawn and park around his house. On the other hand there is nothing more pitiful than to see a great barn of a house set on an eighth of an acre of land, and with a high fence all around it. We are always reminded of a prison or a work house. Let it be remembered that the object of the farm is to furnish health, comfort and happiness to the in- mates of the home, and that a reasonable amount of land will do more for the accomplishment of this ob- ject, if used in a home lot, than it could if planted in corn and potatoes. If the home lot is to include only the house, lawn, flower garden, back yard, woodshed, etc., a half acre will be a very fair size ; but if in the home lot is to be included the poultry yard, vegetable garden, etc., an acre is as little as should be used for the purpose. Of course, if a. farmer cannot possibly spare more than a quarter, or even an eighth of an acre for the home, he must do the best he can with this, and by taste and judgment, quite an attractive home can be made even with such narrow surroundings. But we think he should study the matter well before deciding that he cannot devote at least half an acre to the home. 18 THE HOME ON THE FARM. DISTANCE PKOM ROAD. While we believe that when practicable the home lot should front on the road, we are far from believ- ing that the house should be on the front edge of the home lot. That abomination— a house crowded to the very edge of the highway — ^should be left to the unfortunate dwellers in cities and towns who cannot help themselves. Let us have the farm house near enough to the road to look cheerful and sociable, but not so near as to make a respectable front yard im- possible, to destroy privacy and cause the house to be filled with dust by every passing vehicle. We would never put a farm house within fifty feet of the road, and would prefer a hundred or a hundred and fifty if that distance were obtainable. SIZE OP HOUSE. The present and prospective needs of the family must be considered in determining the size to build. A large house does not cost as much in proportion to its size as a small one, and if a large house will be needed it is better, if possible, to erect it in the first place. But a large house that is not needed is an in- vestment of capital which brings no return, a constant expense for taxes, insurance and repairs, and adds greatly to the labor of the family, as dirt will accu- mulate in rooms, whether they are occupied or not, and compel attention. A house of moderate size, wisely planned and adapted to the needs of the fami- ly which is to occupy it, will give better satisfaction than one which is unnecessarily large. But of one thing beware. Do not build for the sake of outdoing your neighbors. Build a house that BUILDING THE HOME. 19 will meet your needs, build for comfort, build for con- venience, build to make a home, but do not build a monument to show that you have more money than your neighbors. A plain and unpretentious cottage may be neat, homelike, comfortable and genteel. A house which bears upon its face the fact that it was built to exhibit the amount of money its owner was able to invest in a house, is always and irredeemably vulgar. In building, let the motto be : " Every dollar that can be spared, for comfort and convenience, beauty and taste, but not one cent for mere display." FRONTAGE. Some writers advise that under all circumstances the house should be made to stand square with the points of the compass. Where the roads are laid out north, south, east and west, this will do very well, but nothing looks worse than a house just a little out of true with the road. We should advise that, when practicable, the house should stand true with the road. There may even be an advantage in having a house present its corners instead of its sides to the points of the compass. In the latter case there may be rooms in the house which will have only north windows, and which, consequently, will get but little direct sunshine from April to October and none what- ever from October to April. When a house stands with the corners towards the cardinal points every room will be certain to receive the direct rays of the sun at some time during the day. We think east is the best direction for the house to face. By this the back of the house will be in the 20 THE HOME ON THE FAKM. shade during the morning, and the front will have shade during the afternoon and evening, the portions of the day wlien this part of the house is most likely to be used. Next to an eastern front we would com- mend one to the south. This will leave the whole front in the shade after four o'clock on summer after- noons, and will make the front rooms cheerful in winter, when sunlight is welcome. The kitchen should be on the west side if practicable. When this cannot be, arrangements should be made for shading it from sunrise till noon. A kitchen in summer-time is warm enough at the best, without being subjected to the direct rays of a July sun. PLANNING THE HOME. It is not the purpose of this book to furnish ready- made plans for houses, but rather to offer hints that will be helpful to the young farmer in selecting his plan. Shall the house be one-story, a story-and-a-half, or two-story ? A one-story house is convenient; there are no stairs to go up and down. It is but a short trip from bed rooms to sitting room or kitchen. For a small family a one-story house is often pleasant, comfort- able and convenient. It costs more in proportion to the number of rooms it contains than either a story- and-a-half or two-story house. In malarial regions it is not considered wise to sleep on the first floor. When a large family is to be provided for, a one-story house of sufficient size would cover so much ground as to cease to be convenient. A story-and-a-half house is usually tlic most iucon- BUILDING THE HOME. 21 venient and uneconomical that can be built. It costs almost as much as a two-story house, for it requires the same amount of foundation, floors and roof, and these are the most expensive portions of the buil(^ing. The half story rooms are usually uncomfortable, can seldom be properly ventilated and are warm in sum- mer. If the extra space of. the half story is needed only for storage, and the builder can stand the ex- pense for this purpose, and for the sake of additional coolness in the lower rooms, it may be well to build a story-and-a-half ; but if the upper rooms are needed for permanent habitation it will be far better to be at the extra expense of continuing the walls a few feet higher and making a two-story house. What shall be the general formof the house? Taste, circumstances, and surroundings will have to be consulted in deciding this question. It will be well to remember that the nearer the house approaches to a true square the less outside wall will be required in proportion to the inner capacity, and the' less will be the expense of keeping it warm. Perfectly square houses, however, are rarely either handsome or con- venient. A little irregularity in the form of a house not only improves its appearance, but gives better opportunities for securing light and ventilation. When the soil and drainage will permit, every house should have a good cellar. It costs something at the first, but will be a permanent source of econo- my and convenience. No man has a right to expect his wife to go perhaps a hundred yards down a hill to a spring-house when it is possible for him to provide her with a good, cool, airy cellar with a concrete or cement floor. If the location is such that drainage for the cellar cannot be obtained, you will be better 22 THE liOME ON THE FAKM. off without one. A wet cellar renders the whole house unwholesome and many a so called "mysteri- ous dispensation of Providence " might be traced to an undrained cellar. Whether you have a cellar or not, abundant means should be provided for permitting a free circulation of air beneath the house. Of course the openings for this purpose should be so arranged that they can readily be closed during severe weather, otherwise the house will have cold floors, a fruitful source of ill health. If the house is to be of brick, the foundation should, when practicable, be of stone, with a good stone cop- ing to prevent the ascent of moisture in the wall. A frame house may rest on a brick foundation, but stone is more durable and is to be preferred where the ex- pense is not too great. Where stone is not obtainable, an excellent substitute is sometimes to be found in concrete. Have the foundation built up a reasonable distance above the level of the ground. A house set close to the ground is likely to be damp and unhealthy. A single step from the level of the yard to the floor of the house is not sufficient. Better set the house at least two feet above the level of the ground, and then grade up so that the floor of the verandah will be eight inches above the yard, and the floor of the house eight inches above that of the verandah. This grad- ing up secures drainage around the house, and also gives the needed elevation without so many steps. At the back of the house the grading should be suf- ficient to require but one step to the kitchen floor. One of the most objectionable characteristics of a house is dampness. Brick houses are more likely to BtJILt)IN& THE HOME. 23 be damp than frame ones, and many persons imagine that the moisture soaks through the walls. This is sometimes the case, but the " sweating " of a brick wall is more often the result of its coldness, which condenses the atmospheric moisture upon it in the same way that dew is condensed on the outer surface of an ice-pitcher. Whatever the cause of dampness in a brick wall may be, it can be entirely overcome by " furring " the walls, instead of applying the plas- tering directly to the bricks, as is commonly done. "Furring" consists in nailing strips of inch lumber about two feet apart up and down the inside walls and lath and plastering on these, Ihe same as on the studding of a frame house. The walls of a brick house treated in this manner will be neither damp nor cold and the rooms will never have that chilliness which causes many persons to object to a brick house. The walls of frame houses may be made much warmer by brick-nogging them, the spaces between the studding and between the weather-boarding and lathing being filled in with brick. Soft and imperfect brick are commonly used for this purpose, and clay for mortar. We have seen frame houses built in this way which were as warm as any brick house. Walls thus prepared burn much less rapidly than the ordi- nary hollow-frame wall. Paper is now much used in house building, the frame being covered with build- ing paper before the weather-boarding is put on. This keeps out the wind, but does not interfere in any way with the progress of a fire. In deciding on the plan, select one which gives a hall, even though it be but four feet square. If the front door opens directly into the parlor or sitting room, a cold blast of air, perhaps accompanied by rain 24 THE HOMH ON THE FAftM. or snow, will be admitted every time the door is opened in winter, and it will be impossible to keep the house comfortable or of an even temperature. We remember an old house built with a hall ten feet wide, extending clear through, with big folding doors at each end, and in summer-time this big hall was constantly used as the family sitting room, for it was always airy and always cool. But if a big hall cannot be obtained, strive to have at least an entry. Let the front door open from a verandah or portico; it gives the house an air of cheerfulness and hospitality. Moreover, it is extremely unpleasant for a visitor who has arrived in a storm to be compelled to stand in the ram, awaiting the perhaps rather tardy answer to his summons. A verandah is better than a portico, and if it is of a liberal width, say six or eight feet, it makes a pleasant place for family and visitors to gather on summer evenings. A back porch at the kitchen is both convenient and helpful, especially if it is partly closed in so as to be somewhat protected from the weather. The cistern pump may well be on this porch, and here may be a convenient shelf for wash bowl, a roller towel, looking glass, comb and btush, etc., so that the men on coming from their work may make themselves presentable before efitering the house. Here, also, may be a closet in which overalls, rubber coats, etc., can be hung. A long box against the wall, with a hinged lid, will serve the double pur- pose of a seat and a place for keeping rubber boots, slippers, blacking brush, etc. With a back porch and such conveniences, which are simple, cheap and easily provided, the men com- ing Irom their work to their meals can readily wash, leave their overalls, and put on clean coats, exchange BtOXDING THE HOME. 26 muddy boots for clean slippers, and enter the house clean, pleasant and comfortable. It is necessary for a farmer to go about the stable and the pig pen, but it is not necessary for him to bring the perfumes of these places into his dining room. It is a mistake to attempt to economize in building by making the ceilings low. Very little is gained in cost, while much is lost in health and comfort. The correct hight of the ceilings will depend a little on the size of the rooms. Large rooms necessitate higher ceilings. For most farm houses ten feet will be found a good hight for the first srory and nine for the sec- ond. Low ceilings render a house close, dark and unhealthy. On the other hand, ceilings which are unnecessarily high make the rooms difficult to warm, and give them an appearance of lonesomeness. Every room in the house should be so arranged that it can secure the direct rays of the sun at some time during the day. Sunshine is the best of all disinfec- tants, a sweetener of homes and of hearts. Secure abundance of light in every room. Glass is nearly as cheap as bricks or lumber, and large windows add but little to the cost of a building. A dark house is never a healthy, and seldom a clean one. Dirt which can not be seen is not likely to be removed. Windows should be long, occupying as nearly all the space between floor and ceiling as possible. When the distance from floor to window sill is three feet or more, the room is likely to have a prison-like appearance, and good ventilation cannot be secured unless the windows reach well towards the ceiling. Both upper and lower sashes should be movable, and box. frames are by far the most desirable. The extra cost at first is not great, and the economv in catches 3 26 THE HOIIE ON THE FARM. which are always getting out of repair, and the saving in glass,brokenby the occasional fall of a sash, mak« them much the cheapest in the end. On no account allow the upper sash to be fastened in. ]No room can be rightly ventilated unless means can be provided for the escape of warm and impure air from the upper portion of the room. There is nothing so dear to the heart of the orderly housewife as a house well supplied with closets. It is true we have heard housekeepers accused of using closets as mere storehouses for rubbish, but not so does the tidy housekeeper. She uses closets for the safe storage of things which, if left about the house, make disorder and confusion, accumulate dirt, and are themselves injured by exposure to dust. If, then, the house-builder desires to make the wife who is to occupy it supremely happy, and at the same time to save her unnecessary care and labor, let him see that every room in the house, except the parlor, has at least one good closet. Not a little pigeon box of a place, but a good roomy closet that will be of some service and can be kept clean. In each bed room should be a closet with hooks for hanging coats and dresses, and above these one or two shelves. In the dining room should be a large closet with shelves for dishes, and drawers for table cloths, napkins, spoons, knives and forks, etc. In many farm houses such a closet will be found more convenient and useful than an expensive "side-board." In planning the general arrangement of the house care and thought should be taken to save the house- wife every unnecessary step. If possible, the family bed room should be on the first floor, adjoining the sitting room, and not too far from the kitchen. When BUILDING THE HOME. 27 the wife and mother is doing the work of the house- hold, or even superintending it, and perhaps caring for a restless baby or a sick child, she should not be compelled to make frequent journeys up and down a flight of stairs between kitchen and bedroom. The floors of the rooms should be on the same level. When there is a step down from the kitchen to the back porch, two more steps, perhaps, down to the pump, then one or two up to the wood shed, a fearful amount of a woman's strength is consumed in these unnecessary steps. Wood and water should both be under cover, and where they can be reached with but few steps from the kitchen stove. While the size of the rooms must to a certain extent be governed by the size of the house and the depth of the builder's purse, small bed rooms should be avoided. If room is scarce, it will be better to omit, altogether, that state parlor, the furnishing of which so often draws heavily on the purse, and which too frequently is kept the year around in solemn lonelier ness and darkness, and devote more space to the bed rooms. Very siHall bed rooms are liable to be close and unhealthy. The kitchen also should be of liberal size. The farmer who has "all out-of-doors" for his work room, and then complains sometimes that it is "close," ought not to expect his wife to do the cooking for a family shut up with a red hot cook stove in a sevgrt^ bj^-niije kitchen, THE HEARTHSTOHE LIGHT. Gleam warm and bright, O hearthstone light I And make it sunny weather This raging, roaring winter's night, For old and young together I Give goodly cheer, as, gathered here In tenderest communion, We watch the waning of the year With hearts and hopes in union ; And tells us Time is in his prime. Though fade the chill Decembers — That Love has e'er its tropic clime Ai'ound your glowing embers ! O home-light warm ! shield from the storm, And from all blight and chilling. Henceforth for aye each tender form Within your gladness thrilling ! Fore'er shut out all dark and doubt. And every danger from us. And weave our future all about With hope's beguiling promise. While Age its youth, in seeming truth. Bears to the distant portal Where Life knows ne'er a thought of ruth. And Youth is made immortal 1 CHAPTER III. WITHIN DOORS. At that season of the year when Spirea lifts its feathery blooms, and hundred-leaf and musk-cluster roses are filling old fashioned gardens with their sweetness, there often comes the memory of a coun- try home, whose rest and beauty and Christian in- fluence, for nearly half a century, found their way into many lives, as sweetly and quietly as the breath from flower gardens comes in at open windows. Who is there who cannot recall some such country home ? Without, bees humming over lilac hedges and beds of tulips, red and yellow, in the sunshine. Within, cool and shadowy, with not a fleck of dust on the home-made carpet or well-worn splint chairs, or on the high mantelshelf whose ornaments of feather fans and quaint silhouettes, in mahogany frames, were unchangeable as the old clock on the corner-board, where it had stood so long ticking away the peaceful summers and merry winters. The winters were indeed merry in the old time farm house 1 Great logs blazed in the chimney place, and there were appleparings and quiltings ; and on many an even- ing guests and home folks would gather around the long table, where wax candles reflected their light in the polished top, and it was a mellow flute that gave 30 mi2 aoMi! oif the farm. the first fluttering notes of " Bonnie Doon," or, "Blue Eyed Mary," or, was joined by a chorus of voices in " Scots Wha Hae " until the rafters rang again. But times are changed, and we are changed with them^ The old farm house is falling into decay and another is rising in its place. Dimly burning candles have given way to the bright oil lamp, and the low ilute to the sweet, clear notes of A piano, and the yoilng fanner and his wife who cannot have many things that were part of the life of the old house feel the need of something to take their place — but let them be- ware lest they let fade, with the past, that which will be a loss to self and home. First, are simplicity and truth, for without these no country home is lovely. Instinct teaches almost every one that the elaborate furniture which looks well in lofty city dwellings is out of taste when it tries to make a home for itself in a broad-roofed, airy country house. But above all, let truth be kept in the country home. Let the house never appear to be what it is not, any more than the dwellers in it would assume to be what they are not. The chief need which we feel in the modem farm house is a style of furnishing which will lighten the labor of the housewife. Argue as one may there is no escaping the fact that the women of to- day have not more than half the strengh of the wo- men who inhabited the old farm house, and yet they are expected to accomplish an equal amount of labor, and, in addition are burdened with more care. Let us see if the new house, then, cannot be furnished in a manner to lighten the labor and make its per- formance more of a pleasure. The front door of the old farm house often opened into a hall — let us hope that the new house has one WITHIN D00K9. 31 also, and, that it is the usual way for the ftming in and going out of the family and of strangers. If the floor of the hall is of good wood it may be oiled. Two coats of the following mixture : One pint turpentine, one pint litharge (or dryer) and three pints boiled linseed oil, will give pine wood a light brown color which is darkened by each successive coat and by age. The oil is put on with a brush and with the grain of the wood. Such an oiled Hoor can be easily kept clean in the country, where there is little dust to settle upon it, by being wiped with a damp cloth once a week, and by having a serviceable door mat just outside, where every one should be polite enough to wipe their feet before entering. This is al- together a great saving of strength in lifting heavy carpets and furniture in house cleaning. But if the bare oiled floor is not liked, a white or checkered matting is perhaps the next best thing for summer wear, and can be replaced in winter by a carpet of some quiet color, and, if possible, of a conventional design. There should be a table in the hall (provided there is no hat-rack), of dark wood and solid and sensible looking, where hats and coats may be laid. Above, a large looking glass, of about the same width as the table is long, should hang, but if this is be- yond the purse of the house furnisher a small hand- glass costing not more than fifty cents or one dollar, can be kept in a drawer of the table, together with a comb and brush, for the use of the stranger who may fear coming into the parlor with disordered locks. Or, the table lackine: a drawer, all three can be kept in a prettily lined basket on the table. Besides the table there should be one or two plain, but comfort- able chairs, or an old fashioned settle with tastefu,! 3S THE HOME ON THE FARM. I* cushions. If there is a window in the hall it should be curtained with some heavy material of a neutral or quiet color. Double-faced canton flannel is good and keeps fresh much langer in the country than in town. Double width goods is sixty-two inches wide and costs about eighty cents per yard, while the single is about half the width and half the price. Olive green of medium shade makes a much hand- somer curtain if a band of old gold or deep crimson, of the same material, nine inches wide, be stitched across at just the hight of the windowsill. Another band may be stitched across the curtain ten inches from the top. The best and most tasteful way to hang such a cur- tain is to buy the pole and rings, kept at furnishing or dry-goods houses, for that purpose. The cheapest of these poles will cost one dollar or one dollar and fifty cents. They are easily fastened to the window jam by means of screws, and the curtain, which is made just long enough to clear the floor an inch, is fastened to the rings at equal distances. One necessary piece of furniture for the hall is a lamp. The handsomest for this purpose is a hanging globe, but if this is too expensive a side bracket lamp will be quite as useful. One of these latter, with a reflector that can be turned in any direction may be had for the small sum of a dollar and a half, and if lighted regularly after dusk will add much to the cheerfulness and comfort of tbe house. A door from the hall leads into the parlor. It is a cheery room where the sun comes in at the windows, and where in winter time a bright fire is burning on the hearth. In summer it is kept cool and free from flies by closed shutters and wire window-screens, and ■^ITHtlSr DOOKg. 33 at any season of the year it is the place the family naturally gather when the heavier work of the day is done. Mother and daughter bring their light sewing' here, and the farmer looks forward to his noon in the par- lor where his easy chair and newspaper await him. The sunny faces of the children are found there at al- most any hour of the day, and, while they are as merry as crickets, they understand that here their play is never to be boisterous or trouble»ome in any way to others. They obey, too, the rule which per- mits a limited number of playthings and [only those which will not cause much disorder in the room. If such a parlor have nothing better upon the floor than a home-made carpet, and nothing more by way of furniture than a few plain chairs, a comfortable lounge, creton curtains of dainty design, a shelf with a few books, a table with a good lamp, the latest news- paper and magazine, and the rule which govern all who enter, be love to his neighbor, it will become the spot of all the neighborhood where people like to go. But if the farmer is able to furnish the parlor better, why not gratify the taste of his family and himself? being careful in the furnishing, however, to avoid in every particular all that might look flashy or be only for show. An exceedingly pleasant parlor in the house of a well-to-do farmer had the floor oiled to the width of two and a half feet around the edges and the center covered with an ingrain carpet in shades of brown, with a dark red border. The windows looked toward the east, and, with true artistic taste, the walls had been papered with a delicate buiF. In summer the window curtains were creamy cheese-cloth, hung from poles, and iu winter they were replaced by warm 84 THE fiOMfi ON Tfifi I'AftM. looking ones of dark red felt. The latter had been lined, by the deft fingers of the farmer's eldest daughter, with canton flannel of the same shade. The piano cover was of brown felt, trimmed with a band of plush matching the curtains in color, and a scarf table cover was like it, with only the addition of a red fringe. Open bookshelves, about four and a half feet in height, ran across one end of the room, and the top was covered with a scarf of dark red felt. Here the ornaments of the room — and they were few — were placed. Among them was a large bronze colored vase filled with purple asters or red chrysan- themums, as the season might be. Beside the vase, on a small easel, was the photograph of a youthful Juno, which had as an appropriate and beautiful background, an immense fan of peacock feathers. Of the two framed pictures which the room boasted one hung above the boolish elves and the other over the mantelpiece. The latter was a good engraving of " The Holy Family," by Knaus, and the beauty of the virgin mother's face, and the sweetness of the child angels who pressed about her, and the wonder- ful babe on her knee seemed to pervade the atmos- phere of the already lovely room. Another parlor, equally pleasant and restful, and where one was always sure to meet cheery friends, whether the evening were a sultry summer one or snow lay thick on the ground, was more plainly fur- nished. During the winter the floor was covered with a good Ingram carpet of some geometrical pat- tern in shades of gray, brightened by a few lines of red. A warm red rug lay before the open fire. The sofa was covered with rep of the same shade, and a cushion for the sewing chair and a footstool repeated Within DoofeS. 35 the color. On a small table, drawn near the fire, were kept the latest newspapers, a small work basket and a polished student lamp. There was a larger table in the room which held the ihkstand and other writing materials, and where, on winter evenings, the simple tea was occasionally served. After the tea things were removed, the chil- dren, with a lamp to themselves, would gather around the table with their games, their drawing or their books. In summer fragrant white matting took the place of the carpet. A linen cover was put over the warm looking sofa, and the white muslin window cur- tains, with only a simple trimming of bullion fringe, were fresh laundried, without starch, and tied back with ribbons. Three small hanging shelves were sufficient to hold the few well read books that had found their way, one by one, into the house, and over the mantel shelf hung another refining influence — a large and fine engraving of Sir Joshua Reynolds' "Angel Heads." It was the first thing to greet the eye upon entering, and its gentle influence seemed to follow one's going out. As a little country girl said, "she felt happier every time for looking at it." One rule to be remembered in fitting up the parlor and all other rooms of the farm house is, that while one should furnish as well as his means will allow, he should, on the other hand, never g> beyond the limits of his purse — that is, nothing should be bought that cannot be renewed, without great efi"ort, when worn out. In curtains and carpets quiet colors are always in good taste, although they may not be just at the hight of the fashion. But if bright colors are liked better, they should incline toward the richer, darker shades. Eooms looking toward the south require cool 36 tHE HOME ON THE FARjf. colors, such as grays, and even blue is sometimes suitable. But perhaps the best hangings for the south (or for the east) are the medium shades of olive green now so plentifully manufactured. They light up very cheerfully, too, when decorated with bands of light yellow or lemon color. Eooms with a northern aspect are more pleasing if the walls have a faint red flush, or the hangings are of red or some other warm color. The present fashion of dark wall papers tends to lessen the apparent size of a room, while light coloring on the walls en- larges it. The best plan is to have the wood work (if it is painted instead of being oiled) somewhat lighter than the carpet, and the walls a little lighter still. If the shade or color desired cannot be found in wall paper, calcimine may be used. The less of decided figure in a wall paper, the better background it becomes for pictures — and of these, let us hope, there will be as many in the new farm house as can be afforded. By pictures to hang upon the walls we do not mean photographs of the family or of our friends. It is true that they are very dear to us, but that does not make them so to every one. Many of them are beautiful . to us, too, but that does not make them the less gazed upon with idle curiosity or unspoken criticism by others. Let the dear faces and figures then, some of them in the garb of past years and some in that of more modern times, be kept for our own room and for ourselves. See this fan-shaped cluster of faces arranged above the carved bracket? We loved them every one, and they loved us. This picture on the slender easel, WITHIN DOOES. 37 which stands upon the dressing-table, is that of the sister who journeyed into that " far country " so many years ago. How often she has brushed her long, fair hair before this very mirror! How many times her quiet voice has sounded in this room ! Oh, we may be pardoned if we stop often to look closer at the pic- ture through our tears. And if we sometimes lay a cluster, freshly gathered, of the flowers that she liked best, beside the faded picture, who is by to think it strange, or wonder at it ? Yes, let the dear, familiar faces, that are so much more lovely to us than to any one else, be kept out of the general sitting room — and something hang on the wall in their place — something that will be a pleasure to all. But what to choose is the first question. The best inexpensive pictures are photographs of paintings that have received time's and the world's verdict — good. But if a knowledge of these is lacking, the best plan is to have recourse to some friend whose advice may be relied upon — and if possible let the critical friend be the purchaser. A photograph from an etching by Aufrey, called "Trees and Water" and " The Mill " by Rembrandt are beautiful. " Mother and Child," from the Sistine Madonna, one will never weary of, and Heber's "Madonna of the Deliverance" in photograph form is worth ppssessing. Landseer's " Red Deer of iChillingham," and his " Wild Cattle " are just what one wants for a dining room. But in pictures which can only be procured in smaller photograh form — that is, when mounted on cardboard, measuring no more than 11x14 inches — one can scarcely go amiss if he ask for those of Mil- Jet;, the Freuch peasant painter, whJle."The Willows" 38 THE HOME ON THE FARM. etched after Oorot's painting, and Euysdael's " Trees and "Water " bring spring and summer into the house in midwinter. However, in selecting pictures, as in all other orna- ments and furnishings, let the choice be those that will give the most general pleasure. In one's own bedroom individual taste may reign supreme, not only in the style of furnishing and in choice of colors, but in the matter of pictures and knicknacks. One glance into such a room usually tells the story of the ocupant's character, and often it is the room that has cost less money and more thought that is most inviting. According to the taste or fancy the floor may have a large rug or drugget in the center, with an oiled bor- der of almost any width, or there may be several smaller rugs, or the floor be entirely covered with matting— solid red matting being handsome, if it can be obtained. For an example, the very dainty room of a young lady has the entire floor oiled, and before the dressing-bureau and table are laid spotless white rugs made from the fleece of Ootswold sheep. The toilet articles are of blue and white and the curtains of sprigged muslin are tied back with broad blue rib- bons. A small table has a scarf cover of dark blue felt, with a band of lighter blue finished by a shaded fringe. Several clear glass vases of graceful form, and two pictures — one of Sir Joshua's Strawberry Girl and the other a landscape of Ruysdael — on sil- vered- wire easels, stand on the manteJ -shelf, and show clearly against a broad band of blue that is piade by covering a very thin two-foot board with dark blue canton flannel. In wiftter, enrtaiiis of csviitpu of the ^ame sha^e qf WITHIN DOORS. 39 blue, and double faced, take the place of the white summer ones, and another rug, in blue and brown, is laid before the fire, and the chairs, which are of willow, have cushions added of blue wool goods. But before the daughter of the average farmer begins to think of adornments for her rooom, she must usually set her wits to work to know how comforts and even necessities can be obtained. First of all there must be a bedstead, a dressing-table, or bureau, and a washstand. Happy is she who with a full purse can buy just such a set, of oiled and carved walnut, as she wants. But happy too is she who with a more limited purse is still able to contrive that which will serve as well. It is true a bedstead cannot be made by her own hands, but the dressing table may be, as well as the washstand. If possible^ let the bedstead be of the modern kind, tolerably low, and so that the covers can be neatly tucked in. Let it be spread up smoothly — let the sheets be smooth and white, the blankets fresh and clean, and the comfort soft — of figured print, or of dark blue orjpink cambric. Over all the covers comes the white spread and then a comfortable bolster and two square pillows, But oh, let there be no ruffles, no tucks and no shams ! Let the bed be neat, well aired and unpretentious. It is for comfort and rest, and not for show. If one have a bureau, all that is needed to fit it for use is a few toilet articles — mats, a pincushion (and, by the way, the present style of resting the pin- cushion on an easel of silver wire is convenient as well as pretty), a fancy bag to catch scraps and a good comb and brush, etc. But if one have no bureau, the sensible way is to wake one of the old-fashion§d ' 40 THE HOME ON THE FARM. duchess dressing-tables by covering a suitable sized store-box with paper-muslin, of the desired color and shade, and to put over it a full curtain of plain or dotted Swiss. A large looking-glass should be hung above it, and a veil of the Swiss, fastened at the top with a large ribbon bow, fall gracefully at each side to the floor. When complete, there is no other dress- ing table so pretty and so suitable for a country bed- room. The washstand can be made in the same manner, and a wash-bowl and pitcher, soap-dish, tooth-brush stand, etc, must be bought for it. Of all things let personal neatness be in every way made pleasant and easy. Sets of white iron-stone china do not cost much and there is a great amount of com- fort in them. But if such absolutely cannot be afforded, one at least can have a tin basin and pitcher, a sponge, fresh towels and a nail and tooth brush. Curtains for the windows are cheaper, if of ordinary materials, than shades, and are certainly more pleas- ing. Such a room as this bed-room might have them of cheese-cloth — which costs not more than six or ten cents a yard — but they must hang in plentiful folds. Lonsdale muslin makes the most durable of curtains, and if trimmed with bands of cambric matching the lining of the dressing table and the toilet articles, are very pretty. A certain room that had the woodwork painted a peach-bloom color, and the toilet articles and the bands on such muslin cur- tains matching it to a shade, looked a little paradise. Oreton curtains for a bed-room are always beauti- ful, provided the design be upon a light ground — as, for instance, pink daisies on a white ground, or rose buds upon light bufl' or cream color — and if ottomans WITHIN DOORS. 41 and lounges are covered with the saliae material the room becomes a little bower. Chairs for such a room should be light, durable and tasteful. A willow chair of graceful form is all three in one, and with a knot of ribbon harmonizing with the leading color in the room it soon comes into fa- miliar relationship with the rest of the furniture. Continuing the matter of comfort in a bed-room — and comfort here means healthfulness, mention must be made of' warmth in winter time. The cheeriest way is to have an open grate, or stove, where the fire can be lighted as often as wanted, but the most labor- saving, and that which insures a more regular tem- perature, is have a large stove — say a base-burner — in the hall, and to keep the doors of the various bed- rooms open so that the chill will be dispelled. If the bed-rooms of all the members of the family are in the morning and evening about 58 or 60 degrees Fahren- heit, there will be no possible excuse for a want of neatness, in person or dress. The daughter cannot come down to breakfast with unbrushed hair and the apology, " It was too fear- fully cold ! " And the young men will only have to confess, shamefacedly, to laziness if they make their appearance minus neck-tie or collar. Another plea in behalf of warmth is that the sleeping-rooms them- selves can be kept so much more neatly if it is not with tingling or aching fingers that the shivering housewife makes the beds and sweeps and dusts and puts all in order. For the sake of the housewife, too, there are a few little conveniences that should not be neglected in any bed-room. Among these are bags or boxes for soiled clothes, made as plainly or as fancifully as 42 1? HE HOME OU THU FARM. one may choose, and bags for slippers and sho6S. The former should stand or hang in the closet, if there be one opening from the room, and the shoe bag, made of bed- ticking, or of dantier manufacture, may be tacked upon the inner side of the door. But enough of up-stairs. Let us descend to the dining room. Here the colors should be rich and warm, and the furniture substantial looking. If the household purse be plump enough to afford a polished side-board of walnut or oak, on which to display hand- some china, well and good, but do not let the display be too great — to under-do is better than to over-do. If there is no side-board there should be a side-table with a colored cover — say of red felt — if that be the predominating color of the room — on which plates, knives and forks and extra dishes may be kept in reserve. A three-shelved bracket too, in this case, may hang upon the wall, and if a lining of dark red, (for we will decide upon that as the color for the room) be placed behind it, cups of a delicate patern and crystal de- canters, ''wisely kept for show," will appear to their best advantage. A curtain of double-faced canton- flannel or one of soft wool goods, through which the sunlight casts a glow upon the walls, can be hung from poles and rings, or be shirred upon a slender rod and this tacked up to the window. The large dining table should have a soft canton, of the same color ; and when the table is laid for dinner, if it so please the house- mother, it may" be left under the usual white one and will be found to have a very quieting effect upon plates, cups and spoons. A stand, having two or three shelves, and kept conveniently near the dinner-table is useful if plates are to be changed for Within fiooES. 43 dessert. Those used first can be piled, together with the vegetable dishes, upon the lower shelves of this dumb-waiter, and thus save some member of the family leaving the table. Of chairs in the dining- room it is well to have two a couple of inches higher than the others. These are for the head and foot of the table, and enable the host and hostess to perform their part of serving with greater ease. Just above the dining table, which stands in the m ddle of the room, should be suspended a hanging lamp. Let it be a good one (for these are the safest) and the hook which supports it be firmly screwed into the joist above, and the family will never regret the four or five dollars expended for the lamp. There will be no more dazzling light thrown into the eyes of per- sons who sit at tea, and there will be no more danger and uneasiness on account of children gathering around. In fact, good and s^fe lights are a luxury country houses cannot afi'ord to do without. Hanging lamps, or the cheaper side-bracl^et lamps, are good ibr the genera' lighting of a room, and with them there is no danger, from romping little folks ; but for reading and sewing, the student lamp, perfectly safe, and giving a strong, clear light, is by i'ar the best. After the dining-room we come to the kitchen, which, if neatly and conveniently fitted up, will make the tasks to be performed there seem much less bur- densome. The floor and woodwork should be oiled, or painted in some neutral tint, the walls receiv- ing a somewhat lighter tint. Thick shades, of a brown or green color, that can be raised or lowered at pleas- ure, should be hung at the windows, and, in addition, in summer-time, frames covered with wire fitted into 44 THE HOME ON THE FARM. the windows. The expense of these frames is trifling in comparison to the comfort of having a kitchen free from flies, and yet light and airy. If the wired franaes cannot be bought, a very good substitute is a home- made one, covered with dark green mosquilo netting. Such a frame, too, can be made for the door, and, although it may lack spring hinges, still with careful closing it will serve as good a purpose as a wire one. KXV\ One of the greatest labor lighteners in the kitchen is a dresser or cooking table. It should be placed within WITHIN DOORS. 45 easy distance of the stove, so that in going back and forth all the steps possible maj"- be saved. The cut on the preceding page shows one of these dressers. No. 1, against the chimney, is a broom and mop closet, reaching from the floor to the top. The flat top of the table proper is 2 feet 8 inches from the floor. At the left is a small closet (No. 2) for kettles, and just above this closet a deep drawer (No. 3) for bread. The bread kniie and slicing board are kept in the drawer in order to be at hand. No. 4 is the bread- board that has narrow raised sides, front and back, and slides in like a drawer. It is deep enough to hold the rolling pin when closed ; and when drawn out, by means of the handle, and laid on top of the table, is all ready for use. Below is another closet for kettles (No. 5) and at the right of this still another door (No. 6), which, on being opened, shows the flour barrel. In th'e top of the table, just above the flour barrel, is a lid (No. 7), which is opened when flour is to be added to that in the barrel, or to be taken out for use in cooking. The baking pans hang in th« closet beside the barrel. The floor of the kitchen forms the floor of the table. The flrst shelf is nine inches from the level top of the table and is supported by two wooden brackets. This shelf (No. 8) does not extend the entire length of the table, but is short enough to permit the raising of the lid to the flour bin. The upper shelf, or closet (No. 9), however, extends the whole length, and its top is a good place for lamps, match box, taper stand and cookery books. Both of the shelves are closed with doors (a, a, a), and pepper, vinegar flasks, spice box, coffee mill, cups, knives and the numerous articles that are in constant use in a cooking room are kept within. 4b THE HOME ON THE FAKM. Every kitchen should have a sink, but if this is utterly impossible, a table devoted exclusively to the washing of dishes may take its place. This table should have one or more drawers, in which tea towels, soap and mops can be kept. A mop made of twine, fastened to a sleiider and smooth handle, is much more tidy-looking than "ye ancient dish cloth," as well as pleasanter to handle. Another comfort that ranks even higher than the mop, is a dish basket. This should be of ordinary size and nearly a foot in depth ; and the handles, or places for lifting, be woven into the ends, so that a tolerably heavy weight can be lifted without danger of a crash following, and the housewife's soul being thereby vexed. Such a basket saves an infinite number of steps in carrying dishes to and fro from dining-room to kitchen, and itiieeps the dishes in close, room -saving, as well as neat shape, if they cannot be washed at once. A constant sound of footsteps over the floor becomes unpleasant in any work room, and a strip of thick, and if possible bright, carpet spread before the dish table and dresser will do away with the noise in a great measure. It will give the room a cozy air, too, which may be increased by a little rocking chair drawn up beside the window, where a pot of ivy is growing fresh and green. The tired mistress can often find five minutes of rest there, when she would not dare to leave the kitchen to seek it elsewhere, lest the cookies burn or the bread get too mucli browned. The kitchen plaj^s as important a part in the home fe as any other room, and a cheery kitchen, where mother in a great apron and white cooking cap rolled the pastry and WITHIN BOOKS. 47 made delicious custards, or roasted the potatoes for dinner, will be remembered by the little folks of the house more vividly, and be recalled, in after years, with almost more pleasure than any other. From kitchen to cellar there should be an easy descent, and a slender iron rod fastened to the wall, to serve as a hand-rail, is a great assistance in maldng the usually dark and narrow stairway, such. A model cellar was that of a certain old Quaker lady. The steps that led down into it were as neatly painted and as guiltless of dust as her own neatest of kitchens, and the grout floor was equally clean. The cellar was cool, and not too moist, for the narrow windows were open and a breath from the lately cut grass fields stole in. " Come this way and I will show thee the vegetable room," said the little Quak- eress, and we, following, came into a room with rows of bins against two sides, partially filled with the autumn harvest, while swinging shelves were laden with long-necked, succulent squashes. We came next to the fruit cellar, and here in sep- arate bins and boxes lay the apples— Russets, Genitans or spicy Winesaps. In this roum were also two cup- boards, or closets, made by nailing strips of wood upon the frame and leaving narrow, open spaces between. This afforded suflBcient air, and yet made the cupboard dark enough to keep well the canned and preserved fruits that were stored there. Such a cellar, of course, is that of a house where a large amount of provisions must be stored, but a much smaller one can be arranged on the same plan, by dividing it into two or three com.partments, so that butter, milk or lard need not be forced into too close neighborhood with fruits and vegetables. In every 48 THE HOME ON THE FARM. cellar there ought to be a safe — home manufactured, if none other can be had. A square frame of wood, covered with a close wire netting, and having on two opposite sides wire covered doors, that close securely, is perhaps the most convenient. It looks, when closed, like a square wire box, and is an excellent place to keep cooked meats and vegetables. On this account the safe should never stand neat the milk or butter ; if there is but one room they should be placed as far apart as possible. The smaller a cellar, the more useful a swinging shelf, which can easily be made by any farmer if he has a sharp saw, a good hammer, boards and patience. After he has succeeded in this he will feel encouraged to put up two or three shelves, one above the other, against the wall — a good place to put the apples that are to .be used first, or to lay the Hubbard squashes and sugar pumpkins. Excepting as an economy of space, there is no actual need of a swinging shelf in a good cellar, for in a good cellar there is no necessity of defending one's self against rats or mice. A grout floor and, in summer- time, wire frames in the windows, insure safety. Besides keeping out vermin and dampness, a solid floor is an aid toward cleanliness, which of all things is to be desired in a cellar. Let there be air and light, and every spring give a coat of whitewash on the walls, and have a constant care to keep everything neat — never allowing decayed vegetables or fruits to remain. If in a small house there is a good cellar, and in the kitchen such a table as above described, a pantry is not actually necessary. But in many respects a pantry is a great convenience, especially where pro- WrCHOT DOORS. 49 visions are bought in large quantities, as is usual in a country house. But if one does not have both the table and the cellar, a pantry is indeed a necessity. Drawers divided into compartments are more con- venient than bins for holding sugars, coffee, rice, hominy and so on, and the drawers will occupy less space Above the drawers should be shelves, and here one sees already, in imagination, the turkey, ready dressed for roasting, a long array of pumpkin and mince pies, spiced pickles, canned fruits and pre- serves — for there is a promise that Thanksgiving shall be celebrated in the new farm-house in the good old- fashioned way. But, perhaps, the proportion of farm houses is large where means to carry out even the foregoing sugges- tions are wanting. However, if the home be poor» poverty need not lessen the refinement, and neatness may be everywhere — the panes of a small window can shine as clearly as those of a larger one, and a pot of pansies smile as cheerily from the sill as though in a conservatoiy. Perhaps the house is a very old one and is built of logs and roofed with clapboards. There is a best room and, opening from it, a small bed- room; back of both is a lean-to kitchen built of boards, and above that portion of the house built of logs is a loft, to which a narrow corkscrew stairway leads. The mistress of such a house wants it to look pretty and inviting, but how can this be accomplished with- out the aid of many magic dollars ? She cannot afford a carpet, but the floors of the best room, bed room and kitchen are all neatly painted a fawn color. And she makes two large rugs for the front room by cut- ting; bright bits of woolen goods into narrow bias 50 THE HOME ON THE FAKM. pieces and drawing the variously colored strips in loops through the meshes of a coffee sack that has previously been stretched upon a quilting frame. This takes some time and patience, but the result is a really durable, as well as a very pretty, mottled rug. There is a table in the room, and she is guilty of a little extravagance in spending a dollar and a half for a yard of dark, olive green felt for a cover, but she is economical in lining the cover with the remains of a much woni woolen dress. A lamp, always kept filled, and shining with neatness, the latest newspaper and two or three books, find their places on the table, and a little splint rocking chair is drawn temptingly near. The two windows of the best room and the single one of the bed-room have long been her pride. It is true, they are curtained with nothing more than ordinary muslin, but she has been wise enough not to rufiie them, but to make a plain hem instead, and to have them long enough to hang almost from ceiling to floor, and to loop them back with white bands. They are always laundried without starch, and so fall in soft, white folds that sway in and out with the light breeze, and now catch, now lose, the shadow of the rose leaves that cluster about the windows. There is a lounge between the windows of the front room. It is made of rough boards, like a broad, low box, having a lid on hinges. The lid is stuffed and then covered with Turkey red calico, and thus forms the seat. The side and ends of the box are hidden by a wide puff, or curtain, of the same goods, and a back to lean against is made by a board, of the same length as the box, being stuffed or covered with the red, and then carefully screwed to the back of the now I'eally pretty lounge. A round pillow is made for each ena WITHIN DOOBS. 51 by covering two narrow feather pillows with Turkey- red and gathering the ends with strong thread and hiding the gathers by large, black buttons or rosettes. The pillows are, of course, as long as the couch is wide. As time goes by, a few more comforts and luxuries will find their way into this living room ; there will be an easy chair, and there will be a few books, and, perhaps, two Or three pictures. Good pictures, too, they must be, something that the family in the cottage will not soon weary of. And if they do not know what is best, and will wear longest, why not go frankly to some one who, they are sure, does know, and asking, it will be answered to them more abund- antly than they expect. The tiny bed-room has but two or three pieces of furniture. A bedstead has cost no more than four dollars, yet it is neat and white, and always smoothly made up. A small square stand, or table, has a white muslin cover with a fringe around the edge, and on it^re kept the bowl and pitcher, soap dish, and tooth brush stand. The pitcher is filled with fresh water every morning, and towels, in use, are hung upon a rack fastened against the wall near by, while a supply of fresh ones are in the table drawer. Above the stand hangs a small, square looking-glass, and to the right of this is a wooden bracket, or shelf, where are kept a hand-glass, a comb and brush and a lamp, ready for lighting, if the toilet articles are required at any time after dark. Two seats for the room are made by fastening lids on soap boxes (procured from a grocery), with com- mon hinges, and then cushioning the tops and cover- ing the boxes, cushions and all, with Turkey red. The lids, on being lifted, show the space within to be 53 THE HOME ON THE PAKM. neatly lined with newspaper. One of these ottomans thus serves to hold soiled clothes, and the other is a most convenient shoe box. A wardrobe, or clothes press, is made by putting four shelves across one cor- ner of the room. The lower shelf is about four feet from the floor, and under it are several hooks which serve to hang dresses upon. Over the front of the whole is hung a full curtain of the Turkey red, trimmed with a six inch band, at top and bottom, of black woolen goods, fastened on with briar stitch in red cotton thread. The loft is furnished in much the same way, excepting that the curtain to the ward- robe, and covers of the ottomans, are of fawn colored cotton damask, with borders of blue cambric stitched on, and when these are soiled their place is taken by covers of flowered print of a pretty pattern. Instead of a bedstead (on account of the lowness of the roof at the sides) folding army cots are used. A mattress made by tacking two worn cotton comforters together and covering with bed-ticking, or unbleached muslin, knotted with bright worsted, is needed to make one of these cots comfortable in winter-time, but in sum- mer even this is unnecessary. Dining room there is none, to this small house, but in winter-time dinner and tea are served in the front room, while breakfast is eaten in the cheery kitchen. In summer-time, when the weather will permit, all three meals are spread out of doors on a stationary table that is made of rough boards laid upon, a criss-cross trestle. The table is placed under a rustic arbor, which is overrun with wild grape vine, and when spread with a red cover and set for tea, or breakfast, is certamly very inviting, as well as picturesque looldng. Do jiot say this ia a fancy picture, for it is not. We ourselves WITHIN DOORS. 53 have sat under this grape vine, and have drank coiFee, and eaten honey and white buiscuit at this table. Of course, every varying condition of the farmer's income, and the circumstances that surround him, will influence the arrangement of his home ; but neatness, cleanliness and refinement may be had. The manner and management of the home will afford an indication of the character of the inmates, and in return the mental and moral characteristics of the inmates will be influenced by the character of the home. HOMESICK FOR THE COUHTRY. I'd kind o' like to have a cot, Fixed on some sunny slope, or spot; Five acres more or less With maples, cedars, cherry trees, And poplars whitening in the breeze. 'Twould suit my taste, I guess. To have the porch witli vines o'erhung, With bells of pendant woodbine swung; In every bell a bee; And round my latticed window spread A clump of roses, white and red. To solace mine and me, I kind o' thmk I should dtsire To hear around the lawn a choir Of wood-birds, singing sweet; And in a dell I'd have a brook Where I might sit and lead my book. Such should be my retreat; Far from the city's crowd and noise, There would I rear the girls and boys, (I have some two or three). And if kind heaven would bless my store With five, or six, or seven more, How happy I would be. Anonymods. CliAPTEll IV. AEOtnSfD THE HOUSE. The influence exerted by men, upon each other by their intercourse, is a fact few would question. That every man creates an atmosphere about him- self that is a power for good or evil, is also true. But perhaps the influence of sJent things is not so evident to every one; nor the atmosphere they create, as often recognized, and yet these, too, are real and powerful. And he who wishes to make life as true and beau- tiful as he can, with the means at his command, will find in nature a large source from which to draw, and this store-house will furnish material to create about his home an atmosphere that will be educating and refining. The mind is naturally employed with the things seen day after day, and a yard which is disfigured with weeds, dead leaves, decaying fruit and discarded tinware, through winter and summer, cannot suggest pleasant thoughts and will not.be a source of refine- ment. The yard should be one of the sources of education in the home, and by its beauty rest and refresh the miud. The labor necessary to secure this, will not 56 THE HOME ON THE FARM. make the pleasure less, but more, adding to other re- turns for the work honest pride, that right of every successful worker. Whatever the size, shape, or peculiarities of any yard, one thing is necessary for all, and without it, little progress toward beauty or comfort can be made. This foundation for all the rest is order and clean- liness. Let the work of cleaning and putting in order be once thoroughly done, and the improvement will be in itself an inspiration to keep it so. A yard already full of trash attracts more, and an orderly one invites every member of the household to main- tain the order. The most neglected yard can be put in order if the work is begun with a determination to succeed. Perhaps the best point to begin the attack, is the wood pile, as this must be the place to put all scattered boards, sticks and rails. The pile should be straightened and the chips around it raked up ; then the wood gathered from the yard will not be moved from one place of disorder to an- other, but will be in place. All scattered tools, or pieces of broken ones, should be put away. Barrels and boxes, if whole, put in some place of safety; if unfit for use, put on the wood pile. Broken fences, gates and trellises should be mended, and, if the cleaning is done early in the spring, rose bushes and vines should be trimmed, edges of walks straightened and the whole yard raked and the Tak- ings burned. This work ought to be as faithfully done in the back yard as in the front, and to keep the kitchen doorway looking well, no sweepings from the house AROUND THE HOUSE. 57 should be left there, but.taken up in a dust pan and burned. When the dandelions, plantains and other weeds begin to show, they should be cut out, and if the grass cannot be kept short, but is left until tall, and cut for hay, it will be less unsightly if free from weeds, though closecut grass is much the prettiest, and more easily kept free from weeds. When spring comes again, recalling the work of the year before and the satisfaction it gave, an im- pulse to renew the work will set in motion plans for greater inprovements. ^ The first cleaning having been kept up through the summer and winter, will have made that work much lighter, and, with more time, something more can be attempted ; a new arrangement of walks, flower beds," or fences may be needed, and in doing this, beauty and convenience will be the aim. Each yard wiL need a plan of its own, though the same materials will be useful for all. What is the idea that has been given shape in the front yard ? Why are not houses built with the front doors opening on to the highway? Back of the cus- tom of leaving a space between the house and the road there must be some reasons great enough to'kc- count ibr the fact. What are they ? Seclusion from dust, noise and the intrusions inci- dent to nearness to a traveled way must.have ^been strong reasons, and the security of an exclusive right to Ihe doorway would be felt as another. For these reasons the houses were set back from the road. Then the question naturally suggested itself, How shall this strip of ground be used ? Some settled it by making it a continuation of the 58 THE HOME ON THE FABM. barn yard and allowing; hogs, cattle, horses, geese, ducks and chickens to take possession of it ; others, more thrifty, grew potatoes, cabbages, onions and other vegetables for the table on this plot of ground. But the farmers' wives, lacking the absorbing pleas- ure of gaining and handling money, planning to add more acres to the farm, build new barns, buy cattle, horses and machinery, felt instead a longing for some- thing to brighten and beautify the days, and the first result was a row of broken crocks or old cans filled with flowers and standing on the window sill or on a bench. This attempt to beautify the yard was con- fined to such places because of wandering hogs or calves. But the idea grew that beauty is worth striv- ing for— one of the blessings at our very doors that we may have and welcome. And such people as the " Miss Asphyxia Smith," Mrs. Stowe describes, who toss a child's wild-flower treasures into the fire as trash, and think all time wasted that is spent in such enjoyment, became fewer. Man like Dr. Holland taught that simple pleasures should be heartily enjoyed, and that it is the privilege of every one to have a play-time without a thought of wnrk or a shadow, of care, or duty, to mar it, and the idea of a pleasure ground came into the form of the yard. A large extent of grass where children could romp without running into flower beds or breaking plants, and giving room for games for older people grew from Ihis idea ; and included a good sod, as cleaner than bare earth, and short-cut grass that dried soon after heavy dews or showers, and did not trip running feet in a tangle of weeds. Around the houses of many AROUND THE HOUSE. 59 farmers to-day there are yards that embody these ideas of use, beauty and enjoyment. Studying the details of such yards we find trees, shrubs, vines, flowers and grass are the materials combined to produce the atmosphere that surrounds these homes. To those who are laying out new yards or remodel- ing old ones, the selection of trees, shrubs, flowers and vines is interesting and important, and their ar- rangement after selecting them, no less so. In plant- ing trees, the fact that they will grow for years must be remembered and room for growth allowed them. Unless they are intended only for temporary shade until other trees are large enough to take their places, they should not be planted less than thirty feet from the house. The most suitable tree to give shade for a lifetime is the elm ; it has been called the American tree and the emblem of our liberty; under its branches some of the stirring deeds of our early history were set in motion. It is s^, tree that will bear any wind less than a hurricane and grows in symmetrical shapes. The hard maple and the ash are suitable shade trees, tough of fibre, neat and compact in growth and hav^ ing one merit the elm lacks — beautiful autumn foliage — and if planted near each other the scarlet of the maple is a fine contrast for the yellow ash. Soft maples make a rapid growth and are suitable for temporary shade, but break too easily in a strong wind to be suitable for a permanent shade. A group of pine trees on the north or west of the house will give a sense of comfort and protection in winter; and a resinous fragrance when putting on new growth in summer that will at least partly off- set the annoyance caused bj^ the constantly falling 60 THE HOME OK THE FABM. cones. The lower branches should be trimmed to al- low the sun and rain to reach the ground below^or the grass will die, leaving a bare, unsightly spot under each tree. The Scotch pine and the Norway spruce are two of our best evergreens. The larch is an ornamental tree, having the needle-like foliage of evergreens, but shedding its leaves in the fall. Having planted enough trees to shade the house, others, and a greater variety can be planted from year to year at a greater distance, always keeping in view the final effect. Young trees will respond to generous treatment as readily as corn or any farm crop, and will show neglect or careless planting as much. If a newly planted tree is to grow rapidly it must be transplanted with as little breaking of roots as possible, put in good, well mellowed soil and for three or four years given culture and care ; a very good plan is to make a flower bed around the young tree, until it begins to shade the ground ; the flowers will not sufi'er and the tree will be much the gainer. A tree in the center of a bed made rich enough for pansies will grow marvelously fast, and is a source of pleasure even when small, because of its thrifty ap- pearance. If a flower bed is not wanted, a space of ground around the tree should be kept mellow and free from grass or weeds. Shrubs may be left out of many small yards to their advantage, as they take up room that should be given to grass. In larger yards a few can be planted with good effect. A group of native shrubs including Dog- wood. Service berry and Red-bud could be effect- ively arranged and blooming at the same time would make a contrast in color and shape of flowers thsit would be very prettj. AKOTiffD TSE house. 6l For growing a variety of shrubs a large bed where they can be cultivated is best. The plants should be set far enough apart to admit of hoeing between them, or they will become a harbor for weeds from which their seeds will spread over the whole yard. The ar- rangement of the shrubs must be according to their growth ; the taller ones in the center and others around them, or what is more, after the pattern Nature seta, the tallest shrubs at one side with varying sizes through the bed. A few hardy rose bushes in such a bed can be trimmed or allowed to grow any size that is wanted. Among low-growing shrubs the Deutzia is one of the prettiest, the Holly is evergreen and shrubby. Japonica grows four to six feet high and among the taller shrubs are the Smoke Tree, Barberry and Syringa. All these have showy flowers, except the Holly ; its little yellow flowers are surpassed in beauty by the foliage of the shrub. The Barberry is valued for its red berries that suc- ceed the very frpgrant yellow blossoms, and hang on all winter. Almost every one has some fevorite among shrubs, and a list of all that are of value would include many not mentioned here. The error to be avoided with most care, is putting too many shrubs in a small space. More vines may be planted, for the presence of a vine presupposes something larger than the vine on which it is to climb, and climbers assume graceful- forms so naturally, it is not easy to rob them of their beauty as long as they are thrifty. They will richly repay for the care in cultivating and training them. A house where every doorway is shaded has not too many vines.j 62 THE HOME ON THE FAKM. Climbing roses, Clematis vines, Five-leaved Ivy and grape vines over the doors will protect the house from heat and give a variety of beauty and fragrance from early spring. The many tender vines that do not bear our winters can be used with these with good effect. The woodshed can be covered with vines and posts well set will support roses, honeysuckles, or annual climbers and show their beauties to good advantage. An old»stump with enough irregularities to have a gnarled beauty of its own, covered with vines, and if hollow, having some good foliage plant or showy bloomer planted in the top, will be a real ornament. A very pretty| arrangement of vines can be made by stretching a wire between two trees high enough to be above a tall man's head, and training on this hardy vines. The Clematis is one of the best, as it rarely shows any dead branches and the feathery seed pods are beatiful long after the blossoms are past. The Five-leaved Ivy grows rapidly and will need little care after it is well started. If planted to climb the trunk of a large tree it will soon cover the trunk and in autumn hang out a torch of fire in every leaf. The flower beds, if there is room for any in the yard, should be at the side of the house or bordering, but not crowding the walk. These beds should not contain too many varieties, and the iiowers ought to harmonize in color. A scarlet salvia growing beside a red chrysanthemum destroys all pleasure in the beauty ol' either, when if they were planted in differ- ent beds each would show its own merits, or if one of the flowers was white the contrast would be pleasant. AROtrtrt) 'the houss. 63 Every tree, shrub and flower in the yard should have plenty of room ; enough so each may develop to its natural size and enough to allow the sun and rain to reach its roots. With space enough, too, between trees, shrubs and flower beds to give each an individ- uality. Many very pretty front yards are ornamented only with large trees, vines and close cut grass. The side yard may have a few flower beds, or these may all be in the back yard. Where if they are not so showy when in the hight of their bloom, neither do they show much thf>ir dead and dying leaves as fall ap- proaches, or in a dry season. A flower bed near the kitchen windows will be en- joyed more by the housekeepers, than if they must wait until the work is done and they have leisure to sit where the flowers of the front yai'd can be seen, lor too often then they will be too tired to enjoy their beauty and so the mission of the bright blossoms for them fails. An outlook from the kitchen, as the churning is being done, the dishes washed, or the bread moulded, that shows a clean yard and thrifty, growing pansies, verbenas, or portulaccas, will make the work seem lighter, and though the influence is unnoticed, it will give something of the grace of the flowers to those who enjoy them. In a large yard arbors and rustic seats look well if they are kept in repair, but usually are not sources of as much comfort as they are intended to give. An arbor if well shaded will be damp after rains when the yard is dry ; and the grass will not grow where the ground is so shaded ; depriving the arbor of the best carpeting nature makes. Rustic seats being left out G4 TflE iiOBiE ON THE #ARJt. doors in all weather, unless unusually well made, soon become dilapidated and are often, even in their best days, very uncomfortable seats. If an arbor does not fulfill its purpose as a pleasant shaded place to sit, and if rustic seats fail to be com- fortable, something that will fulfill these purposes had better be substituted. A pleasant grassy place on the shady side of the house under a tree may serve for an arbor, and com- fortable chairs from the house and a hammock make restful seats. Vines might be trained on the west and south of such a place to add to the shade; these would allow the morning sun to dry the ground, and shine on the grass to keep it growing, and would give shade and shelter in the afternoon and evening. Trunks of trees, large stones and stumps in the yard are sometimes white-washed or painted; unless this is necessary to kill the larvae of insects it should not be done, or even in that case some colorless wash might be applied, and the white-wash and paint avoided al- together. The natural coloring of the tree trunks and stones forms part of the quiet beauty of nature ; cov- ering them with white-wash or paint destroys their beauty, giving an element that does not harmonize with^the surrounding colors. If it is necessary in or- der to preserve them to paint stumps, urns or flower pots, the color should be neutral and show as little as possible. The chief beauty of a yard and that on which all the adorning depends is well kept grass. A good sod must be secured in order to have good grass, and the even] growth of the grass will depend much on the grade being good ; if there are depressions that hold AHOtJND THE HOUSE. 65 water after a rain the grass will grow rank there, or if wet too long will be killed out. In grading a new yard or regrading an old one, there is a choice in the time of doing the work; if the house is unoccupied it can be done in the fall, but if occu- pied spring will be the best time, as a muddy yard through the winter will be avoided. If graded in March or April a good growth of grass will cover the ground before mid-summer. The slope of the grade must be enough to carry off all surplus water after rains, but near the house the fall should be almost imperceptible, about six or eight inches in fifty feet. The yard must be plowed and made evenly sloping from the house. Where it is necessary to fill depres- sions, the ground must be allowed to settle after the fill is made, for a week or ten days when it will be ready to fill again ; where a rise has been cut down leaving subsoil on the surface a dressing of good soil must be given to that the grass may grow on these spots. A dressing of fine manure or bone meal on the whole yard will be of benefit. When a perfect grade has been secured the surface should be well pulverized, the grass seed sown and coTered lightly. The best mixture of seed to sow will be blue grass, timothy and oats in the propor- tion of two bushels of blue grass, one-half bushel of timothy and two bushels of oats to the acre. The oats will cover the ground in a few weeks and protect the young grass. As soon as tall enough the grass should be cut and as often through the summer as the growth will permit. In this way a good lawn can be made in one season and it will last a lifetime if the work is done with care and thoroughness. To preserve it year after year, frequent mowing and an 66 THE HOMB ON THE FAfiM. occasional application of bone meal or well-fined manure will be necessary, and if weeds gain a foothold they should be cut out with a hoe or knife. All this may be done for beauty and comfort, but if the yard lacks conveniences it will be sadly incom- plete ; wood and water should be near the kitchen door. The woodshed may open into the kitchen, and if kept filled with good wood and a supply of kind- lings, will lighten the work of the kitchen and im- prove its qualify. A poor fire is the cause of much sour bread, tough steak, heavy cake, poorly ironed clothes and many cross faces. The stove itself wears out faster when the draughts are choked with the ashes of rotten wood. A pump in the kitchen will save much time, and if so arranged as to, avoid slopping the floor it is one of those homely luxuries, that by adding to the comfort of every day do so much toward making living a pleasant thing. If the cistern cannot be under the kitchen it should be] near the door, and sheltered, if only with a shed of rough boards, so that going for water will not mean exposure to the hot sun of mid- summer, the rains of all seasons, and the cold and snow of winter. Both cistern and well should be carefully guarded from impurities. A cistern both bricked and cement- ed will admitnofhing through its walls and with a tight fitting cover nothing need find its way into the cistern but pure water. In some sections cement alone will be enough to make the cistern secure from the water in the ground. A good spring is often considered a great advantage on a farm. Often it is, in fact, a great drawback. We AROUND THE HOUSE. 6? have often seen houses put in a most inconvenient place, just because " the spring was there," and on some farms, even of well-to-do farmers, no well or cistern is provided, because there is a spring within a few rods of the house. And through summer's heat and winter's cold, the farmer's family must go down the hill to the spring and back up the hill carrying a load, for all the water that is used. It is wretched economy. Let good, pure water be so abundant and convenient that it can be liberally — even lavishly used. The walks about a house will tell much of the thrift or unthrift of its occupants ; if well made and well kept they will tell well for the inmates of the house, but if overgrown wilh weeds in summer and muddy in winter they will tell of something lacking in the household. It may sometimes be health and strength, but if so, when these return the walks will take on a new aspect. The front walk can often be ar- ranged to add to the beauty of the yard by giving it a winding approach, or if there is a drive- way at the side ol the yard, a walk directly from that to the front of the house will save in the length to be cared for and give a good effect. A walk near to nature's pattern is the most suitable and one made of gravel or stone is as near like a nat- ural path as can be made to fuliill the needs of a con- stantly used walk, but brick, plank or tanbark are often easier to obtain and make a dry, clean path. The fence around a yard should be neat and incon- spicuous. In some of the newer States the yards are not fenced, but in Ohio i'ences still surround the yard with but few exceptions. Very neat iron fences are supplanting boards to 68 THE HOME ON THE FAKH. some extent and are strong and durable. A hedge fence rightly grown and cared for is very pretty, but if left untrimmed for weeks at a time it is only a source of annoyance. It will be better not to attempt a hedge than to have one and neglect it, for it soon grows up and shuts out the view, and gives the yard a gloomy, as well as an untidy appearance. Whatever the fence may be, it should be kept neat and in order. Broken boards or loose pickets should be repaired at once. A few minutes will repair a break when first made, but if the matter is left for some time, it ripens into a big job. Strongly made and well-hung gates will complete the boundary line and we may step outside and look at the yard complete, and note where it has fallen short of the ideal, and where it has surpassed the original plan. In all endeavors to make the surroundings of the house beautiful, it should be remembered that the objects are, refinement, comfort, and healthy pleasure. Some of our ideas of what is of value and really worth working for are but little better than those of a colored woman, who owned and exhibited with pride three silk dresses, but she lacked wholesome food and comfortable clothes, and died of consump- tion ; cared for by charitable neighbors during her sickness. The dresses were good in themselves, but no one will question the folly of preferring them to the neces- saries of life, and a yard adorned with all the beau- ties of trees, flowers, and shrubs is only a mockery if the household lacks the beauties of truth, purity and AKOOTID THE HOUSE. 69 loving-kindness. The outward beauty should sym- bolize the beauties that are unseen but powerfully felt. The trees should tell of strength and protection, the grass of vigorous, healthy every day life, and the flowers and shrubs should speak of all the sunny gladness and all the joys of happy home Kfe. FLOWERS. Spake full well in language quaint and olden One who dwelleth by tbe castled Rhine, When he called the flowers so blue and golden Stars that in Earth's firmament do shine. Stars they are wherein we read our histories, As astrologers and seers of eld, Yet not wrapped about with awful mystery Like the burning stars which they beheld. "Wondrous truths, and manifold as wondrous-, God has written in those stars above. But not less in the bright flowerets under us Stands the revelation of His love. Bright and glorious is that revelation. Written all over this great world of ours. Making evident our own creation In these stars of earth, these golden flowers. Gorgeous flowerets in the sunlight shining. Blossoms flaunting in the light of day ; Tremulous leaves with soft and silver lining, Buds that open only to decay. In all places then, and in all seasons Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings, Teaching us by most persuasive reasons How akin they are to human things. And with child-like, credulous afEection We behold their tender buds expand ; Emblems of our own great resurrection, Emblems of the bright and better land. CHAPTER V. FLOWERS FOR THE HOME. Many who grow flowers and enjoy them carry always the burden of this unrest, that the time spent in the enjoyment of flowers is selfishly spent, and the time given to their care is wasted. But in the woods and fields we find flowers and vines, beautifying the long, sunny days, covering decaying logs, old fences and heaps of brush. And if this beauty is intended for us, we ought to recognize the gift by gladly using and appreciating it. The pleasure a single plant will give in return for care is something only those can understand who have watched a plant from the day the seed sent up its first leaves through the soil, cracked above the stirring life below, to the days when it budded and bloomed. Let this pleasure be multiplied by watching the growth of a hundred plants and let their beauty be- come a part of the every-day life, and insensibly they will refine and make brighter the lives of those who love them. Healthy natures feel the need of play ; when the day of romping games are over, the in-tinct of play reni^ins, but is turi^ed into new channels, and many 72 THE HOME ON THE FARM. find the flower-garden a pleasant play ground, when dolls and kites have lost their charms. Constant, wholesome variety is necessary to keep life pure and healthful. All nature seems busy sup- plying this need of change during the summer and each day has its own individuality, but in winter the changes are not so marked, and the days grow weari- some to those who lack the health that delights in wrintry, out-door weather. Plants can supply much of the missed charm of summer even though they do not bloom ; the green leaves will be a source of delight to eyes weary of snow and ice. But plants will bloom all winter if placed in a warm, sunny room and given proper care. A vine trained gracefully on the wall or a basket filled with thrifty plants and hung in the window willgive the plainest room a charm that no other ornament can exactly supply. Longfellow's lines, written of children, seem to be- long to the flowers as well as to the children. He writes : " Te are better than all the ballads That ever were sung or said, For ye are living poems And all the rest are dead." The flowers truly are living poems to those who feel their beauty. In selecting flowers for the yard and house, an al- most endless variety of native and naturalized plants are ofi'ered us, and there are plants suited .to almost any situation. In Ohio our woods ofi'er some beautiful flowers and if these were the only ones, the yard need not lack W.OWEKS FOR THE SOMB. 78 beauty and ornamentation, there are shrubs, vines, creepers, annuals, perrennials and bulbs in profu- sion. These will grow in the yard and scarcely miss their native haunts if given shade and soil similar to that from which they are taken. Our delicate leaved ferns grow luxuriantly planted on the north side of a building ; plenty of rich soil from the woods must be provided for ferns or plants when they are moved. Our earliest wild flower is Harbinger of Spring or Pepper and Salt as we call it ; closely following it comes the Liver-leaf, Wood Anemone, Celendine Poppy, Spring Beauty, Phlox Divaricata, Greek Va- lerian or Blue Bell, as it is called with us, and the blue and yellow violets. The white Stone crop must not be forgotten, for it gives a mass of white flowers for bouquets after the Pepper and Salt fails for that use. All these need the early spring sunshine but should be shaded during the summer after their sea- son of bloom is over. Among small trees and shrubs we have a number that are showy and will bear transplanting. The Black and Ked Haw, Wild Crab, Shad Bush or Ser- vice Berry, Red Bud, Maple-leaved Arrow-wood, Dog- wood and Black Thorn bright en the woods through May. During June the Sweet Briar and Wild Eose lend us their beautiful shades of pink and their wild- wood fragrance and the common Elder and Wild Hydran- gia give creamy white and greenish white flowers. Among the lower growing plants of May and June are some of rare beauty. The Wild Hyacinth bears a delicatly tinted spike of blooms, and the dwarf Spider- wort gives a deep intense blue with yellow 74 THE HOME ON THE fARM. anthers borne on blue feathery filaments in the centre of the flower, and Hairy Water leaf gives an abund- ance of bluish flowers, carpeting the woods in their native haunts. Through July and August the vines are in the height of their'growth, and they climb over leaning trees, and hang over the banks of streams making shady re- treats and ornamented nooks, where the sunlight is changed to pale purple and the quiet of mid-summer reigns undisturbed. These natural arbors might, with care and patience, be reproduced and the pleasure they can give brought near home. With fall come the Asters and Golden Rods and the tall, white Eupatorium, needing less shade and thriving in harder soils. During the whole season there are beside these flowers many blossoming plants that creep into the yard or grow by the roadside with out care or culture. Among cultivated flowers so many of real merit and rare beauty stand waiting for recognition that it is difficult to choose among them, though circum- stances always do much to determine the choice for yard or house. Among the easiest of culture are half hardy annu- als, if some spot is filled with wild flowers that will open the first warm days of early spring, and annuals are started early, to bloom when the wild flowers are past, the whole season may be brightened by their blossoms, and for those who cannot keep plants through the winter the flowerless days can thus be shortened. Seeds of annuals can be started in a sun- ny window as early, often, as February. To secure a thrifty growth the soil must be suited to the needs FLOWERS FOR THE HOME. 75 of the the young seedlings. Many grow plants in common clay soil, and seem to enjoy them, but the growth is spindling, and when compared with that of plants started under the right condition seems poor and mean. A soil that gives thorough drainage is very impor- tant, pure sand is largely used for starting cuttings, but for seeds a rich soil composed of leaf mold or earth enriched by decayed logs, mixed with sand, and garden soil is the best. It should be mixed in pro- portions that will make a clean dry soil, that will not pack when wet. For further drainage, coarse gravel or bits of broken flower pots must be placed in the bottom of the box or pot in which the seeds are to be started. In such a box seeds will grow readily with proper care, and plants can be started, and will be ready to transplant to the yard, as early as the weather will permit. For a succession of flowers, seeds can be sown in the open ground at the time the first plants are set out. Many varieties, sowed the first of May will give three or four months of bloom before frost. When seeds are sown in the garden, the ground jnust be well pulverized, the seeds covered lightly and the ground kept free from weeds. If the plants are thrifty, their shade will smother the weeds after they reach full growth. In caring for flower beds we find there is a magic hour after rains when the ground alrnost hoes itself, and is as fine and clean as meal, while if hoed too soon it makes the ground cloddy, and if too late it is often hard. The same is true in making the beds ; in our garden the past season our bed was thrown up while the ground was still wet, after a rain, 76 THE HOME ON THE FARM. and all summer we contended with stubborn clods, while in the beds around it the ground was mellow and fine. There is a fascination in learning all these things, while the flowers are growing, and when the right conditions are secured and the plants grow to their largest size and are covered all summer with a pro- fusion of flowers, the reward is very pleasant. Among flowers of real value and easy culture are Verbenas with their great variety of colors and shades, and their delicate, exquisite perfume ; Phlox in hun- dreds of shades, stripes and combinations of colors ; Petunias, rich and velvety; Sweet Alyssum, white and profuse in bloom, covering the ground; Blue Ageratum ; Antirrhinum, in rich colors and odd mark- ings, and Salvia Splendens, a brilliant scarlet. Shaded beds, if enriched, offer the right conditions for the finest Pansies, Forget-me-nots and Daisies,^ and for the Swan River Daisy, a little floral treasure brought from Australia. The annual climbers include vines of beautiful flower and leaf. The Cypress with soft foliage and scarlet and white flower , ssaucy, black eyed Thunbergia in yellows and whites with dark throats; Baloon Vine, Maurandya, and the common but beautiful Morning Glory, and Sweet Peas, not so ambitious in climbing, but beautiful and fragrdnt. If monthly roses are excepted, we may say roses are easy of culture, and no yard is complete lacking these flowers. The Baltimore Bell is a beautiful climbing rose, hardy and blossoming profusely. Among Hybrid Perpetual roses, Gen. Jaqueminot is one of the finest, the roses being a velvety crimson scarlet in color, and large and beautiful in size and ■hape. FLOWERS FOK THE HOME. 77 The fragrant Honeysuckles are justly favorite climbers, making a dense covering for porches or ar- bors, and iilling the air with the perfume of their flowers. Those who are situated so they can keep plants through the winter will find the Geranium one of the most beautiful and interesting among free blooming plants, their variety is so great. Geraniums alone would give blossoms in almost every color excepting blue and yellow. Being easily grown, able to bear moderate cold, and much neglect, they are found in almost all flower gardens. A fine variety of colors can be otained by growing them from seed, and both blossoms and plants will often be larger and more thrifty than those produced by cuttings. The seed must be sown in March to insure blossoms before cold weather in the fall. Some of the seed- lings usually give inferior flowers, but many are very large and fine, in delicate tints and brilliant scarlets. Any house havingja warm cellar will keep Gerani- ums over winter, as they can be saved, if taken up without breaking the roots, shaken free from earth, and hung top down in a dark corner of the cellar. The leaves will die but the stems will remain green, and when set out in the spring will come out in full leaf as the trees do. Small, tender plants will not live in this way, but well matured Geraniufus can be hung up year after year, and will increase in size until six feet high if there is room to store them without trim- ming the tops. Growing from bulbs we have a variety of beautiful, hardy flowering plants. Some of the earliest to open 78 THE HOME ON THE FARM. in the spring belong to this class. These, if intended for out door blooming, do well planted in August or September in a well drained, sheltered sunny bed, if the bulbs are well surrounded with sand or planted in sandy soil, their growth will be surer, as the sand being dry and warm will prevent danger of rotting. A bed can be filled with bulbs that will give a suc- cession and a large variety of flowers. Jonquils, Hy- acinths', Tulips, and Lilies, the early and late varie- ties of the Hyacinths and Tulips and hardy Lilies. Lilium Lancifolium Rubrum, red and white in color and very fragrant. Lilium Candidum, the common white Lily ; and less stately but with more luxuriant foliage and delicate flowers, the day Lily. The Lily of the Valley needs a more shaded situation and gives such sweet, pure racemes of little white bells that too many cannot be grown in any yard. Gladiolus, al- though unable to bear the winter, are out door plants and bear spikes of flowers in the most delicate tints and the richest colors ; the bulbs are planted in the spring and must be taken up and kept in a dry place where the frost cannot reach them through the winter. Perennials are easQy grown, and give their blossoms in return for very little care. There are very pretty Perennial Phloxes, pure white and delicately shaded pink with darker centers; Perennial Peas in the same colors, bloom in large clusters, and when dewy have a faint fragrance. Canterbury Bells in white and blue, equal the lily in purity of colors. Columbines claim some of the deepest blues and prettiest pinks for their curiously sliaped bells, beside a variety of other colors and shades. That the yard may have blossoms until the FLOWERS FOR THE HOME. 79 ground freezes, Chrysanthemums must be planted and they are not the least beautiful bloomers, although the last. They give large and small blossoms, pure white, clear yellow, orange yellow, pale tinted flow- ers, deep rich red, and crimson, blooms in profuse clusters, every plant doing its best to make us forget our loss of the spring and summer flowers, in the pleasure of watching their hardy buds open under the November sun. When winter has taken even these ; holly leaves and sprays of perriwinkle or myrtle as we call it, can be used with rose berries, or barberries, to brighten the house ; branches of cedar and pine can be used too, and will relieve the rooms of some of the bare look of winter. A sunny window in a warm room will make flow- ers a possibility, but if mercury goes below freezing in tbe room when the nights are cold, it will only be annoying and disappointing to attempt to keep plants in the winter, but if the room is warm enough, win- dow plants will be the source of much pleasure. Among the annuals are some flowers suitable for house culture Verbenas and Petunias may be trained on a trellis and will cover it with vigorous foliage and a profusion of bloom. Salvia Splendens and Agera- tum will grow and bloom in the winter, and Thunber- gias and Cobea vines can be trained over the win- dow. Geraniums with their thrifty odorous leaves and many clusters of flowers make one of the best window plants we have. Calla lilies if kept well supplied with hot water in a dish around the pots will unroll their leaves and flowers, giving the charm of stately grace to the window garden. The English Ivy will 80 THE HOME ON THE FARM. bear much exposure to cold and often is the only plant of a window-full that survives a cold winter. It is beautiful and can be trained around pictures, over the window or on the wall ; wherever it is placed it will be graceful and beautiful ; rivaling it in beauty but filling a different place is the Smilax vine with its delicate shining leaves, and neat habit of growth. Smilax may be started from the seed and though slow to germinate and slow in its first growth, it climbs fas ter when fairJy started on some support, a wire or twine, and repays for the waiting by its beauty and vigor. The vine blossoms in small fragrant flowers. Hyacinths and Tulips started in the fall will bloom during the winter. A wire basket lined with moss and planted with drooping and climbing plants, such as Wandering Jew, Water Ivy, Oxalis, and Kenil- worth Ivy with perhaps a Geranium, Coleus, or fuchsia, for an upright central plant, vrill add much to the beauty of the window, if hung above the pot plants. Whatever the plants are, their arrangement will add much to the effect, and here as in the yard the plants should not be crowded, unless the plan is to mass them. The plants will both show and grow the best if they do not touch each other, though when the foilage is spreading this rule must often be disregarded to some extent. By arranging the lower plants about the tall- er ones the pots can touch, and the foilage conflict but little. All dead leaves should be removed, and some plants will need trimming and pinching back to keep them m good shape ; the pots and shelves should be kept clean. A window full of thrifty plants usually suggests a neat, clean room, for when dust and disorder take possession, the plants lose their FLOWERS FOR THE HOME. 81 vigor, and sharing the general neglect, wither and die. Plants may be kept growing through the winter in a pit, and will be ready for early blooming in the spring, or if the winter is mild will blossom under the sunshine of February and March. A pit is an exca- vation roofed with glass, either adjoining the cellar and opening into it, or simply a hole dug where there will be drainage enough to keep it dry ; boarded up inside, fitted with shelves, and banked up on the out side. A pit dug three feet below the surface of the ground and banked up three feet on the north side, and only one on the south, will give the sash a slope that will admit the sunlight to every part of the pit, and carry off the rain or melting snow. The length and width will be made to correspond with the sash used ; two, three or four sash would determine the length, and the width can be a little greater than the width of sash ; a board a foot wide will answer as well as glass for roofing at the upper side. Being three feet below the surface of the ground and three above on the north side, any one can stand erect under the sash, unless their height exceeds six feet. Here Geraniums, monthly roses, Fansies, Daisies, Verbenas and Forget-me-nots, can be safely carried through even severe winters, and if the pit is well made it may prove frost-proof even in the coldest weather, and the more delicate plants such as Ooleus, Begonias, Fuchsias, Callas and Heliotropes, be en- trusted to its care. A covering of some sort will be necessary at night, a matting can be made of bunches of rye straw laid side by side and firmly tied together, in the centre and at each end with strong twine ; each bunch is tied 82 THE HOME ON THE FARM. firmly into a close bundle, then the next tied close beside it with the same string ; or old carpet will serve for a covering, if weighted down with boards when the weather is windy. When mercury drops down to ten and twenty be- low zero, extra protection will be needed, and a lighted lamp or a bucket of coals may be placed in- side to keep the temperature above the danger point. The plants for window or pit should be well started before cold weather; cuttings of Geraniums, Fuchsias, Heliotropes and roses can be taken at any time their growth will permit during the summer, and these will be ready for early blooming the next summer. Their growth will not be checked when moved to the house, as the roots will not be disturbed if they have been started in pots. Plants, taken up late in the fall, are slow in starting to grow again, and often make no growth until spring, when kept in a pit. Plants, intended for winter blooming, should not be set in the ground, but kept growing in pots through the summer and allowed to rest from bloom ing by pinching off all buds during the fall. After the window or pit is filled, there will be much to learn, but if the plants have regular judicious care the result will be enough success, at least, to counter balance the failures. One fine plant, safely wintered, will sometimes re- pay the care given to a dozen others that failed to live, and suggest the thought that the plant feels that it must give flowers for all the others as well as for the care bestowed upon itself. To succeed with plants in winter, warmth and sun light must be secured, and each pot given good soil ^nd drainage and enough moisture. To water plants. FLOWERS FOE THE HOME. 83 just enough, just when they need it, no more, and no oftener, is part of the secret of success ; diiFer- ent plants require different care, some needing water daily, and others, being too wet if watered half as often. The soil in the pots will indicate the time for water ing ; when the surface begins to look dry they need water, but not before that, after the surface is dry the earth will be moist in the pot below, if it is not packed and hard ; when watered the ground should be soaked thoroughly, then left until beginning to dry again. In a warm room evaporation will be rapid, and most plants will need watering once a day, but in the pit once a week for many plants will be enough ; if kept too damp a mold will attack the stems and cut them off near the surface of the soil. Tepid rain water is the best for watering plants, giving it a temperature equal to, or, a little above that of a warm summer rain, and they will send up the odor of spring showers, and seem unconscious of the winter without. If the plants get frozen, and they sometimes will in a sudden cold snap, many of them may still be saved if thawed under the right conditions. Move them to a cool, dark part of the cellar, or darken the pit, and water them thoroughly in cold water, or set the pots in a tub of cold water, being careful to avoid handling the leaves ; treated in this way the frost will come out of the plants slowly, and they will revive. Where there is a sunny room, perfectly secure from frost, many rare and lovely flowers can be success- fully grown. iSome of the finest I have ever seen, were grown in 84 THE HOME ON THE FARM. a warm, well lighted dining roDm, here Fuchsias, sup- ported on frames, grew eight feet high and bore hundreds of flowers. Campanulas bore flower stalks covered with blooms two feet of their length. Tube- roses and lillies filled the room with fragrance, rare vines covered the walls, and roses clustered among their own thrifty green leaves. Many who possess flowers in garden and house fail to use and enjoy them as they might, rarely making them into bouquets, or doing so with an utter disre- gard for harmony of colors or graceful arrangement of forms. To enjoy a flower garden as much as possible, the house should have two or three vases in every room that is u^ed, and here the prettiest flowers can be en- joyed while household tasks are performed. A dish or vase on the dinner table may be devoted to flow- ers, and the latest opening flowers and the finest clus- ters of blossoms can be enjoyed by all the household together. For large bouquets plenty of white and green is important, soft masses of white and delicately cut leaves are prettiest. Large or stiff leaves and stately waxy white flowers themselves needing the soft and delicate flower and leaf for neighbors in large bou- quets. Many flowers harmonize best with the green of their own foliage, but some lack suitable leaves for bouquets. The early wild flowers furnish material for many pretty bouquets ; a shallow dish will show many of them to better advantage than a vase. Delicate wild Dicentra leaves, the soft white um- bells of Pepper and Salt make a background for white and deep blue liverleaf and the pink spring IlOWilRS »0R THE fiOME. 85 beauties ; the whole having a charm as long sis the flowers keep bright. A fragrant bouquet, and as del- icate as sea shells, can be made with only wild Crab blossoms and lillies of the valley ; the shell like pink of the crab blossoms and the pure white of the lillies make an exquisite contrast. A tumbler filled with fresh white clover blossoms suprised me by their beauty into asking what they were. Sweet Allysum and rosy pink geranium blossoms make a beautiful small bouquet. Sweet scented geranium leaves, Fuchsias, Heliotrope and rose buds make an exquis- ite combination. When all the old fashioned roses. Garden Heliotrope and Deutzia are in bloom their blossoms can be ar- ranged together, abd the yellow rose buds, creamy, half blown white roses and graceful Deutzia bells sur- rounded by the fragrant Garden Heliotrope, make a pale, delicate bouquet, suitable for a place on an ebonized shelf or near dark walls. Bouquets may contain a large variety of flowers, if care is taken to select harmonizing tints and colors, and to separate blossoms that might conflict in color, by placing be- tween them something that harmonizes with both. A bouquet may contain blue, pink, red, and yel- low, if an abundance of white is used. Some of our prettiest blue flowers for cutting are Gillia tri- color, and Gillia capitata, Phacelia, Ageratum Eutoca, and Columbine ; for white flowers. Clematis Vir- giniana gives a soft creamy cluster, the Perrenial pea a pure waxy white, and among Verbenas, Sweet Peas, Gillias, Asters, Helichrysums, Geraniums, and roses, are found pure white flowers ; pink and purple, scarlet and crimson, are abundant among annuals and perrenials. 86 XHi) aoMR ON THE BARM. The prettiest yellows, are found among roses and pansies, but Antirrhinum and Xeranthenium give clear, yellow blossoms, and Zinnias though stiff, can sometimes be used for yellow in bouquets. Flowers, for the decoration of platforms or pulpits, should be large and pronounced in color, with pure white and deep green, for a back ground, and setting; Calla lillies and their leaves, spikes of Gladiolus, bright Geraniums, Columbines, roses, ani the blos- soms of flowering trees and shrubs are suitable. Long sprays from flowering vines can be arranged with good effect, to droop or twine above such a bouquet. Those who delight in gathering flowers, for the decoration of the house, will find material for their pleasant work in garden, field, and woods. Sprays from blackberry vines, clusters of Elder blooms, leaves from the rag weed, and the whole plant of the caliums or cleavers, will be seized upon and woven into graceful combinations, and every season will unfold new materials and -new ideas for floral decora- tion. The liberty to give the rarest and sweetest flowers, to those who will be gladdened by them, is one of the pleasantest possibilities of flower culture. Bright flowers sent to sick rooms, or to those who love them, but are too busy to grow them ; or thrifty plants given to some one beginning the culture of flowers ; all these will give as much pleasure as those kept to enjoy and share with the household. Among plants, whose foliage is their beauty, are Ferns, Coleus, Begonias, the Rubber plant, the Cen- tury plant, and curious growing cactus plants, these, as well as others, can be used very effectually for decoration, but in ornamenting a room with plants. FLOWERS POR THE HOME. 87 care should be taken to place them where they will not take room needed by something else, or annoy any one with constant fears for their safety. Plants may be taken from the pit during mild weather and used to ornament parlor or sitting room, and returned for safety when mercury sinks. Watching their growth and blossoming, seeing how much neglect they will survive, how they will grow in hard, poor soil, and how generously they will re- spond to better conditions, we may learn many lessons for our own lives ; and from the beauty and fragrance of the flowers with which the earth is ad- vanced, learn something of the work of the Master builder, who is preparing for us, mansions above. TRUE GREATHESS. Not he alone is great Whose voice commands where battles rage and roar, Nor he who guides the counsels of a State Safe through the storms of war. Not by the work you do, Nor by the number who can speak your name, Can you establish greatness real or true, Or prove your right to fame. Great are the ones who give To humblest work, the best of heart and brain ; Who not for self, but for their loved ones live, Shall crowns immortal gain. CHAPTER VI. HOUSE KEEPING. In studying housekeeping as a subject, it should always be borne in mind that housekeeping is not an end to be attained, but a means toward an end, that of home making. The difference between the two is great, although at the first thought one may consider them identical. To realize how great this diflFerence is, let a person spend a few weeks in a crowded hotel where all the work is thoroughly done, where the table is fastidiously set and everything that money can buy is provided, then let him go to his own home, where is liberty and friendly interest and welcome not gauged by the depth of the pocket- book. Wherein lies the difference? In one, the good house keeping is simply a means for making money, in the other it is (or should be) the means by which those dwelling in the same house become more " kindly aflectioned one towards another." Let us keep this, the highest standard of housekeeping, al- ways before us. THE WORKERS AND THE WORKED FOR. In the farm house the worker is pre-eminently the @ 90 THE HOME ON THE FARM. mother. As a bride she takes up the work of house- keeping, as years go by her work increases, her cares double, the demands upon her time multiply ; it is her life-work from which there can be only a tem- porary release and never an entire freedom from care. She works for husband and children, and their health and happiness are due to her skill, patience and in- dustry, and a failure to do her part well, may be the cause of irreparable mischief. But while she is the greatest, let it never be supposed that she is the only worker. Father' and children are in various ways helpers, and while they are helping her she is work- ing for them, and she is also working lor herself; a fact which many grumblers about the slavery, of housework seem to forget. So, except in the care of very young children, invalids or aged people, the workers are those for whom tlie work is done. In view of the fact that the mother is the most im- portant worker in the house, it is but justice that the work should be arranged in such a manner as to be most convenient for her to do. In machinery great care is taken that there is no friction on the propel- ling power; the shaft of the water-wheel and the pis- ton rod are kept well oiled, for any false bearing here deranges the whole machinery. Equally as good care should be taken that the housework does not vex, fret or annoy the mother, for any friction here is sure to jar through all the revolving wheels of the family circle. One of the things necessary to insure easy work is that the mother's will must be the law of the house- hold. Whatever work is done must be done at such a time and in such a manner as she shall decide. This may sound arbitrary and to many may smack HOUSE KEEPING. 91 of woman-rightsism,.but to all fair-minded people it is only plain common sense, and the only way by which the work can be done without jar or annoy- ance to the different members of the family. For in- stance, the family prefer, so she has always made salt- rising bread. Some other worker, perhaps a hired girl, refuses to make salt-rising and makes yeast bread to the annoyance of the whole family. This does not prevent the mother from trying new, in the hopes of finding out better ways, for all our im- provement are at first new things, but having tried various ways and orders of work, and having decided which is, in her case, the best, both for herself and her family, the mother should be allowed to pursue her own course undisturbed by others. But as the mother's will is to be the law of the househald, it is necessary that her will should be ex- ercised with good sense, intelligence and kindness. If she says a thing should be done at a certain time, when it is apparent to every member of the family that it is not the best time to do it — if, when ordering work done, she says any way to get through it, re- gardless of the best way; if she orders the work, regardless of the health or convenience of the other workers— she makes a great failure ; she fails to merit the respect and confidence that rightfully be- long to her. THE BEST WAY. There is nothing so important to the mother as know the best way to do her work, and then be able to do it in that way. Perhaps it i^ expected that I ghall lay down. plans by which any woma^ cau 49 92 THE HOME ON THE FAKM. her work easily, rapidly and pleasantly, and save time and money. It is impossible. I have seen such plans in print, but never saw one successfully carried out. There are so many things to be considered in making plans, and in no two houses are things just the same. The size of the hotise, the number of mem- bers in the the family, their health, ages of the children, care of aged people, amount of money that can be used in housekeeping, number of hired helpers, are all subjects to be thought of in planning work. So it follows that no one set of plans can suit everybody, but each woman must make her plans to suit her circumstances. THE MONEY QUESTION. The amount of money that can be used in house- keeping is one of the first questions to be settled. Nine-tenths of all the articles written on household matters condemn miserliness in the house as the greatest of all sinning, and to read these articles one would call us a nation of misers. This is far from being the fact. American extravagance is proverbial and where one family is injured by parsimony, ten are harmed by extravagant liberality. It is so pleas- ant to have our houses well furnished, the chairs and tables substantial as well as pretty, the carpets and curtains of good material and in good taste, an organ or a piano and an abundance of good books and pic- tures in the rooms, the table well set with silver and china, and no thought of saving in the butcher's and grocer's bills. All these things help to make home attractive, and the tendency of the times is to con- demn every person who goes without them simply HOTJSE Ei!EPrN(S. 93 because they want to save the money which such things cost. But all these things do cost money ; and many a young couple on beginning housekeeping, rather than face this condemnation have furnished their houses well and burdened themselves with debt and cares for years. Public opinion, on the subject of housekeeping, is all in favor of extravagance, so it becomes very easy for a family to live beyond their means ; but it requires a good deal of moral courage to live strictly within their means. Befove deciding on what to buy, find out how much there is to buy with. If there is money enough to buy a range, cost- ing from $50 to $100, buy it ; but if there is not, there are stoves costing from $12 to $15 that will cook just as good dinners. If there is money to buy solid silver spoons and forks, get them ; but if there is not, plated will do just as well. But let no house- keeper be ashamed of her cheap stove or spoons; rather let her be ashamed of running in debt when she cannot see how the debts are to be paid. It is no disgrace to dress and live plainly, but it is a disgrace to run through all the property one has, and then cheat your creditors out of all you can borrow. So economy becomes one of the first things to be considered in ordering housework. Now, what is economy ? It certainly does not consist in buying the poorest material that can be bought simply because it costs the least money. Economy is getting the greatest benefit from the amount of money expended, be it much or little. If one table-cloth costmg three dollars will last longer than three costing one dollar each, it is economy to buy the three dollar cloth. If one gingham dress costing 12^ cents a yard will wear as long as two calicos costina 8 cents a yard, it is §4 iM HOME ON THE JPAUMi cheaper to buy the gingham. The best — that whicti will wear the longest — is always cheapest. There is an extravagance of time as well as money. It is not economy for a woman who does her own work to spend three or four hours in preparing some choice dish that will be consumed in a few moments. Neither is it economy to prepare a dish and have it so poor that it cannot be eaten, in which case, both the materials used and the time employed in making it are lost. It is not economy to spend days over the ironing table, ironing elaborately-made garments, when an hour over plainly-made clothes will do just as well. It is not economy to spend hours every morning in sweeping and dusting every room in the house, whether they are occupied or not. Neither is it economy to allow them go so long uncared for that it doubles the work. Wastefulness is always the very worst kind of extravagance, either of time or money. It is not economy to attempt to do housework without conveniences to do it with. When a woman attempts to do a large washing with only one tub and a pail, she need not expect to get it out in half a day, and the perplexity and vexation caused by working with so few conveniences, cost her more than another tub or a pounding-barrel would. When a woman ties her coffee up in a rag and pounds it with a flat iron on the stove-hearth, instead of buying a coffee mill, she is not practicing economy, for she wastes more coffee in a year than a mill would cost. It is not economy to try to do a large ironing with only two flat irons, for they must be changed so often that they cannot remain on the stove long enough to be well heated, unless a larger amount of fuel is used. It takes nearly HOITSB eeSping. 96 twice as much fuel to do an ironing with two flat irons as it would to do it with four. TIME. There are but twenty four hours in a day and night and no amount of stretching or crowding can make more than that. When a woman finds she has a great deal to do, and daylight is too short for her to get through it, she is very apt to take part ot the night. She gets up at four in the morning and works until ten at night, and thinks she is saving time. A greater mistake was never made. It is true she may have more work done at the end of the first week, possibly she may at the end of the second, but after that she grows nervous; little things vex her, she wonders why she is so petulant when there is apparently no cause for it, then she becomes listless and cannot set herself to work without an effort ; she is weak and goes to the doctor for a tonic, which perhaps will re- lieve her because he says she must stop work. So, in the end, the two hours which she daily takes from sleep, are two hours lost, and she has lost far more than that — she has lost her cheerfulness and that con- fidence in herself that comes from a nervous system in repose. Make it a rule, when hurried with work, to take plenty of time to eat and sleep. Nothing is ever gained by hurrying through a meal and rushing back to hard work. Eight hours of the twenty-four should be given to sleep, and when a little out of health, more than that. Then divide the remaining sixteen in such a way thlat they will cover all the work to be done that day. Give four hours to getting breakfast and doing up the 96 THE SOME OSr THE FARBf. work, three to getting dinner and washing the dishes, two to getting supper and preparing for breakfast. This gives barely seven hours for other work. But few housekeepers are satisfied with this division of time. It does not give them time enough for the work of the day, so to make more time for that, they slight many parts of the daily work and clip the time for preparing meals as short as possible. The result is, the housework is slightly neglected, the table is plainly set, but the sewing, knitting and mending, rag-carpet making, canning fruit and making bedding are well kept up. If, on the other hand, she keeps her daily housework up to the highest standard, giv- ing it all the time necessary, her sewing, knitting, visiting, letter- writing, etc., become sadly neglected. If she tries to keep her work in all its branches all done, and well done, she is met by the twenty-four hours in the day, which no amount of hurrying can overcome. So, as this limitation is always upon her, let her choose which she will do, and no t complain because one alone cannot do the work that it would require two to do thoroughly. Perhaps the best choice that a woman can make is to do well the things that she is obliged to do, and not attempt to do that which cannot be well done. She is obliged every day to wash dishes, sweep and dust, make beds, set and clear tables, get breakfast, dinner and tea ; then there is the weekly washing and ironing, the baking, and Saturday's cleaning. It is better to do each piece of work thoroughly, than to slide through it any how and hurry on to something ■ else, only taking care that the surface work — that which shows — is decent, and so, at the end of the week, be able to boast of the amount of work gone fiousE KEEPma. 97 over. The annoyance of eating on dishes half washed, of sleeping in beds just thrown together, of wearing clothes dingy, and harsh, and smelling of soap, of eating sour bread and drinking sloppy coffee, is greater to most people than the satisfaction obtained from a great amount of extra work shufled over. Do the little things the best they can be done and then be satisfied with your work. As the first of the week is universally admitted to be the best time for the washing and ironing, we will begin accounts of particular kinds of work with washing day. WASHING AND lEONING. The object of washing is to get the clothes clean. If persons were to listen to the talk of half a dozen housekeepers on washing day afternoon, they might doubt this, they would think the only reason why washings were done was to see how early the clothes could be put out. Of course, it is pleasant to have the washing out as soon as possible, but no amount of hurrying them on to the clothes line can make up for half done washing. Because a woman has her clothes all on the line at ten o'clock, on Monday morning, is no sign she is a good washerwoman. The real proof of her skill in washing is when the clothes are taken from the line, or when they are taken from the closet to be worn. If, when taken from the line they are stiff and harsh to the touch, if the bands of skirts and underclothes, and the bottoms of white shirts are grey because they were not rubbed clean, if children's white and light colored dresses and aprons are drab in front : "all stained up" is the ex- §8 TfcE HOMia ON THE SarM. cuse; if dark dresses are a shade lighter in'front, with BYery trace of the original pattern gone, same excuse ; if the coarse clothes are brown and stiflF, the dish towels slippery -WHth grease, if the colored clothes are streaked, not with the color of the garment, but a compound of every color in the wash, if everything in the wash smells soapy, the washing is not well done, and the one who did it should be ashamed to boast of getting it out before ten o'clock. To be sure, there are housekeepers who do not get their wash- ings out before two o'clock in the afternoon, who do not do them well, but the chances are they will be done as well as if put out two hours after breakfast. The first requisite for doing a washing, is plenty of soft water and good soap. After trying a good many kinds, I am satisfied that there is nothing better for all kinds of washing than home-made soft soap. This is better the older it is, and if it can stand a year without being used, it can then safely be employed on the most delicate colors or flannels. Next to this is the hard soap, made at home with concentrated lye or potash, of which there are many kinds in the market. The best of these are those put up without any rosin or wax, as a laundry soap should contain nothing but alkali and grease. Rosin in soap ruins flannels by fulling them and making them stifi', it also, unless they are carefully rinsed, gives them, and all clothes washed with it — a strong, soapy smell that is disagreeable to most people. To do washings easily, as well as thoroughly, al- ways soak the clothes over night. If the washing must be done on Monday, when the work is done up Sunday morning get a tub of warm suds, and as fast as the clothes are changed, gather them up and put MotSE gEEPING. S^ ttem in it, putting the dirtiest at the bottom of the tub. Be sure there is water enough to cover them well, and no further care is required until the next morning. On Monday morning put on the wash boiler before breakfast, so as to have plenty of hot water to begin with. As soon as you can after breakfast, put enough hot water into the tub of clothes to make it comfor- table for the hands, put on the wringer, and giving them a little rubbing wring them out. Then get a tub of clean, warm water, and rub the clothes clean. This will not be so very hard after soaking over night, but clean them thoroughly. Do not leave any streaks or spots of dirt, thinking they will boil out ; clean the coarse clothes as thoroughly as the fine ones. If there is anything that will not rub out, soap it before putting it in to boil. Do not put too many clothes in the boiler at once, only enough so they can be worked easily in the water, for it is the motion of the boiling suds through the clothes that cleans them. Do not boil more than five to ten minutes. "When taken from the boiler drain out all the suds — dipping them in a basket set over a pail is a good way — then rinse them through a tub full of clear water, wringing with a wringer, then through another tub full of water slightly blued, wring again and they are ready for the clothes line. Much of the success of the washing depends on these two rinsings. If they are thrown into the tub in a lump, just covered with water, then tucked into a wringer, a corner at a time, and pulled through by the motion of the wringer, you need not expect they will be white and clean. You have lost your labor, that is, if you wash to be clean. They should be 100 Tan HOME ON THE f ARM. soused up and down in the water, shaken out and rubbed a litt'e, so that the clear water touches every part of the cloth, then wring dry from each tub. In no other way can the soap be all washed out, and if not all out, the clothes will become yellow after a few washings, and no amount of scrubbing will make them white. Before putting them on the line, starch the collars, shirt bosoms, and whatever needs starch- ing. To make the starch, dissolve from a half to a teacupful of starch (according to the size of the washing) in a little cold water, then pour over it boiling water until it is well scalded, and dip the clothes in it while it is hot as the hands can bear. Many dissolve a lump of tallow in it, or stir in a spoonful of kerosene. Eub the starch in thoroughly while hot. Now come the colored clothes, which are really the horror of washing day. The white clothes can be soaked, boiled, or bleached, but nothing of the kind will do for colored clothes, and yet they show good washing as much as the white. Soap and water and elbow grease are all that can be put upon them. In the first place do not wet them at all until the white clothes are all out, for the longer they are in the suds the more they will fade, and by all means have a pounding-barrel to put them in first. After pounding them well in plenty of water, rub them clean and rinse them well in two waters, starch and dry them in the shade. If there are any that are in- clined to fade, or colors run, put a handful of salt in the last rinsing water, or if you have hard water rinse in that. K one objects to putting the clothes to soak on Sun- day, it can be done on Monday to better advantage. HOUSE KEEPING. 101 Put the clothes in the pounding barrel with suds enough to cover them, pound well and wring out; then empty the barrel, put the clothes back, the whitest at the top, pour over enough strong hot suds to cover them and let them stand over night. In the morning pound them a little and wring them out. The most of them will be ready for boiling, as but few of the very dirtiest will need any rubbing. There are a great variety of things in the market that are warranted to wash clothes clean without much labor, but having tried the most of them I am satisfied that nothing keeps the clothes so white as this method of washing. There is no part of housework that can be slighted with so little annoyance as ironing ; that is, much of it need not be done at all, but what is done it pays to do beautifully. There is no satisfaction in putting a dress on a child that looks as if it just come through a clothes wringer, and had had only a glimpse of a flatiron after, nor in setting a table with a table cloth as rough as a field after the potatoes are just dug. Let all the ironing, where the ironing shows, be nicely done, but many of the coarser clothes, such as kitchen and dish towels and underwear, if smoothly folded from the line, will need but the least rubbing with a hot flatiron. Nearly all the wrinkles in the clothes are those made by cramming them into the basket when taking them from the line, £0 avoid these by folding them. Of course, if one has plenty of time it is well to iron every piece beauti- fully ; but if the ironing is slighted it will not add to your work next week. Always sprinkle your clothes overnight, ts king care not to have them too damp, and keep the flatirons as hot as they can be without 102 THE HOME ON THE FARM. yellowing the clothes. There is no economy in trying to iron with cold flatirons. WASHING DISHES. "Come, girls ; now see how quick you can wash the dishes, " is said to girls ninety- nine out of every hun- dred times they wash dishes when beginning to do housework. I sometimes think this is one reason why they are so slow about it, and why they always hate it. A better way is to make it such nice work that they will like it, or else do it yourself. Instead of being dirty work make it clean work ; have a clean dish pan, keep the water clean, at least the rinsing water, and above all things, have a clean towel to wipe them on. The dirtiest of all dirty things is a black, stiff, sour, greasy dish cloth to wipe clean dishes on. First put the glasses in clean, hot water, with a very little soap in it, and wipe them dry ; then the silver, and cups and saucers ; after this put in more soap and wash the remainder of the dishes, rinse them in clear, hot water, and wipe them dry. It is some- times a great help to drain dishes instead of wiping them. A rack set over a sink with the dishes piled in it from the suds is a good way, then pour over them a tea kettle-full of boiling water. The disadvantage of this way, is that unless they are piled carefully the hot water will strike only the outside dishes, the bot- toms of the plates and cups, while the inside of the dish is just as it came from the suds ; also, the water once running over does not heat them enough to dry them. The best way for draining dishes is to pile them all right side up in another dish pan, then fill HOUSE KEEPING. lOS thefipan with hot water, let them stand a few minutes, pick them out and turn them edges up on a clean cloth folded in the bottom of a basket or wooden bowl. By the time everythina: else is done they will be dry enough to put away. Steel knives and forks should be washed and wiped immediately after polishing, and all tins and kettles rinsed and dried before putting away. The last thing, get a little clean, hot water in the dish pan, and rinse the dish towels thoroughly, wring and dry out of doors. MAKING BEDS. There is every morning, in every bed room that has been slept in, a large quantity of waste, dead matter. It is a well known fact that dead animal matter, if some means are not used for its preserva- tion, wUl become putrid and poisonous. It is diffi- cult to convince most people that such matter exists in bed rooms because they cannot see it, but it is there nevertheless ; the air is full of it, the bed clothes are saturated with it, and if retained they become pu- trid and offensive. This matter is the waste that passes off from the pores of the skin and air cells of the lungs of every living human being. There are three ways of getting rid of it ; fire, water, and fresh air. No house- keeper would care about burning all the bed clothes from a bed room, say, once a week, neither would she care about putting them through the wash as often, so it follows that fresh air is the most available means, but why, oh 1 why is it, that so many housekeepers are afraid to use it ? Make it a rule to open the bed room windows every morning as soon as the rooms are vacated ; then take 104 THE HOME ON THE FASM. the bed CQvers from the bed and put them on a chair _ and shake up the bed thoroughly. Do not throw everything from the bed in one great stack on the chair ; the air can never circulate through it, but spread them a piece in a place as much as possible so that the fresh air can blow over them. By ten or eleven o'<^lock they will be aired and the bed can be made. If the old-fashioned straw and feather bed is used (and rightly taken care of it is as good as any), first even the straw, then the feather bed, turning it daily ; and always over this put a thin blanket before the sheet is put on. Have the under sheet well tucked in at the head of the bed, and the upper sheet, as well as the blankets, securely turned under at the foot. Nothing is more disagreeable than to have your feet project through the bed every time they are moved on a cold winter's night. It is a good plan to, at least once a month, put all the bedding on the clothes line one day. Take a bright sunny day, with but little wind, and they will be as fresh as if just washed. Avoid too much heavy bedding, comforts weighing five pounds are harder to keep clean than lighter ones. Old worsted dresses washed and pieced together in strips or large pieces and tied, or coarsely quilted with about three pounds of batting make excellent bedding. It does not pay to piece up minute scraps of calico into bed quilts when calico is only seven cents a yard, and good spreads and blankets are as cheap as they are now. SWEEPING. Pust is -the pest of sweeping. It is too much work HOUSE KEEPING. 105 to take tip and clean carpets once amonth,iand if not cleaned as often as that they will accumulate a great deal of dust, that only awaits the least touch of the broom to fly through the air dimming everything it touches and irritating sensitive eyes and nose, throat and lungs. It is a question which is the most annoy- ing, dirty floor or dirty air. Then the work of dust- ing is no slight task, especially if there are little arti- cles ef fancy work about the room, many of which are ruined by dust. A carpet sweeper is one of the best things for avoiding dust, but there are many places that cannot be swept with a sweeper, and many who have them give their rooms one good sweeping a day with a broom. In sweeping with a broom always keep the broom damp. Have a pail of water in some convenient place, dip the broom in, and shake ofl" all the water ; then give 'it two or three smart raps, making every particle of water that will, fly off". The dust instead of rising in the air will adhere to the broom, and as soon as it is so loaded that it will hold no more, dip it in the water again. Care must be taken that no water will drip from the broom, otherwise the surface of the carpet will be covered with a thin coating of mud. The trouble with this kind of sweeping is most people have the broom too wet. Another thing to be remembered is, always take the dirt up on a dustpan and burn it up. If the litter from the kitchen is swept out at the back door, the yard soon becomes strewn with scraps from the house, requiring extra labor to clean it, or else it is tracked back into the house again. A large family makes a great deal more sweeping than a small one, for every time a person enters the 7 106 THE HOME ON THE FARM. house more or less dirt is brought in. One sweeping daily is enough for a small family, while three or more will hardly do for a large one. A great deal of trouble may be saved to the wom- en of the house, and the carpets and furniture kept from much injury, if mats are provided at the outer doors, and the family are taught to carefully clean their shoes before entering the house. A great deal of dirt is tracked into houses that might be avoided by the provision of mats and the exercise of a little care. KEEPING FIRES. Another thing requiring good management is the fires. In hot weather it should be a study how to have as little fire as possible. Have everything ready for breakfast the night before, so that as soon as the fire is built it can be put on ; put the dish water over before breakfast and have plenty of it. Arrange the work so that all the baking, ironing, and other work needing a hot fire shall be done in the forenoon, so that as soon as dinner is served the fire can go out. Then have no more during the day except a very lit- tle for making tea. If cold tea is liked by the family make it at noon, so there need be no fire at night. If the reservoir is filled just before dinner, it will be warm enough for washing dishes after supper ; and if there is no reservoir a large kettle filled and kept cov- ered will keep hot quite as long. In winter, the object should be to keep the house warm, with the least time spent in building fires. For this always use coarse, dry wood, as a large stick will keep a fire much longer than a small one, and it itOUSE KEEPING. 107 fakes no longer to put it in the stove. Use dry, well seasoned wood, at all times of the year, as it never pays to burn green wood. For sheet iron, drum, or other heating stoves, large chunks of hard wood are tlie most convenient as well as the most economical. An idea has prevailed in some sections that green wood is economical. There is no doubt that it is pos- sible to waste dry wood more rapidly than green, and that the family will sometimes do without the fire they need rather than struggle with poor green wood, but to obtain a given amount of heat, a larger amount of green wood is required than of dry. In fact, in burning green wood, a large part of the wood is burned simply to dry the other part. Wood spUt too tine often occasions waste. Some of such wood should always be on hand for kindling fires, but for keeping up a steady heat it is always extravagant. HOUSE CLEANING. The first thing to be done towards house cleaning, is to decide what you want to do ; how many rooms need new paint, paper, carpets or curtains. The next thing is to have everything ready to work with before the work is begun. Have lime, paint, paper, carpet tacks.scrubbing and whitewash brushes, soap and sand ammonia and carbolic acid ready, also copperas, for all places that need cleansing, like sink, drains or pools. Then secure your help, and be sure you have help you can depend on all through. Have as many at work at a time as you can work to advantage, and do not tear up every room at once. Have three good meals every day so that when it is done the next thing will not be to go for a doctor. lOS THE HOJiiS 0^ tnU FAfeit. A little ammonia in a basin of water is better for cleaning paint than soap ; it also is useful lor clean- ing combs, brushes, grease spots off from many kinds of clothing, silk, laces, and handkerchiefs; and a bot tie of it should always be kept in the house. For cleaning kitchen tables or other unpainted wood, (and kitchen tables should never be painted) the best way is the old way, soap, sand, liot water and the broom. The scrubbing brush does very well for ev- ery day, but for quick, thorough work, take sand and the broom. Do not sleep in bed rooms until well dried, neither put carpets down on damp floors. Many people seem to think that the more water they can slop or throw around the cleaner the house will be. It is a mistake, all the cleaning the water will do is while it is passing over the wood. For cleaning varnish take equal parts of linseed oil, spirits of turpentine and vinegar, mix well and rub with a flannel cloth. Use whiting for polishing metals or glas9 that you do not want to put water upon. After the house is well cleaned do not shut it up, to remain air tight until the next house cleaning comes around. Open it every day and let in the fresh air and especially the. sunshine. It will smell musty in a few weeks if kept closed, no matter how carefully cleansed. If there are carpets that the sun will fade, spread a few old newspapers over them, then let the purifying sun in. If housekeepers were as careful of the health of their families as they are of their carpets and curtains, they would have more sun shine in their houses, and pay less money for patent medicines. Sunshine is also one of the best of disinfectants, EOTJS* KBBPWa. 109 and a house that has plenty of air and light will usually be a clean house. HIRED SIRLS. I cannot close this chapter on housework without Baying a few words on the subject of hired girls. I know it is a delicate point, one that cannot be dis- cussed without meeting prejudices on both sides, but it is necessary that there should be a better idea of the relations of the two parties than usually exsists in a farming community. The relation between the hired girl and the woman for whom she works is simply a contract. The woman agrees to give a certain suni, say $2.00 for one week's work to be done by the girl. There is usually noth ing said in the contract about what the work shall be, so it must be understood that the work is to be that which the woman would herself do if she were doing the work. If the girl simply gets the breakfast, din- ner and tea, does the daily work, then works for her- self the rest of the day, she is failing to fulfill her part of the contract as the woman would be were she to withhold a part of the stipulated payment. She has agreed to give one week's work for her two dollars, and must give a full week's time. On the other hand the mistress has no right to ex- act of the girl other work than that usually done by the woman of the house. She has no right to send her to the barn to milk when the woman of the house never does the milking ; she has no right to send her out to work in the gardea, to gather fruit, or bind grain, or any other work that is not a part of the or- dinary woman's work of the family. Any girl is 110 THE HOME ON THE FARM. justified in refusing to do such work ; but when lier re- fusal would cause the mistress of the house to do it herself or remain undone, it becomes her duty to do it. The girl has a right to demand her pay as soon as her term of work is completed, and if it is refused she has a right to require interest on the sum due. But beyond the simple strict business understand- ing of what may be demanded from a hired girl, and what she may demand from her employer, there is nothing in the way of a business relation, in which there is greater opportunity for the application of the golden rule, than in this. If the girl can see that you are intent only on getting all the service from her that you can for the money ; if she sees that her com- fort, her convenience, her happiness are absolutely nothing to you ; if she finds that you regard her sim- ply as an animated machine for doing housework, her nature will be very unlike other human nature, if she does not regard you as simply a hard task master and consider that her chief concern in life is to see how lit- tle she can do without losing her place. So much for the business relations ; now for the so- ciety. The question is often asked, shall we as far- mers' wives receive our girls into our families as members of the family ? My answer is, it depends entirely on who the girl is. If she is a girl of upright, moral principles, if she is intelligent, industrious and pleasant to have around the house, patient with the children and respectful to all, I say, yes; by all means. No family is ever harmed by making such a girl one of themselves, and it may be the means of recovering to yourself a friend and helper, who shall stand by you through sickness and health when all other help shall fail, but if on the other hand you qorrsE keeping. Ill detect the slighest trace of loose morality, let her know that she cannot be one of you, and the reason why. Where there are children in the family too great care cannot be taken that the girls employed are of the very purest moral character. As a closing word I will say, if you expect kind- ness and consideration from your girls you must first treat them with kindness and consideration, and nine times out of every ten you will get it in return. All tilings whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. CHAPTEK VII. MANNERS. There is an old proverb which says manners make the man; or, as a German writer puts it, '' A man's manners, for the most part, marry him, and he, for the most part, 1 marries manners." We can see the truth of this in our every day life, for we form opin- ions, perhaps unconsciously, of those we meet by their general deportment; and these opinions are favorable or unfavorable to the person thus judged in proportion as his manners are pleasing or other- wise. In business, in social life, at home or abroad, the keynote of success and popularity is good man- ners. It is but natural that this should be so, for one's manners are a truer index of his character than his words. Our words are governed by the will, while our manners are a part of ourselves and largely involun- tary. In dlden times the members'of a family who boasted a coat of arms, were entitled to " the grand old name of gentleman" or "lady." Nowadays the title de- pends on something more than family position, wealth or education, for one may claim -all these and yet fail of being a gentleman or lady. Wealth con- duces to good manners only so far as it is a means of obtaining education and culture, which broaden and 114 THE HOJIB ON THE FARM. develop the mind, giving additional strength to the character, as well as increasing our capacity for en- joyment and tending toward the growth of whatever natural refinement we may possess One sometimes hears expresse.i the sentiment if not the words : " You must not expect too much of us, we are only farmers, you know ! " as if being farmers shut them away from the ways of civilized life ! Be- ing a farmer is certainly no excuse for lack of good manners, for good manners can be as readily acquired on the farni as in the city, and whether rich or poor, college bred or home taught, farmers' children not only have a right to be ladies and gentlemen, but they owe it to themselves and those about them, to be such. True politeness is only the outward manifestation of the inner life that is " first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy, with- out partiality and without hypocrisy." It is a feeling of kindliness towards all the world, with a desire to please and be pleased. It is alwaysjconsiderate of the wishes and feelmgs of others, charitable toward their failings, lenient towards their faults ; " seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked." It is, in a word, ex- emplifying in our lives the principle of the Golden Rule, and " doing unto others as we would have others do unto us." Good nature and good sense will teach us the ele- ments of politeness, but there are many little delica- cies established by custom, which go to make up good manners and which can be acquired only by practice. Whoever would become mannerly must put what- ever knowledge of the rules of good society he pos- sesses into active, daily use, and if he lives up to all he MANNERS. 115 knows, he will find that knowledge constantly increas- ing. Be always gentlemanly and ladylike at home, because no one in the world is so justly entitled to courtesy at your hands as the members of your own family. There is a further reason in the fact that only by so doing can we make our good manners so much a part of ourselves that they will become a kind of second nature. Be particular about the most triiUng matter, for the little things are, after all, the most im- portant. Many persons seem to have an idea that the careful observation of these little points of etiquette is a sort of sUly affectation by means of which the wealthy and fashionable try to raise themselves above '" common people," and consequently they sneer at and reject them. A very slight examination of these rules of etiquette vnll show that even those which appear most trifling are founded on common sense, and there is some good reason for their use. At any rate no one can afford to neglect or ignore any of the forms of good manners, or any opportunity of perfect- ing himself in their use. Quiet, smooth manners at home, will give ease and self-possfesion in company, and prevent the feeling of constant anxiety, lest the next moment 'you may do or say something awkward or ridiculous. Greet each member of your family with a pleasant ■ " good morning," say it as if you reaHy wished them good and not as if it were an unpleasant duty that you wish to have over as soon as possible ; and don't for- get the " good night" as you separate at the close of day. Cultivate a habit of accompanying any request, no matter how small, with " if you please," and be sure to say " thank you " (not thanks) for every favor done for you. Learn to say " excuse me " or " I beg 116 THE HOMI ON THE VABlt. your pardon," without stammering or hesitation. It costs nothing to say these things except a little effort and thought on your part, but it will make a wast di£'erence in the feelings of those about you. Go about the house quietly ; don't go up and down stairs as if you were a whole regiment of cavalry. A woman should always go up and down stairs slowly and easily from motives of health as well as decorum. Don't slam doors, and when you are in search of your mother, look for her with your eyes instead , of your tongue. Don't talk, laugh or sing at the top of your voice while in the house ; don't indulge in " horse laughs " and don't giggle. Anything that is bold or coarse, either inmannners or speech, is a violation of good manners. Don't worry, either about what you can help or what you cannot. There are a thousand little annoyances in our eveiy-day life which will keep us in state of a constajit irritation if we allow ourselves to look out for and fret about them, and make us, and everyone about us, exceedingly uncomfortable. Above all things learn to keep your temper. No one can be truly a lady or gentleman who has not enough self- control to keep tongue and temper within bounds. Put away all selfishness, it is even more than the love of money "a root of all evil," and should havo no place in any home circle. Think of the interests and pleasures of others and not that alone which relates to " me." Do not allow yourself to get into awkward positions. Sit down squarely in a chair, not on one side, or just on the edge as if afraid it will not bear your weight. Keep your feet in front of you, do not move them uneasily about nor sit with them under you. Let your hands, if idle, lie quietly in your lap, not fussing with a button on your clothes, MANNERS. 117 hor playing with a -watchguard, nor twisting the fingers nervously ; it shows too plainly a want of self-possession. Study the art of talking well. It is a gift which few possess naturally, but which may be attained by effort and perseverance. A good talker modulates his voice so that it will be clear without being un- necessarily loud, speaks distinctly, is particular in his choice of the simplest words with which to express an idea, and has something to say. This last is per- haps the hardest to acquire, where one has not the natural jiift of saying the right thing at the right time ; but it can be done, and the earlier one learns to think of something to say, the better. Don't mo- nopolize a conversation, nor talk about subjects that are interesting only to yourself. Learn to talk of something higher than neighborholDd gossip, and don't "lug in the weather by the ears" too often. Speak as grammatically as possible ; persons who are familiar with all the rules of grammar, often speak incorrectly through carelessness. Don't use long and high-sounding words, or words from a foreign lan- guage, unless you are sure you know their meaning and can pronounce them correctly, and that those to whom you are speaking, will also understand them. Avoid common and inelegant expressions, such as, "I ain't got none," "I haven't went," " I would have like you to have gone," " them molasses," etc. Say " I have none," " I have not been," " I would have liked to go," " that molassess." Molasses is one individual article, and to apply to it a pronoun, mean- ing two or more, is plainly wrong. Don't allow any coarse or vulgar expressions to pass your lips, and don't use ilang. Don't say that John 118 THE HOME ON THE "^ATSM. Henry is " ali broke up " on Susan Ann, nor that she " has an awful mash " on him. Don't emphasize a statement with " and don't you forget it " or " you just bet." Such expressions may be very forcible, but they are equally low. Never permit yourself to repeat anything to the discredit of another, and don't discuss private family affairs, much less the personal affairs of any one else, with strangers. Do not insist on your own views as being right, and be careful not to express an opinion or differ with another in such a way as to give offense or wound the feeling. Neither be over-ready yourself to become offended. The per- sons who always seem ready to find cause for offense, are generally troubled with an undue appreciation o their own ideas, opinions and selves. Learn to listen as well as to talk. Give attention to. what is said to you, and appear interested, even if you are not. It is not hypocrisy to do so, and it is pure selfishness not to do so. Never interrupt or con- tradict one who is speaking, and should you do so accidentally, apologize at once. It is rude to whisper in company, and also to talk or laugh about something the others do not under- stand, or in such a way that any one may think he is being made an object of ridicule. Give especial attention to your table, manners, for in them particularly, does .good breeding, or the lack of it, manifest itself. There are many nice points about the manner of eating and drinking, little in themselves it may be, but which make our daily per- i'orinances at the table either one of the fine arts or simply a " feed," like any other of the domestic ani- mals. Do not come to the table with an untidy dress or disordered hair, nor with face and hands not per- MANNEES. 119 fectly clean. Sit erect, do not lean back in your chair nor forward on the table. Do not put your elbows nor your arms on the edge of the table, and when your hands are unoccupied, let them lie in your lap. Don't play with your knife, lork, napkin ring or any article which may be near you. Begin eating as soon as you are helped, not waiting until all at the table have been helped, having first unfolded your napkin and laid it in your lap. Do not express a preference for any particular dish or portion of fowl, unless asked to do so, then reply at once. When a dish is handed to you, help yourself from the contents, if you wish any, before passing it to another, and when you pass a dish have both hands empty. When soup is served, sip it quietlj'^ from the side of the spoon, moving the spoon from you as you dip it into the soup. Do not tilt your plate for the last spoonful of soup, nor scrape any dish for the last morsel. Keep your tea cup, sauce dishes, whatever is for your own use, near your plate ; do jiot reach for anything, par- ticularly do not get up from your chair to reach any- thing, ask to have it passed to you. Accompany any request with " if you please," and accept or de- cline what is offered to you with " I thank you." Do not pour tea or coffee into the saucer, but drink it from the cup, laying your tea spoon in the saucer while doing so and also if you pass your cup to be re-filled. Never blow your tea or coffee or a mouthful of food to cool it, and don't mop off your plate with a piece of bread to get every drop of gravy, etc. Use your knife to cut up your food, but don't con- vey food to your mouth with it ; let the fork and spoon be used for that. Using the fork in the right 120 THE HOME ON THE FAKSt. hand may seem awkward to one not accustomed to it, but a piece of bread held in the left hand will be of assistance and a little practice will enable one to use the fork as easily as the knife, and far more grace- fully. In passing your plate to be re-filled, keep your knife and fork in your hand or lay them on a piece of bread, never on the table cloth ; when you are through the meal lay the knife and fork side by side on your plate, handles to the right. Do not take a dish out of the hands of a waiter, let him set it on the table. Eat slowly, for the sake of both health and manners, and do not make a noise with your mouth in eating or drinking. Look down while drinking; not around you over the top of your glass or cup. At home or at a private house, fold your napkin at the close of a meal and lay it by your plate; at a hotel lay it on the table without folding. At a hotel or public table you are , at liberty to leave the table when you choose ; at home do not leave before the others, or if obliged to do so, always ask the hostess to excuse you. Let every motion be quiet; don't rattle your knife, fork or spoon against your plate. Never put your own knife or spoon into the butter, or any dish not intend- ed solely for your own use. Don't take large mouth- fuls, it looks greedy and it is decidedly awkward, should a remark be addressed to you, to be unable to answer it without choking. Break your bread and biscuit instead of cutting them with a knife, and lay a piece of bread on the edge of your plate to spread it. Don't handle the slices of bread or cake when they are passed to you ; take the piece that is nearest to you. MANNERS. 121 When you have visitors make them feel at ease from the moment of their arrival, by every means in your power ; though you should not appear to exert yourself. If one can learn to entertain company — especially unexpected company — vJ'ithout apparent effort or fuss, it would save a wonderful amount of fatigue, and be less uncomfortable for the guests. Do not insist that your guests must " make them- selves at home" so repeatedly that they will wish themselves truly there. Do not absent yourself unnecessarily from your visitors, but when obliged to leave them to them selves do not apologize so profusely as to make it seem as if you doubted either their power of self en- tertainment or honesty. Don't spend the greater part of your friend's visit in the kitchen, preparing innumerable dishes for the edifying of the inner man. It is supposed your guests come for the iileasure of visiting with you, notmerely to judge of your skill as a cook. Don't load the table with a great variety of eatables, nor urge your guests to partake of each dish and seem offended if they do not. Don't apologize for your dinner, your house or your own appearance ; it sounds as if you were fishing for complimentary re- marks, or else it calls attention to what would other- wise probably pass unnoticed. If, as sometimes hap- pens, the guest be one whom you may not like, let your courtesy be none the less unfailing. It would be unpardonably selfish to allow personal feeling to interfere with your duty as hostess. The old Scots had a custom the spirit of which is worthy of imitation in this age. They did not ask the name of the strang- ger who claimed their hospitality lest, finding he be- longed to a hostile clan, they might be lacking in 8 132 THE HOMI ON THE FARM. the courtesy which they thought due to every guest. When yourself paying a visit to a friend try to occa- sion as little extra work ns possible, but do not assure your hostess a dozen times that she must not go to any trouble for y6u. Once stating the fact is enough, a repetition sounds as though you rather expect some special effort for your benefit. Show that you appre- ciate every effort made to give you pleasure, and at the same time try to be entertaining and agreeable yourself ; do not act as though your presence was suf- ficient compensation for any trouble your friends may take for your sake. Do not be over officious in help- ing your hostess. Offer your assistance if there seems to be any occasion for doing so, but do not insist if it be declined. Do not follow your host^ from one part of the house to another as she goes about her work, unless invited to do so. Do not handle little ornaments about a house, nor open closets or bureau drawers without permission, nor be needlessly inquis- itive in any way, for these things are exceedingly an- noying, as well as ill mannered. If your visit last through several days, do not an- noy your friends by being late to breakfast, or by keeping any mepl waiting through carelessness on yoiir part. Keep your room neat, don't leave your clothes lying about on the chairs, nor neckties, collars and cufi's, &c., on the bureau, washstand or floor. Above all don't stay till you wear out your welcome, and on leaving be sure to express your thanks for the kindness shown you, and the pleasure you have re- ceived. Before going from home on a journey, provide your- self with hair brush and comb, papers of pins, and an^ toilet articles that are sacked to your owji use. MANinsna. 123 Avoid everything in a traveling dress that will soil or muss easily, and that is conspicuous. Light dresses and bonnets, lace collars and showy jewelry are not suitable for a traveling costume. Go to the station in time to get your ticket and have your baggage checked before the train whistles. Put your ticket where you can find it when the conductor asks for it, so you will not have to keep him waiting while you search pocket, satchel and purse for it, and at last find it inside of your glove. Be calm and self-pos- sessed, don't get excited when the train comes, excite- ment and nervousness always betray the inexpe- rienced traveler. Don't fret and worry if the train should happen to be late ; it will only add to the dis- comfort of yourself and those near you. Do not, by spreading yourself and baggage over three or four seats, occupy more room in the car than rightfully be- longs to you, and then look ferociously at any one who looks as if he thought of coniesting your right of possession. If you have a friend in another part of the car, do not shout back and forth at each other to the annoyance of every one else in the car. Loud talking and laughing are an abomination at all times and particularly so in a railroad car. Do not narrate every detail of your family history to any stranger with whom you may enter into conversation, and do not be too free to make acquaintances in travelling. At the same time one need not be unnecessarily off- ish, for while any familiarity should be instantly checked, one may be sociable with one's travelling companions without any loss of dignity. A young girl traveling alone cannot be too careful of her ac- tions in attracting attention. Young girls at the pin- feathery age are apt to think it fun to attract 124 THK HOME Olif THE FARJt; attention of strangers, and to encourage rather than repel any tendency toward a "flirtation." While in many cases this may be done simply in fun it is both silly and vulgar, and may lead to more se- rious consequences. No girl or woman can afford to do anything at home or abroad that will in any way compromise her womanhood, or lessen her self re- spect or the respect of others for her. There is a practice in vogue in the country, and not so very far in the country either, which cannot be too strongly condemned: the practice of indiscriminate hugging and kissing. In many localities the sole amusement at evening parties consists in a series of kissing games, played by grown up young men and women. This cannot but be destructive to good mor- als, and while not strictly indecent, it destroys all the sanctity of what should be sacred to near relatives or those between whom is an engagement of marriage. Let your deportment, on the street, be quiet or lady like, as the case may be. Don't talk or laugh loudly, I) or make audible comments on the people you meet. A lady recognizes an acquaintance with a smile and inclination of the head, if she meets the same person again the same morning or afternoon it is not neces- sary to repeat the bow ; a smile is sufficient. A gen- tleman raises his hat, not merely points his finger to- ward it, on meeting a lady acquaintance. If he shake hands with a friend, a cordial clasp of the hand (not a grip and pump handle shake) is enough. The greet- ing "how do you do f ' should be replied to with the same words; it is simply a formal salutation, not in- tended as an inquiry as to the state of your friend's health. That comes afterward, if you are interested in knowing about it, AlAifNfefts. 125 A lady is never demonstrative in public, but keeps her feelinffs of joy or sorrow to herself. For that rea- son the habit of kissing when two lady acquaintances meet on the street, in church or any public place is not one. to be followed unless under exceptional circumstances. Never turn around to look after any one you have just passed. If a gentleman has a cigar in his mouth he should remove it when speaking to a lady ; though a gentleman does not use tobacco in any form, not only because of its injurious effects upon the health, but because of its intolerable filthiness. When a lady and gentleman are walking together on the street, it is not necessary that the gentleman be always on the outside, and thus be obliged to "change sides" in going from one side of the street to the other. It is usually best for the lady to be on the right hand side of the gentleman. In crossin'^ the street it is necessary to go singly, or in passing through a crowd, the gentleman always precedes the lady. A gentleman offers to relieve a lady with whom he may be walking, of whatever parcels she is carrying and should her hair or dress become disarranged in any way, it is his duty to inform her of the fact, should it escape her notice. In going int© a store or house, a gentleman accom- panying a lady, holds open the door or gate and al- lows her to enter first. A gentleman precedes a lady in going up a flight of stairs, but allows her to pre- cede him in going down. When you ask for goods in a store say "will you please to show me such and such goods?" or "I would like such and such if you please,-' not "I want so and so." Do not comment upon goods or their price, and never try to "jew down" the 126 THE HOME ON THE FARM. price of an article ; it is an insult to the storekeeper to ask him to let you have an article below its marked price and shows your own w^nt of good breeding. If the price is too high do not take it and let that be the end of the matter. If you expect courteous treat- ment at the hands of a merchant or his clerks, and it is always expected, let there be equal courtesy on your part. It is sometimes said of Americans, by way of ridi- cule, that they will not allow two strangers to be to- gether without introducing thein to each other. Un- necessary introductions, then, are to be avoided ; as if you are in company with a friend, and meet a sec- ond friend, unacquainted with the first, there is no need of introducing them unless for some special rea- son. In performing an introduction take pains to speak the names distinctly. Let the old custom of saying, " I'll make you acquainted with so and so " die out. Say, Miss Jones, allow me to introduce my friend Mr. Smith, or Mr. Brown, let me introduce you to my Mother ; the gentleman being introduced to the lady, the younger person to the older. Gentle- men usually shake hands with each other, but merely bow to ladies when introduced. Ladies bow to each other, and to gentlemen ; but rarely shake hands with the latter, unless it should be an elderly gentleman, or a particular friend of some member of the family. A gentleman never offers to shake hands with a lady, the first movement in that direction should come from her. A bow should be simply a forward incli- nation of the head, slowly and gracefully ; not the exaggerated bending of the whole body forward. That is reserved for the dancing school and stage. Let neatness and taste govern your dress. There ilAJSTNEES. 12? is too great a want of thought about the dress of the average woman, not in quantity of thought, but thought in the right direction. A dress to be in good taste should be at once becoming, suitable and con- sistent; that is, it should harmonize with the appear- ance of the wearer, it should be suitable for the occa- sion on which it is worn, and it should be in keeping with the means of the wearer. A little thought upon these points, will lead to happier results than if the sole object be how to make the biggest show with the least money. Too much thought, or too little, about dress indicates a weak mind, but it should be the aim of every woman to look as well as possible at all times ; remembering that she is best dressed when everything is in such accord that one does not remember any detail of her appearance. A tall, slen- der person does not look well in clinging garments, a fleshy one does not look well in much draped or flounced skirts, while large figures, plaids and stripes are unbecoming to both. Light colors have a tenden- cy to increase one's size, dark ones diminish it. Heavy materials are not suitable for a slight, slender figure, while a large person is ridiculous in light, del- icate garments. A fair complexion, with light hair, may wear any of the light shades of color with good efl'ect, while a dark complexion with dark hair needs rich, bright colors. High, glaring colors, should never be chosen for a dress uflder any circumstances, nor should too many colors be used in the same dress. A cheap dress much be-ruffled and be-flounced is not in good taste, but however cheap the material may be, let it be neatly made and well fitting. Some judgment should be used in selecting a dress, as well as in making it; for many materials that are l28 THE flOME osr *riE parM. appropriate for city streets are as much out of place fol' riding over country roads as are trained skirts. Don't put on a blue silk dress (if you happen to possess one) to wear on the cars, nor a white lace bonnet and white kid gloves when dressing for a country fair, or similar gathering. Such things have their place, but that place is an evening party or entertainment, and not in the dust of travelling or a mixed crowd. When well dressed don't act as if you were conscious of it all the time, nor hold your head and hands primly as though a move would dislocate some part of your costume. Have every button, pin, hook and eye, and hairpin properly and securely adjusted before leaving your own room, and then try to forget all about how you look ; to be fingering your hair or neck ribbons, or looking to see if your overskirt hangs just right, gives an air of self consciousness, as though you im- agined yourself the observed of all observers. Let your dress be neat and tidy, your gloves whole, your collar and handkerchief fresh and clean, and you will be always sure of looking well. Nothing is more untidy than soiled collars, and mussed neckties ; they spoil any dress. Your clothes should always correspond to your means, and like- wise in keeping with your home. It is a false pride to put all one can earn into fine clothes, regardless of the shabbiness of the home with which these are brought into contrast, and worse still if that home is unpaid for. Your social position is neither gained nor retained by the clothes you wear. Be as partic- ular about the neatness of your appearance at home, about your work, as if some stranger were present, and you will thus be prepared for strangers coming unawares. A dress the worse for Avear and grease, no collar, your hair falling about your neck as if anj' thing were good enough for home, is disrespectful to your family and yourself. Carlessness soon becomes slovenliness, and she who is slovenly in her dress is so in her housekeeping and cooking. Keep your hair smooth, your whole person perfectly clean, your fingernails trimmed and your teeth well brushed. Don't use salt or charcoal to clean the teeth, they are injurious to the enamel, and are apt to cause sore gums. Plenty of soap and water at least once a day, is necessary to keep the teeth from decay, and the breath sweet. Don't anoint yourself with hair oil ; it is not cleanly, and except in rare cases, a vigorous use of the hair brush, morning and night, will make the hair smoother and more glossy than any oil. Don't scent your handkerchief with strong perfumes ; they are never in good taste, and are exceedingly disagreeable to many persons. If you have a good complexion thank fortune lor it and don't spoil it by the use of powder and paint. If it is not good, outward applications will not usually help it. A sallow or muddy complexion can ordinarily be improved by frequent bathing and attention to the diet, eating regularly and avoiding greasy meat, strong cofiee, hot bread and other indigestible food. Face powder, at best, fills up the pores of the skin, making it thick and rough, while the use of flake white «r other preparations containing white lead is a slow poison. Don't wear cheap jewelry. Far better, not wear the slighest ornaments than the heavy earrings, massive necklace and bracelets whose very size proclaims them to be only sham. In all things avoid "loudness" and display. The 130 TBE SOME OSr TflE FARM. tme lady or gentleman never tries to attract atten- tion by the conspicuousness of costumes or peculiari- ty of manners. Anything in manner, speech, wear- ing apparel or jewelry that seems to say, "look at me" is vulgar in the extreme. The best of manners and the most fastidious etiquette may become vulgar, if they are exhibited in such a manner as to cause the person to appear to be proclaiming superiority over those around. While it is not necessary in all things to accept the maxim, "When in Rome, do as Eome does," it is nevertheless always well to avoid calling attention to the fact that we are superior in manner *or education to those around us. We would not like to have others do so with us, and it is, therefore, a vio- lation of the first rule of all good breeding, to do unto others as we would they should do unto us. In conclusion, there can be no positive rules of action laid down^ as the insfructions in a "complete letter writer" are given, so as to have some guide for any possible combination of circumstances. Do the best you can under all circumstances, and whenever you have an opportunity, to study the manners of good society take advantage of it and put your knowl- edge faithfully into practice. Do not imagine that you can use your manners as you do your Sunday clothes, keep them stored safe away in a closet and only put them on for the bene- fit uf company or on state occasions. Manners, to look well, must be easy, natural and graceful, and they cay only become so by constant use at home in the family. The person who is rude at home will never feel at ease in company, and every observant individual will see that his manners are not a part of himself, but something put on for the occasion- MANNERS. 131 Keep mind and heart so full of what is good and noble that there shall be no room for evil, and keep ever before you the best rule for all conduct : Do unto others as you would havo others do unto you. THE GOLDES SIDE. There is many a rest in the road of life If we only would stop to take it, And many a tone from the better land If the querulous heart would make it. To the sunny soul that is full of hope, And whose beautiful trust ne'er faileth The grass is green and the flowers bright Though the wintry storm prevaileth. Better to hope, though the clouds hang low. And to keep the eyes still lifted; For the sweet blue sky will soon peep thro' When the ominous clouds are lifted. There was never a night without a day, Or an evening without a morning; And the darkest hour, as the proverb goes. Is the hour before the dawning. There is many a gem in the path of life Which we pass in our idle pleasures That is richer far than the jeweled crown Or the miser's hoarded treasures; It may be the love ©f a little child. Or a mother's prayer to heaven, Or, only a beggar's grateful thanks For a cup of water given. CHAPTEK VIII. LEISURE HOUKS. An evening at home is a delightful treat to me now, since I have left that sacred place to go out into the world and with the multitude, engage in the endless wearysome battle for money and self-support. An evening at home ! How pleasant the thought, and how that thought caiTies us back again to the years of our careless childhood, when, with parents and brothers and sisters, we all gathered about the little old-fash- ioned fireplace in that happy country home. Memo- ry brings back some sad and gloomy evenings, but many more pleasant and agreeable ones. It was a time that brought us leisure hours. Many there are who have gone out from our coun- try homes, seeking some easier road to wealth or fame, and have found that amidst the rush and hurry and excitement of business, those leisure hours never come again, and those happy evenings in the country home must evermore be but memories. I do not wish to begin too gloomily, but my dear country girl or boy, if my pen could write words which would convey to your minds any idea of how precious and valuable are the leisure hours of a quiet evening on the farm, I would feel repaid for all my toil and weariness. These hours are of untold value to you and should be 134 THE HOMB OW THB FARM. spent in such a way as to recuperate the strength of body, invigorate the mind, and strengthen the entire system for