^\ -RS. Walter Neal of Peoria 

 ^^A ij county would like to have 

 ^^^ fl all the women connected 

 with Home Bureau keep a chart for 

 one day, listing the many ways in which 

 they use Home Bureau. Beginning 

 with the time they arise in the morning, 

 list the suggestions they have received 

 about personal appearance, preparation 

 of meals, care of the family, laundry, 

 sewing, reading, and so on, until at 

 night when they sleep in a well-aired 

 room on a bed and mattress made up 

 according to Home Bureau recommen- 

 dations. She believes the result would 

 be surprising to the women themselves 

 as well as to Extension workers. 



"Perhaps they will find, as I have," 

 said Mrs. Neal, mother of three teen- 

 age girls and one boy, and a busy farm 

 wife, "the many, many ways in which 

 Home Bureau is used. For example, 

 at the meat canning demonstration, I 

 learned to put a piece of bone in the 



Helps from Home Bureau 



By NELL FLATT GOODMAN, 

 Home Editor 



ference held to plan for better rural 

 homes. At the conference Mrs. Neal 

 noticed that women from other coun- 

 ties who seemed to have the best un- 

 derstanding of the situation, who 

 seemed to have the most poise and 

 ability in presenting their problems 

 and their suggestions belonged to their 

 County Home Bureaus. Her curiosity 

 as well as that of several other Peoria 

 county women was aroused. They asked 

 to know more about Home Bureau, 

 its work, and whether they might have 

 such an organization in their own 

 county. As a result a Home Bureau 

 was established in Peoria county in 

 June, 1930. Mrs. Neal was elected 



•THOM GBANDMOTHEB'S FUHNmjRE — A LOVE SEAT" 

 Tha Naola or* proud oi the mony beautiful old pieces of furniture which they 

 "brought down from the attic" of their 70 year old home. Above: Mrs. Neal and two 

 of her three daughters. 



center of the can. The bone helps to 

 conduct the heat to the center. The 

 solid meat is harder to get the heat 

 through. I usually take the smallest 

 ribs, cut them nearly the length of the 

 can and push right down the center. 

 Now, I never have any difficulty keep- 

 ing even hamburger." 



Mrs. Neal uses the glass top cans. 

 She finds them economical and efficient. 

 She knows just how to tighten the 

 wire clasp at the top so they always- 

 make a firm seal. 



Mrs. Neal is much interested in 

 community affairs. She was brought 

 up in a home where each member was 

 expected to contribute something to 

 community life, whether in school, 

 church or dub. If you didn't you were 

 not fulfilling your obligations. Some 

 time ago she was invited by the Farm 

 Adviser to attend the adjustment con- 



the first county chairman. 



"Of all the benefits I have received 

 from Home Bureau," Mrs. Neal said, 

 "I value most the friendships and con- 

 tacts with other women of the county 

 and state. Such contacts have much 

 to do with contentment in rural homes. 

 We talk about things we are all inter- 

 ested in and we discuss our problems 

 with those who have similar problems. 

 We meet with similar desires and 

 aims." ■-■.:-.■■■'■ 



Mrs. Neal found the laundry lesson 

 especially helpful. Not convinced that 

 boiling was necessary except for dis- 

 infectant purposes, she now disp>enses 

 with that bother as a result of the 

 Home Bureau lesson. The clothes arc 

 soaked for five minutes in room-tem- 

 perature water, then ten minutes in 

 slightly warmer, good soapy suds. After 

 these carefully timed preliminaries, the 

 dirt will drop out easily and quickly 

 with washing action from the most 

 soiled garments. Then, with thorough 

 rinsing, she feels that the clothes arc 

 scientifically clean. 



With three girls for whom to sew, 

 she found the lectures on style trends 

 not only helpful but necessary. Valu- 

 able suggestions were given on how 

 to change last year's dresses to this 

 year's styles. New information about 

 planning dresses and making seams, 

 says Mrs. Neal revolutionized her sew- 

 ing. 



Perhaps the most practical lesson, 

 the one from which I saved the most 

 dollars and cents, was the one on re- 

 finishing furniturt, Mrs. Neal confided. 

 "We inherited practically all the furni- 

 ture we have. Most of it has been re- 

 finished. From my grandmother's fur- 

 niture came a little love seat. I hap- 

 pened to be local leader at the time — 

 that is when one really profits most — 

 and we used this love seat as a demon- 

 stration. 



"We tore it down to the frame, tied 

 the springs and replaced where needed. 

 Mr. Neal helped of course. All the 

 husbands were invited and were pres- 

 ent at the demonstration. At that 

 time we didn't want the expense of 

 upholstering so we finished it up to 

 the muslin cover. Soon after, along 

 came the lesson on slip covers. I made 

 one for the love seat. The whole piece 

 cost 15.65. The slip cover itself cost 

 $2.50." 



To make an old widcer chair more 

 modern, an old comfort was used to 

 pad the arms and sides and then a 

 slip cover was made. The result was 



''The Meetings and Demonstrations 

 Have Been a Constant Source of 

 Helpful Information'^ Says Mrs. 

 Walter Neal of Peoria County* 



MARCH, 1938 



