650 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



Food exposed to the air. 



The exposure of food both in the home and in the market to flying 

 dust is much to be condemned. While it may be difficuh to cover all 

 the left-overs and the food in process of preparation, one has only to 

 think again of dust and its dangers to realize that the surfaces of this 

 food will catch many flying particles and germs which we would rather 

 not have made a part of our diet. It merely means thoughtfulness on the 

 part of the housekeeper to correct some of the habits to which we have 

 become accustomed and habitually follow. Probably if the bread were 

 not left unprotected, the mouse would not have jumped in ; but we can 

 see the mouse in time to avoid making him a part of our meal, whereas 

 the obnoxious germ is so small as to escape attention. A table filled with 

 left-overs, waiting to be prepared for the next meal, is a veritable dust- 

 garden, and who knows what additions have been made to our diet ? 



Uncovered meat and groceries delivered in an open wagon through 

 the dusty streets are not very clean when they reach the kitchen. Of 

 course sufficient heat applied to them may kill anything dangerous, but 

 again we are led to think that we do not want dirt in our food even 

 from which the germs have been killed. Patronize a covered delivery 

 wagon and a grocery in which provisions are kept under cover in prefer- 

 ence to those in which the provisions are exposed to the air. This will 

 pay in our peace of mind as well as in the safety of the food. 



Programs for Evenings zvith Farmers' Wives' Reading Chihs. 



Those of our readers who are interested in Farmers' Wives" Reading- 

 Clubs should send for Bulletin No, 16, which gives suggestions for pro- 

 grams for two meetings for each of the five winter months. 



Study clubs are by no means to be confined to the cities and towns. 

 The farmer's wife has the same need of study to keep abreast of the 

 times, to keep up with her children, and to preserve a joyous spirit, as 

 does the woman living in the midst of libraries, picture galleries, and 

 lecture bureaus. Her early education, like that of her city sister, needs 

 constant polishing to keep it bright, and her sympathies need to expand 

 rather than to grow narrow and insignificant. The very practical nature 

 of the farmer's wife's occupation makes it desirable to base that occupa- 

 tion on scientific principles as well as to relieve it with a thought of 

 poetry, history or fiction. 



Let some woman take the leadership, see the other women of the 

 community and arrange to meet on a certain date, either in a home, at 

 the school building, or in the grange hall. The meeting may be held when 

 the men have their club meeting, or alone, as seems most practicable. 



