THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



313 



WOMEN AND FARMING. 



What follows below is a portion of the remarks maile by 

 the Rftv. A. L. Stone, of Boston, at the annual dinner of the 

 Norfolk Agricultural Society, in September last. No man 

 knows better than Colonel Wilder, the President of the So- 

 ciety, what kind of men to call around him on such occasions, 

 and well was his careful attention to this point repaid ; for at 

 no similar gathering have we ever known bo much said that 

 was practical nud encouraging, and at the same time so elo- 

 queut and beautiful. 



President Wilder introduced his distinguished guest to the 

 multitude before him, and after a few pleasant introductory 

 remarks, Mr. S. said : 



" It is a pleasant surprise to me to find the agricultural 

 interest represented by so many of the gentle and more do- 

 mestic sex ; and yet their presence on such an occasion I be- 

 lieve to be in every respect legitimate and wholesome, for their 

 proper connection with this interest is intimate and vital. 

 The orijjiual description or definition of a wife is that she is 

 a helpmeet to man. Just in what way, or in what vaiiety of 

 ways, this fitting help is to be rendered, that original docu- 

 ment does not set forth. The practical answer exhibits its 

 diversities so varied as never to repeat themselves. Some- 

 times this sphere of helpful fellowship is very much restricted, 

 and again almost indefinitely broadened. The wife of the 

 German farmer limits this sphere only with the boundaries of 

 his estate, ller nursery is out of doors in the open field : its 

 canopy is the leafy shade; its carpet the green turf or the 

 soft brr.wu mould. There her little ones roll, and tumble, aud 

 sleep all day, while she keeps even stroke with her husband 

 in the day's toil. On a day's ride in the diligence through a 

 pleasant portion of Bavaria, I amused myself by jotting down 

 the occupation of a dozen or so of ladies, as I met them in 

 succession. The first two were equipped with the deep un- 

 wieldy hoes of the country, and were hoeing potatoes on a 

 hillside ; the third was plodding along on the road, barefoot, 

 bare-armed, &c., with a burden on her head that would have 

 broken the back of a moderate-sized mule ; the fourth and 

 fifth were swinging scythes with the regular action of the 

 practised farmer, one of them leading the procession and 

 keeping well ahead. Of the succeediug three, one was raking 

 hay, one was pitching, and one sat on the top of a load, load- 

 ing, while the only man of the group was driving the oxen. 

 The next four were attendants upon house masons, and were 

 carrying bricks aud mortar on their heads up tall ladders, 

 with an ease of step aud balance that argued them experts at 

 their trade. I have seen women in that same country holding 

 a plough, and iu some instances assisting a dumb ally— I 

 mean a four-legged oae— to draw the same agricultural im- 

 plement. 



" I suppose that some of us should not exactly covet this 

 style of female cooperation, even in the stress of harvest sea- 

 son. But the question occurred to me here, whether there 

 were not some sort of co-operation the wives and daughters 

 of our farmers could render their lords in that calling, and if 

 80, what. Now, I take it, it is the desire of every true wife 

 to have at least an intelligent sympathy with her husband's 

 calling. There is here and there perhaps one sustaining the 

 relation of a wife to whom it is enough to share her husband's 

 revenue, leaving out his cares and toils as trifles not worthy 

 her regard. There may be here and there a husband whoae 

 ambition is to keep his more delicate half in blissful ignorance 

 of all his out-of-door work, whether ploughing or financiering. 

 But I suppose the old-fashioned and better notion is that of 

 reciprocal sympathy between these fellow-pilgrims. 



" I never would marry a couple, if I knew it, who had any 

 other idea of the tie, no matter what the fee might be. And 

 perhaps I may be permitted to add, that with right views on 

 this point, I am ready to join any number of couples together 

 with a trifling pecuniary proviso. 

 " But if the sympathy of which I have spoken be an intelli" 



gent sympathy, it should take some pains to be informed. I 

 believe that an agricultural literature— and we may say, with 

 just exultation, that we have now an agricultural literature — 

 is quite as hetilthful and stimulating a literature in the draw- 

 ing-room as that which de^ls in fashion plates and love-sick 

 heroines. I dou't think it would be unwomanly, in short, for 

 the wives and daughters of our farmers to be able to converse 

 wisely and wittily upon agricultural topics, with their hus- 

 bands and fathers, or with gentlemen visitors. Such a con- 

 versation might easily vindicate itself iu contrast with the 

 vapid frivolities making so much of the staple of drawing- 

 room chat, 



" It would do no barm either for these ladies to have a 

 general familiarity with the out-of-door pursuits of those to 

 whom they are thus allied, even if that were gained by an 

 occasional walk afield, instead of a shopping txcursiou. 



" A visit now and then to the stable and the farmyard 

 might save the fair explorer from such a blunder as happened 

 0QC8 to a metropolitan friend of mine of the same sex. Being 

 in the countrj', and smitten deeply with rural tastes, it occur- 

 red to her one morning that it would be quite romantic to 

 play milkmaid. So she took a pail and went forth, but not 

 meeting with any great success in the operation, it was dis- 

 covered that she had made a slight mistake in regard to the 

 ses of the animal she waited upon. 



" But let the ladies of our agricultural homes make those 

 homes centres of intelligence, culture, and refinement. Let 

 them feel and show a just aud generous pride iu the calling to 

 which they are thus allied, and a disposition aud an ability to 

 vindicate its true honour as compared with any other ; let 

 them give their rejoicing and sympathetic presence on such 

 occasions as this ; let the younger rank of these ladies place 

 their delicate, soft bauds for life as readily in the large, brown 

 band of the practical farmer, as in the soft and whiter palm of 

 a merchant's clerk or a professional aspirant." 



The speaker said he could not look upon tfce farmer without 

 regarding him as a heroic wrestler with nature. With him 

 every season was a campaign, and every harvest a victory ; and 

 may God crown you all with a blessing, as you are already 

 crowned with honours. 



A sentiment in honour of the Judiciary was responded to 

 by Judge Rockwell, of the Superior Court. — New England 

 Farmer. 



VITALITY OF EGGS DESTROYED ON RAIL- 

 ROADS. — It does not appear to be so generally known as it 

 should be, that railroad transportation destroys the vitality of 

 eggs. Pack them as you will, if they are carried any conside- 

 rable distance, say one hundred miles, the continual shaking 

 will shake life out of them. Travelling on the Haarlem Road 

 the other day, we met an acquaintance carefully carrying a 

 small basket in his hands. We remarked that he handled his 

 basket as carefully as though he was carrying eggs. " And so 

 lam," he replied, "lam taking them about one hundred 

 miles to a friend, and will ensure every one to batch out a 

 chicken so far as transportation may affect them. But I 

 learned this by experience. I had a lot sent up the road only 

 twenty-five miles in the ordinary way, and did not get one 

 chicken to fifty eggs, while out of another lot carried in my 

 hands in this way not one missed." As a general rule it may 

 be set down for a fact, that eggs which have been transported 

 by railroad will never bring forth chickens. This is important 

 information, and should be well remembered. So, too, let it 

 be remembered that eggs intended for incubation cannot be 

 too carefully hand'ed in taking them from their nests, and 

 keeping them about the house till the hen is ready to take 

 them in charge.— American Paper. 



