HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



HOME MAKING 



FOOD SELECTION PROJECT 

 STARTS WITH A BANG! 



Northampton Mothers' Club with 

 T\venty=se\en Members Starts Project 



Miss Mildred Wood, state nutrition 

 specialist, has planned one of the most 

 interesting- and vital projects we have 

 to offer the honiemaker this year. Invari- 

 ably the success of a day is due to a whole- 

 some and satisfying breakfast. The plan- 

 ned noon meal at home, at school, or at 

 work often makes for a profitable after- 

 noon. With tired folks coming home for 

 dinner or supper at night the homemaker 

 should feel she has a duty and privilege 

 to serve a meal adequate for her family's 

 needs. 



This project has been planned for the 

 homemaker who is interested in the wel- 

 fare of her family, so she may receive 

 help with her every day problems in the 

 selection and preparation of food. 



Brief Outline of Meetings 



The project is to be carried in four 

 afternoon meetings, lasting from two and 

 one-half to three hours. Every meeting 

 has an aim and the work given answers 

 a specific question. 



I. Essentials of good nutrition. 



To answer the question — "Are the 

 members of my family well nour- 

 ished?" 



II. Scoring the family's food habits 

 To answer the question — "How much 

 and what kind of food shall we 

 have?" 



III. Overcoming food prejudices 



To answer- the question — "How shall 

 we use this knowledge in the plan- 

 ning, preparation and serving of 

 meals?" 



Northampton Project (iroup 



The Edwards Church Mothers' Club is 

 a new group joining the Extension Ser- 

 vice. These mothers were unanimous in 

 adopting- this project because they could 

 see what an opportunity it was to receive 

 help with their individual problems also 

 several women are on supper committees 

 and they expect to receive suggestions for 

 serving a' good community supper for a 

 minimum charge. 



Miss Wood is conducting- this group as 

 a county demonsti-ation group. The first 

 meeting was last month with twenty- 

 seven members present. These women 

 are going to tiy out suggestions at home 

 and report at the meeting this month. 

 They are enthusiastic about the project 

 and see its real value. More towns should 

 follow in their footsteps. 



LOCAL LEADERS 



DESERVE PRAISE 



Fall Millinery l:nds With Successful 

 Exhibit in livery Town 



The fifteen project leaders, who have 

 been representing six communities at the 

 millinery training class held at North- 

 ampton, have finished their work with 

 their groups. They may well be pleased 

 with the work which they have accom- 

 plished. The hats are the best in every 

 respect that have been made in the coun- 

 ty in the last two years. 



Carrying the project by the training 

 class method permits more time to be 

 spent on the choosing of a becoming 

 frame and more time on the making 

 under direct supervision. This of course 

 results in a higher standard of workman- 

 ship. 



Several of the women have stated that 

 even though they had not learned to 

 make the hats, the group di.scussion relat- j 

 ing to what hat they should wear was ' 

 worth the time and effort to attend all 

 the meetings. 



The gioups differ in size. Granby had 

 twenty-two women in their group; Hat- 

 field fifteen, Easthampton seventeen, 

 Westhampton eleven, Southampton nine, 

 and Northampton fifteen. The total 

 number of hats made was ninty-one with 

 a saving amounting close to three hun- 

 dred and fifteen dollars. These figures 

 are as accurate as it is possible to get 

 because every hat was appraised by the 

 group as to its value and the saving has 

 been found by the difference in value 

 and cost. 



With such fine work accomplished by 

 the leaders it points to a time in the near ' 

 future when other projects as well as 

 millinery will be carried by local leaders 

 as the best method of covering a county 

 efficiently with extension work. 



HOME HAPPENINGS 



See What Spread of Influence Has Done 



South Hadley Center has done no work 

 with the Home Department of the Ex- 

 tension Service for a number of years. 

 In a round about way some of the 

 ladies in the town heard about the dress 

 form work we did several years ago. 

 They made incjuiries until they found one 

 of the local leaders in South Hadley Falls 

 who had been working directly with the 

 agent and knew how to make these forms. 



Mrs. Ernest offered to help these 

 women and the work spread until four- 

 teen forms were made in the Center last 

 winter. 



But best of all the woi-k did not stop 

 there. The enthusiasm had been aroused 

 and more work was wanted. The cloth- 



ing project seemed to be what was best 

 to follow the dress form work. There- 

 fore the agent has started a mighty in- 

 terested group in Clothing Construction 

 A. And it all started because .someone 

 passed on the information they had I'e- 

 ceived. Isn't it worth while? 



Enfield and Bondsville groups held two 

 day millinery projects with the agent this 

 month. The Enfield women numbering- 

 twelve made fourteen hats. A number of 

 them were made from renovated material 

 and were very satisfactory. The Bonds- 

 ville group with nine women made nine 

 hats using all new materials. Their hats 

 averaged a cost of $3.25 a piece and were 

 valued at $10.00 making a saving of $6.75- 

 per hat. 



Middlefield women met with Mrs. Wes- 

 ley Olds for a spot demonstration in sew- 

 ing work. They are planning to take up 

 the Clothing Construction Project 2B, 

 which is a continuation of 2A, next 

 spring. 



South Worthington and West Chester- 

 field women have combined and are tak- 

 ing the Children's Clothes Project. The 

 last meeting is to be held this month when 

 the best dress will be taken up and the 

 amount of work accomplished reported 

 on. 



CORDED SILKS 



After the lapse of a decade, corded 

 silks return. The sombre shades of an 

 earlier day are replaced by the bright 

 stripes and gay patterns of the newer 

 ribbed fabrics. Formerly, these silks ap- 

 peared mainly as trimmings, particularly 

 in mourning costumes. Dresses of failles 

 and bengalines now seem destined to be 

 the mode. 



The rough surfaces of the corded silks 

 are made by using threads of different 

 sizes in the warp and filling, or a different 

 number of threads. Most of these fabrics 

 are plain in weave. Among the more 

 familiar corded or ribbed silks are benga- 

 line, faille, and poplin. 



Bengaline is named after the Indian 

 province of Bengal and is, comparatively 

 speaking, a new fabric. The ribs run 

 across the fabric, the result of using 

 heavier yarns in the weft than in the 

 warp. Inasmuch as the weft is entirely 

 hidden by the warp, it is common to find 

 cotton or wool filling in this cloth. The 

 newer bengalines appeal' in striped and 

 patterned effects. 



Faille, from the French word meaning 

 "corded," is a dre.ss silk with wide, flat 

 ribs, similar to grosgrain, except that 

 these ribs arc wider. Faille possesses a 

 soft, dull finish. 



With ribs heavier than in poplin and 

 more rounded than those in faille, gros- 



