HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



HOME MAKING 



A CORRESPONDENCE 

 COURSE FOR THE 



HOME MAKER 



Professor Cole has now completed the 

 first lessons of a course to be given for 

 home study in food preservation. It is 

 listed as one of the college correspondence 

 courses, but is to be carried on in a very 

 informal way so that any woman who 

 wants some instruction along with her 

 canning can get it just about as she 

 wants it. The first lesson or two will 

 be fundamental and necessary for all stu- 

 dents, but after that the selection of 

 lessons will be left to the individual. 

 One woman, for instance, may want to 

 can quinces and another one to put up 

 strawberry preserves; the lesson sheet 

 and other materials for their particular 

 work will be sent them when they want 

 it. 



The work covers the field of Food 

 Preservation Practice, (except Dairying), 

 as it applies to the Rual and Urban 

 Home. Includes Canning in all its 

 ■branches; the making of jams, jellies, 

 marmalades, etc. ; production and pres- 

 ervation of juices for beverage purposes; 

 the storage of fresh fruits and vegeta- 

 bles; storage of canned and manufac- 

 tured horticultural products; preserva- 

 tion of meats by brining and smoking; 

 preservation of eggs. 



All this work will be given as a labora- 

 tory course and reports and samples will 

 be required to be sent into the college 

 department of horticultural manufac- 

 tures for scoring and criticism. The de- 

 partment plans to furnish the jars and 

 mailing cartons for this work, along with 

 a list of references and free bulletins. 



Profes.sor Cole plans to organize this 

 home study work during his spring dem- 

 onstration so that the women who come 

 to his lectures can continue work directly 

 under his instruction if they want to. 

 But if any one wishes to start immedi- 

 ately on this, as a correspondence course, 

 it will be available by April 15. 



If any town wishing to receive the 

 valuable infoimation that Mr. Cole has 

 on jellies and jams will let the Home 

 Agent know, she will see that you have a 

 demonstration in your community this 

 spring. 



Any one wishing a bias cutting gauge 

 can obtain them from the Extension 

 Service Office for a dime. 



Before starting your spring renovation 

 work, read the article in the April "Good 

 Housekeeping", "Dyeing at Home." It 

 will solve numerous difficulties which you 

 may encounter. 



REPRESENTATIVES OF CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION TRAINING GROUP 



The above picture was taken at the 

 second meeting of the training class held 

 February 28 at the Extension Service 

 Rooms, Northampton. Reading from 

 left to right, they are on the back row: 

 Miss Bena G. Erhard, County Club 

 Agent; Mrs. M. Mitchell, South Hadley 

 Falls; Miss Stella Duda, Easthampton ; 

 Mrs. Hugo Ernest, South Hadley Falls; 

 Miss Mildred Boice, Home Demonstration 

 Agent; Mrs. S. S. Lombard, South Am- 

 herst; Mrs. Lizzie Bisbee, Williamsburg; 

 Mrs. Roland Payne, Northampton ; Mrs. 

 Frank Clapp, Southampton. On the 

 front row : Mrs. Fred Shumway, Wil- 

 liamsburg; Mrs. S. R. Parker, South Am- 

 herst; Miss Marion L. Tucker, State 

 Clothing Specialist; Mrs. Fred Pomeroy, 

 Easthampton; Mrs. Robert Spear, South- 

 ampton. 



At this time each leader had on her 

 apron so that the group as a whole might 

 offer suggestions on the pattern, altera- 

 tion of pattern for that particular figure, 

 material of apron, etc. 



These aprons were made considering- 

 quality and price of material and quali- 

 ties of a good apron. But more than 

 getting just a good fitting apron out of 

 the lesson, these women have mastered 

 the binder attachment on their sewing 

 machines and have learned to make bound 

 button holes. 



So many times we feel that it is more 

 bother to learn to use the attachments 

 than it is to do it the old way. But 

 not .so after once mastering them. Not 

 only have the women learned to use the 

 binder but they have been made to think 

 of the use of all the other attachments. 

 An interesting story is told of one of 

 the Easthampton women who had never 

 used any of her machine attachments^ and 

 had been more than plea.sed with the 

 success she had with the binder. Some- 



time after this lesson, she cut her finger 

 very seriously so that she was unable 

 to use it for sewing. This made her feel 

 "pretty blue" because she had a large 

 pile of towels she was planning to hem. 

 After brooding over the fact the idea 

 came to her "why not use the hemmer, 

 I have used the binder?" With the re- 

 sult that the afternoon developed into a 

 very profitable one. 



Even though you are not taking this 

 clothing work, if you do your own sewing 

 why not master your attachments? 



The above ten women and the home 

 agent, who is carrying the work in 3 

 communities not represented at the train- 

 ing class, have reached 128 women during 

 the last two months. The reports show^ 

 that these 128 women have also been 

 busy because: — 



.51 women have better arranged sew- 

 ing equipment. 



67 machines have been cleaned. 



(i7 machines have been oiled. 



77 binders have been used. 

 208 bound button holes made. 



9.'-! aprons made. 



78 bias cutting gauges purchased. 

 The work has not stopped with just 



the women who are in the neighborhood. 

 A South Hadley Falls woman sent sam- 

 ples and directions for making the bound 

 button holes to an interested woman in 

 Hartford. And an Amherst member 

 made samples of the whole lesson and 

 sent them with direction to an invalid 

 lady in New Jersey. 



Our motto seems to be "Pass on the 

 valuable information to everyone who 

 will make use of it!" 



The women interested in the chair can- 

 ing proposition will find it helpful to read 

 "Have you a chair to cane?" in the April 

 number of the "Modern Priscilla." 



