90 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Mar. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



Farmers' Wives. — Their Duties, &c. 



Messrs. Editors: — Your excellent publication, the 

 Genesee Farmer, is a constant source of gratification tome 

 and my family, and as you kindly allow a small space 

 for the Ladies' Department, I have been seriously consid- 

 ering that we should occasionally exert our talents to afford 

 amusement and instruction to the numerous and various 

 classes of your readers. 1 was much struck this last month 

 by remarking the amazing progress of feminine capabilities 



he has, or how many horses. The form, and its concerns, 

 I have nothing to do with ; my own house labor is sufficient. 

 I am slow in my movements and cannot get through ray 

 work early in the day : but this I will say, that my house 

 is considered as a pattern for the whole neighborhood, 

 whether you think me full of egotism, or not, for saying so.'" 

 Mrs. J. finding that she could mukc no sort of impression 

 upon her plebian friend, hastened to take her leave, but 

 said she must add a few words by way of advice — " My 

 friend Mrs. B., do not think me officious if I endeavor t^j 

 impress upon your mind, that by methodically arranging ' 

 your time, you would leave nolhing neglected as it regards 

 your Jwiisehold work, and yet prove a judicious and sensible 

 companion to your husband, enlivening him at the close of 



with respect to Agriculture, as exhibited in your pages | ,he labors of the day with pleasant and interesting con 

 One lady in Connecticut received a premium for her we 1 versation, and superintending the tuition of your children.' 



managed farm, and another lady a premium of fifteen dol- 

 lars for her admirable design fof a Commodious Farm 

 House. It led me to soliloquize upon the different merits 

 and demerits of Farmers' Wives ; and I find that a well di- 

 rected education, and mature judgment are indispensably 

 requisite to form a suitable companion for either the profes- 

 sional man, the farmer or mechanic. 



Permit me to represent in a short dialogue, two different 

 classes of Farmers' Wives. Mrs. J. having called one 

 summer evening upon a sick neighbor, a mile distant from 

 her residence, ventured to pay a short visit to her friend 

 Mrs. B., whose house she passed in her way home. This 

 lady being always so encompassed with domestic cares, it 

 was become quite a trial to her to receive any visit from 

 either relative or friend. 



Mrs. J. apologized for her intrusion, and seating herself 

 in a chair exclaimed, " How sorry I am, my dear Mrs. B. 

 ^o sec you so fatigued and exhausted by your daily avoca- 

 tions. You rise early, and sit up late, eating the bread of 

 carefulness, and economising in every possible way ; but it 

 appears to me that you are a perfect slave, a martyr to house 

 cleanliness. I am afraid that you will be, before this time 

 twelve-month, entombed in yonder cemetry. Our maternal 

 ancestors used to think that if they kept the mahogany fur- 

 niture well rubbed, the oaken tioor well polished, iheir do- 

 mestic duties carefully arranged, with some spare time for 

 sewing, knitting and spinning, the day was well filled up. 

 The exercise of house-work was enough to keep them 

 fobust and healthy, (with an occasional walk into the flower 

 garden adjoining the house) — and they usually lived to a 

 good old age. But their work," be it remembered, was in 

 moderation. You, my good friend, are laboring all the day, 

 •and yet after all your fatigue, evening comes on and you 

 have still some domestic duty uuferjormed, such as churn- 

 ing, baking, ironing, &c. Now all this disturbs the peace 

 of a husband very much ; and I feel assured that you will 

 take it kindly, when I remark that in time your husband's 

 affection will wear out, and his evenings will be spent in 

 the pleasant society of his neighbors, to avoid the confusion 



Fearing, Mr. Editor, that I shall occupy too large a space 

 in the Ladies' Department, I withdraw my pen from deline- 

 ating any farther these Portraits from Real Life, but merely 

 make a few comments, viz ; that although there are some 

 ignorant prejudiced persons who imagine that literature 

 and accomplishments are highly incongruous in the forma- 

 tion of the character of a Farmer's Wife, and that a good 

 knowledge of housewifery supercedes every thing else, 

 yet in how many instances do we see them united, giving 

 refinement to their family circle, and making home the cen- 

 tre of all their joys. How did the poets Milton, Cowper, 

 Coleridge and Bowles enjoy their evenings spent in female 

 society ? How were the evening labors of the great astron- 

 omer, Herschell, in viewing the starry heavens and making 

 new discoveries, cheered by the company and assistance of 

 Miss Herschell, his sister, who could descend from 'he sub- 

 limity of constellations and planets to attend the next 

 morning to domestic duties. How many warriors in ancient 

 and modern history have recounted at " dusky eve" their 

 deeds of glory. Among the foremost of these we place 

 Napoleon and his Empress Josephine. The wonderful im- 

 provements in arts and commerce of Peter the Great, were 

 made known to his Empress, Catharine H, and ke listend 

 to her remarks with avidity. 



Why then is it considered by some narrow-minded, im- 

 becile persons, to be incompatible for the farmer's wife to 

 attend to her household concerns, and yet enter into the 

 pleasures of the farm by studying now and then the Theory 

 of Agriculture, and reading the works of Sir John Sinclair. 



Ogden, N. Y., Jan., 1848. An Observek. 



PicKLKD Eggs.— In some parts of England, pickled eggs 

 constitute a very prominent feature in the farmhouse store- 

 rooms. The mode in which the good dames pickle them 

 is simply thus ; at the season of the year when their stock 

 of eggs is plentiful, they boil some four or six dozen in a 

 capacious saucepan until they become quite hard. They 

 then, after removing the shells, lay them carefully in large 



of his own dwelling. He is an intelligent man. and he mouthed jars and pour over them scalding vinegar, well 

 would like you to sit quiet at your work-table, whilst he .seasoned with whole peppers, allspic^, a few pieces of gin- 

 read to you aloud some useful publication. Or he might, as f' ^"V ^^^i cloves of garlic When cold, ihey a^e 



publ 

 my husband often does, recount the toils of the day — what 

 improvement he anticipates making, what extent of wood- 

 land he intends to clear for the corn crop, what number of 

 acres he intends to prepare for wheat, or what calculations 

 he has made for beautifying or improving the homestead. 

 I enter into this sort of conversation, and it is a satisfaction 

 to him that he can thus confide in me. But if, on the con- 

 trary, I was walking to and fro all the evening, engaged 

 in domestic duties, it would seem to him like ' Bachelor's 

 Hall,' and myself the housekeeper in his employ." 



" Well, well, my good friend, Mrs. J.. I can hear all you 

 wish to say, and appreciate the motive which prompts you 

 thus plainly to speak ; but I really cannot altogether agree 

 with you. I consider that a wife ought to be all-absorbed 

 in her own routine of diUies, wUhoni disXxxth'xng herself re- 

 specting her husband's farm. My plan is to leave such mas- 

 culine affairs to Mr. B., and I "depend upon him, also, to 

 examine into tlie progress made by the children at the Dis- 

 trict School. 3Iy .boys are true" Yankees, enquiring into 

 the meaning of every thing, even words, which is very per- 

 plexing to me, being too busily occupied to be considered 

 their • walking dictionary, ' and" I refer them to their father, 

 having little or no time myself to devote to the improve- 

 ment of mv mind. I confess to yon that I do not really 

 know whether Mr. B. has (jO or 1(10 acres of land, whether 

 his farm is barren or fertile, for I have never walked over 

 one acre of it. Nor do I pretend to know how many sheep 



bunged down close, and in a month are fit for use. Where 

 eggs are plentiful the above pickle is by no means expen- 

 sive, and is a relishing accompaniment to cold meat. 



How TO MAKE Good Tea. — Boil rain water and pour 

 upon your tea, letting it steep from one to two minutes, if 

 you vi'ish to realize the true taste of the " plant divine." — 

 Well, river, or spring water, in many parts of the country, 

 is strongly impregnated with lime, which acts chemically 

 upon the tea-leaf, and greatly deteriorates, or destroys its 

 fine aromatic flavor. In fact, water, containing lime, or 

 much vefretable matter in solution, has more or less effect 

 upon all kinds of cookery. Besides it is highly injurious to 

 the health of some persons.— .-!/«. Agriculturist. 



Hot Water should never be poured into glass vessles 

 until they have been moderately warmed with tepid water; 

 as the sudden expansion of the bottom by the heat of the 

 water has a tendency to force it from tiie sides. Thin ves- 

 sels are better able to endure sudden extremes of heat and 

 cold than thick ones, because they are sooner heated through 

 their thickness, and consequently expand equally. 



Souse. — Cleanse pigs' ears and feet and soak them a 

 week in salt and water, changing the water every other day. 

 Boil eight or ten hours till tender. When cold put oin salt, 

 and pour on hot spiced vinegar. — Prairie Farmer. 



