With the Home Bureau 



How a City Family "Reorganized" 

 and Moved to the Farm 



By NELL FLATT GOODMAN 



OMETIMl;S a city woman comes 

 to live in the country. Then 

 indeed is the organization of 

 Home Bureau appreciated, says Mrs. Paul 

 Jenkins of Lake county. Mrs. Jenkins is 

 con\ inced of this because of her o\\ n 

 experience. 



"I'our years ago, I had nothing, and 

 I knew nothing about farm life," she 

 stated. "Today, my family is comfortable, 

 well fed and contented. \X'e have ac- 

 complished a great deal by applying the 

 information learned in Home Bureau." 



Born and reared in New York City, 

 Mrs. Jenkins, a graduate of Vassar col- 

 lege, came to C'hicago when she was 

 married 'and lived in one of the larger 

 suburbs for 1 i years. Then came the 

 depression. Her husband's job and in- 

 come disappeared along with the collapse 

 of one of the large utility companies. 

 The family had to "reorganize" as many 

 another family foimd necessary in those 

 years. 



Selling much of the furniture from 

 their large house, taking only the re- 

 quisites and a few heirlooms, they rented 

 a small farm in L.ike county. They now 

 are established on a firm financial basis 

 and are happy members of their com- 

 munity. 



"[ had to learn things." Mrs. Jenkins 

 said. "I hadn't grown up knowing how 

 to m,ike butter, grow vegetables, and 

 do all the things my neighbors did as 

 A matter of course. Yesterday I canned 

 38 (juarts of peas. I make all our own 

 butter, cottage cheese at least three times 

 a week, and how we do enjoy the fresh- 

 ness of it all! That may sound ordinary 

 to you, but it is an accomplishment for 

 me." 



llie Jenkins family includes three 

 growing boys, ages 13, ^), and i, and 

 very naturally Mrs. Jenkins is interested 

 in the food problem. 



A canning demonstration in the county 

 by Miss Glenna Henderson of the Home 

 Economics Extension stafT influenced iNfrs. 

 Jenkins to buy a pre.ssure cooker and a 

 sealer. She uses an 1 8 quart-size cooker 

 which she believes the most practical size 

 for the average family. 



"I can everjthing we raise, and evcrv 

 thing anyone gives me," she said. "Some 

 people don't like to can and in that case I 

 am glad to do this on shares for them." 



VC'ith her husband working in Chicago, 



much of the management of the farm 

 falls to Mrs. Jenkins. She finds the 

 services of the county farm advisor in- 

 valuable in operating the farm. "Mr. 

 Gilkerson has been most helpful," she 

 said. "He tells me the best varieties of 



home-made heating system. A large stove 

 is located in the dining room — the 

 house doesn t bo.ist of a basement. From 

 this central room opens a bedroom and 

 a living room. Tor better circulation of 

 heat, a kitchen exhaust fan is placed 

 above the door to the living room. Tilted 

 down a little, this fan carries the warm 

 air, circulating around the ceiling, to the 

 other room and makes it most comfort- 

 able at all times. 



Another thing of interest to families 

 with small rooms is the double decker 

 bed built by Mr. Jenkins in the boys' 

 bedroom. Though the room scarcely 

 would hold more than an ordinary bed, 

 now there is room for book shelves built 



THE JENKINS FAMILY AT HOME 



soy beans to plant, where to apply lime- 

 stone and phosphate, and answers many 

 other cjuestions. We don't sell any grain. 

 It is all fed to our livestOLk." 



Carrying water in the house was bad 

 enough, Mrs. Jenkins asserted, but carry- 

 ing it out again was too much. One of 

 the first things she set about in her re- 

 juvenation of the house they rented was 

 the installation of electricity and a water 

 system. The landlord allowed credit on 

 the rent for all materials purchased. 



Knov,ing just how much there was to 

 spend, Mrs. Jenkins bought accordingly 

 and surprised even herself at what she 

 could do. Proudly she displayed some 

 of the kitchen items whiih included a 

 gleammg white, apron type sink with 

 two drain:;, one tor washing dishes and 

 one for d.aining. It cost only SIO. 



Individuil ingenuity combined with 

 knowing what is the best thing learned 

 along honicmaking lines is evidenced 

 throughout the Jenkins home. Mr. Jen- 

 kins, a former writer for a mechanics 

 magazine, and always interested in me- 

 chanics, is especially pleased with his 



to the ceiling. At the end of the room 

 is a desk above which hangs a large map 

 of the world, to carry the boys' thoughts 

 far out over the vastness of other places. 



Another ingenious invention is the 

 "mud box " just inside the back porch 

 door. The smallest boy hurried to show 

 us how it works. 



A porch mat that will sift through 

 more dirt and dust than it collects, was 

 placed in a nonleakable wooden box 

 made to order for it. At one end an 

 iron scraper is set up to take otT the 

 worst of the mud. At the other, two 

 ordinary scrub brushes through which the 

 shoe may be brushed catch all remaining 

 dirt along the sides and put on the finish- 

 ing touches. 



"We do h.ive a little trouble te.iching 

 the dogs to use it," Mr. Jenkins confessed. 



"We never think about going b.uk 

 to the city, " Mrs. Jenkins said. We all 

 have so much pleasure and satisf.iction 

 here. And, I can truthfully say, we coula 

 never have adjusted ourselves without the 

 help received through Home Bureau. We 

 have learned to know our neiuhbors and 



Co-op. 



32 



L A. A. RECORD 



