No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 357 



Longfellow says: 



■'The heights by great men reached and kept. 



Were not attained by sudden flight; 

 But they while their companions slept, 



Were toiling upward in the night." 



During the last century the farmers have made decided progress. 

 One hundred years ago many of the crops that are raised now were 

 not raised then. Flax was then one of the chief products, while less 

 potatoes and wheat were raised. The reverse is now the case. A 

 large crop of wheat and potatoes are raised while little or no flax 

 is raised. A hundred years ago the farmer raised only the crops 

 their forefathers had raised, because they knew those would yield 

 with success. They feared to experiment on raising other crops then, 

 but now when farmers have all the advantages, such as printing 

 presses, which give forth to all farmers alike, journals which pertain 

 to successful agriculture, they can afford to spend some time in ex- 

 perimenting to see which crops will produce the best results. 



Our forefathers had neither the advantages to become acquainted 

 with their neighboring farmers. Very few farmers knew more people 

 than those that lived within a radius of five miles. So in this case it 

 is illustrated that ''Farmers' Institutes" are of an indefinite value. 



SANITATION IN THE HOME. 



BY LAURA C. PIERCE, Ambrose, Pa. 



READ AT AMBROSE INSTITUTE, INDIANA CO., DEC. 6, 1900. 



Human life is a talent, a privilege, a probation. It is the choicest 

 gift in the bounty of Heaven committed to our wise and diligent 

 keeping. "Life is real, life is earnest," should be the motto of every 

 individual. 



Nothingg is sadder than to see an aged person reflecting over a mis- 

 spent life. "Oh!" he cries, "if I could only go back and live those 

 days over again." But this he cannot do. He realizes that it is too 

 late. His many opportunities are past and gone. Kegrets are of 

 no avail. And, as we watch him, truly, we see a picture of dejection. 



Then in view of the very great consequences of life itself, is it not 

 a question of vital importance how we live? What sanitary meas- 

 ures are adopted to preserve life in its highest and healthiest forms? 

 It is in the home that sanitation should begin, whether it be in city, 

 town or country. Lay a foundation for health and always build on 



