n»oo.] essays. ior> 



great as at the present time. Women are raising these, all over 

 the country, with great success. Miss Evelyn B. Taylor, a 

 florist of Mi I ford, Mass., has two carnation houses, one 19 by 

 37 feet, another 87 by 2(1 feet. She gives all her time to the 

 work, propagating and growing her own stock, and caring for 

 the houses. She has found a market for every thing in her own 

 town, which is much more profitable than selling on commis- 

 sion. She has perfect health, and enjoys her work, and sup- 

 ports her father and mother. 



In these progressive times the handle of the agricultural tool 

 is coming to know the grasp of the woman's hand almost as 

 well as the needle or the broom, and many women are making- 

 reputations as farmers of progress. Among the agriculturists 

 are wives, widows and maidens, women who have begun with 

 small means, women of wealth who have entered the ranks for 

 the pleasure they could get out of it, or for philanthropic pur- 

 poses. One and all are bright, intelligent women, and the large 

 majority are educated and cultured. Some are in partnership 

 with men, others own and manage farms for themselves, while 

 many manage farms for other people. Careful investigation 

 shows that these women have distinguished themselves by their 

 skill and executive ability. In some important specialties such 

 as flower-seed growing, poultry raising, fancy dairying, and the 

 growing of raisins and nuts, they have been successful pioneers. 

 Their farms are scattered all through the country, on the up- 

 lands and in the lowlands, among the valleys, and even on the 

 mountain sides. They are found in the largest numbers in New 

 York, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Wis- 

 consin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Nebraska, California, Maine, 

 South Dakota, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming. Some are cul- 

 tivating their thousands of acres, using their steam engine as a 

 plowman. The majority conduct farms of more than 100 acres, 

 while a few are contented with a single acre, depending on the 

 spade and hoe. Women lead in poultry culture. They began 

 a decade ago. It has been an uphill struggle against preju- 

 dices. Few, it is said, make a failure of it, and the time, they 

 claim, will soon come when women will control the industry 



