The Bulletin. oo 



local merchant as elsewhere, buy from him, hut if you cannot, order direct 

 from the manufacturers, or even from some of tin? lar^e doijartment stores. 



rerhai)s it is not too much to suggest tliat the cook-ranfie sliouid have a large 

 oven, a water-reservoir, and an "indicator" on tiic front. Tlie indicator is a 

 sort of tlierniomeler on the oven door wliicli shows how hot the oven is— and 

 a housekeeper told me that it saved nmst blistering of the face which would 

 otherwise be incurred in continually looking in to see how the bread or 

 potatoes were baking. A warming-closet surrounding the pipe is also a great 

 convenience. 



The sewing-machine should also be a good one, and this is more important 

 in the country than in the city, since repairs cannot be had so easily. Proba- 

 bly the majority of our country peoi)le buy their sewing-machines from agents 

 who drive about with a machine strai)ped into the back of the buck-board, 

 but when this is done the price paid is necessarily high, for the agent nuist 

 pay for the horse and vehicle and for his own board and lodging, all from the 

 profits on the machines he sells. If ordered direct from reliable makers, 

 they may be had nuich cheaper. Farmers tell me that when they buy from 

 ageWs oil the installment lilan, as they are often obliged to do, a good machine 

 costs them from $40 to $00 by the time it is paid for: but a farmer's wife in 

 Oatawba County tells me she bought a $20 sewing-machine from the makers, 

 has had it twelve years and it is still in excellent condition. Care in buying 

 to the best advantage is .iust as important an item in your prosperity as is 

 the profitable selling of your cotton, tobacco, peanuts or wheat. 



The washing-machine costs less and is bulky, hence you can usually do as 

 well with the local merchant as by ordering it from a distance. Careful 

 inquiry among your neighbors who have washing-machines will show which 

 make "will best suit the needs of your home, and having ascertained this, get 

 one just as soon as you can. A good washer and wringer can be bought for 

 from $S to $12, and will save much labor, worry and needless muscle-wear 

 on the housewife. 



WATER-SUPPLY IN THE HOUSE. 



This is one of the very greatest conveniences, and should, I think, be 

 planned for from the beginning. Unless you have taken the trouble to figure 

 it out, I doubt if any of you have any adequate idea of the time consumed, 

 the distance walked, and the energy wasted in going to and from a distant 

 spring, or in drawing water from a well. At one of these institutes I was 

 told of a case where the woman surprised her husband with the statement 

 that she had walked over 3,000 miles on this one endless errand. In my 

 travels I pass numerous fine homes, the water from which comes from a 

 spring at the foot of a long steep hill. Whether the work of carrying that 

 water is performed by man, woman, child or beast, there is a waste of animal 

 force which should, if possible, be avoided in order that it may be utilized 

 in other directions, for with the wind-mills, hydraulic rams, force-pumps, etc., 

 we can force the water to our houses by the natural forces of air and water 

 at very much less expense. Let us consider briefly some of the means by 

 which this may be accomplished. 



Wind-mills. — ^There are, of course, various makes and styles of these, each 

 manufacturer claiming his as best. Advertisements may be seen in farm 

 papers, especially those published in the central States. Wind-mills are more 

 especially adapted to level sections where the fall of water is not gi'eat 

 enough to use a hydraulic ram ; hence, for this State, they are best adapted 

 to the eastern section. The cost, which is not so great as one might suppose, 

 depends upon (1) the height it is necessary to have the tower to get the 

 wheel above trees, buildings or other obstructions to wind; (2) the size of 

 the tank, which should be large enough to hold water to last through from 

 one breeze to another; (3) the amount of piping necessary to carry the water 

 to the barn, house, dairy, etc. ; (4) the size of the wheel, and (5) the material 

 (wood or steel) of which the wheel is made. There are other factors influ- 

 encing the cost, but these are the main ones. Allowing for moderate varia- 

 tions in all these, we may say that under most conditions in this State a 

 suitable wind-mill equipment can be put in at from $150 to $300. But it 

 should be remembered that the windmill is more costly, and as a rule not 

 generally so satisfactory as the hydraulic ram, so that if your location is 



