state Dairy Association. 103 



new parlor. She who should be the mistress of the house has 

 become its slave. But do not think for a moment that I am dis- 

 couraging separate dining rooms and upstairs bed rooms. I wish 

 only to remind you of the cost of their maintenance and the neces- 

 sity of providing for their care. It is very hard these days to get 

 satisfactory hired help in the house, no matter how much one is 

 able or willing to pay, and it is especially hard in the country. The 

 help must generally be in the form of convenient arrangements, 

 machines and labor-saving devices of various kinds. Put the large- 

 ness into verandas, for they need no furnace heat, are easily kept 

 in order_ and are a great comfort in the summer. 



Perhaps the convenience most needed in the house is running 

 water and drains. Some kind of power is necessary on most farms. 

 If you have a windmill to draw up water for the stock, it will not 

 cost much more to have it pumped into a reservoir at the top of the 

 house and piped down into the kitchen. Some knowledge and skill 

 is necessary in making drains to safely carry off the waste water 

 from the house, but when you consider the wasted energy of the 

 woman who has, with each dish pan of water, to walk across the 

 kitchen floor, open the door, go down the steps and out across the 

 land to find some place not wet from the last pan of water; when 

 you think of the time wasted in- this way, and think of the things 

 the house-wife might have had time to do, if it were not for these 

 numerous dishwater-throwing expeditions, I am sure you will de- 

 cide the drain is worth its cost. 



A recent farmers' bulletin (No. 270) on "Modern Conveni- 

 ences for the Farm Home" gives directions for making drains. It 

 gives suggestions also for many other conveniences in the home. It 

 certainly is well worth the price of a postal card to the Secretary 

 of Agriculture at Washington. 



Since the men of the home generally have some responsibility 

 for the stoves, I suppose I do not need to suggest to you that fur- 

 naces save labor. Perhaps I might add that with a good hot air 

 furnace we may ha- j a good system of ventilation in the house. Of 

 course, you men a a out in the fresh air a good share of the time, 

 but the women a d young children have to breathe the air of the 

 house most of tl i time. For them, especially, some system of ven- 

 tilation is nece .-^ary, and the good hot air furnace is a convenient 

 form. Of cou' se, it costs money, but fresh warm air in the winter 

 time always costs money. 



But to r(;turn to the subject of saving steps. The china closet 

 ought to be somewhere between the dining room table and 



