HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 

 BOYS' AND GIRLS' WORK 



CHAKLKS H. «Ul(LI>, Leader 



Home Economics Story 



LESLIE KELLY, AMHERST 



Before I joined the Home Economics 

 Club, I wasn't interested in work, 

 neither was mother interested in having 

 me do any, as I was always so slow I 

 was more trouble than I was worth, so 

 mother preferred to do it herself. 



When I came home from school and 

 asked permission to join the Home Eco- 

 nomies club, and having to do 60 hours 

 of work, mother thought it a great task 

 for me, as I wasn't used to work and 

 didn't like to work. I had a habit of 

 leaving all unpleasant tasks unfinished. 

 Mother said I could join the club if I 

 would take for my motto, "what's well 

 begun is half done," and live up to it. 

 So I started to make a good beginning. 



The first day being Saturday, I got 

 up early and was going to have a lovely 

 time, making bread. As in everything 

 else, in making bread, I found out there 

 was a lot to learn. If my water was 

 too hot, it would kill the yeast and my 

 bread wouldn't rise, and if my water 

 was too cold, my bread wouldn't rise. 

 When mother accidentally left the salt 

 out of some bread she made, I found out 

 how important salt was in the bread, be- 

 cause none of us wanted to eat the bread 

 and if I was so foigetful as to leave the 

 salt out of the bread, it would be 

 wasted, contrary to the law of Mr. 

 Hoover and the Food Administration. 

 After making the bread into loaves and 

 putting it in the pans, I learned that it 

 would have to use an hour or longer be- 

 fore it could be put in the oven. After- 

 wards, found out that there was as 

 much in the baking of the bread as in 

 the making. After I put the bread in 

 the oven, I was tempted to go up town, 

 but mother informed me if I went off 

 and left the bread in the oven, when I 

 came home, it would be burned. 



As daddy's favorite cake was sponge 

 cake, I decided to learn how to make it. 

 I found after my baking powder had 

 been put in the cake and the hot water 

 added, I would have to work very quickly 

 and get the cake into the oven before it 

 began to rise. After I put the cake in 

 the oven I had to be careful and not jar 

 the door when I looked at my cake or it 

 would fall. 



Ironing, I found not so easy as it 

 looked. I left the iron on the article I 

 was ironing and went to look out of the 

 window; when I returned, my dress was 

 scorched. When I got through my 

 first ironing, I was a wiser girl than 

 when I began to iron. 



Of all the work done, dusting was the 

 only thing I took least interest in. 



Cooking I found the most pleasure in. 

 Oh! didn't I feel proud when I was able 



" Hadley and Amherst" 



Mary Yarrows of Hadley has been 

 t awarded the County prize in the Sewing 

 Project of the 1918 Home Economics 

 Club, and Leslie Kelly of Amherst has 

 been given the County prize in the Bread 

 Making Project. The second prize win- 

 ners in the same projects are Grace 

 Dillon and Louise Talbot of Ware. The 

 winners were selected, after a thorough 

 investigation by State, County and local 

 leaders. 



Definite figures of the Home Eco- 

 nomics club shows that 152 members 

 started in the sewing project and 101 in 

 the bread-making project, 212 in all 

 (some entered both projects). 2832 

 * loaves of bread were made, and 244 

 garments made at a total of $142.89. 

 The average cost of 43 dresses made by 

 club members was $1.08, a figure which 

 represents thrift and economy. 



These club membeis also made 942 

 articles for the Red Cross, 45 per cent 

 of the enrollment finished every part of 

 the club work. The club stories written 

 by the prize winners are printed here- 

 with. 



Canning and Garden Exhibits 



There have been thirteen Canning 

 Club and Garden exhibits held in the 

 County during the last month. Local 

 interest was aroused on most of these 

 exhibits by reason of their being held in 

 conjunction with a school entertainment 

 church supper or local fair. Approxi- 



' mately 1200 boys and girls exhibited 



i and the showing the different clubs made 

 was greatly to their credit. 



The Easthampton and Hadey ex- 

 hibits were the largest produced an 

 excellent collection of vegetables. 



I The Canning Club in Ware had the 

 most attractive and most carefully pre- 

 pared exhibit of the entire Ware Fair. 



i The Ware Club did an exceptionally fine 

 piece of work in ai-ranging the exhibit. 



The boys' pig exhibit at the Cumming- 

 ton Fair is worthy of mention. With 

 but two or three exceptions, the swine 

 shown by the pig club members were the 

 only hogs entered on the grounds, a 



i rather significant fact. 



I to do the cooking for the family and 

 make drop cookies and baking powder 

 biscuits for dinner. 



When I was in the club about six 

 weeks and counted up my hours of work, 

 I was surprised to find I had completed 

 the requiied hours and I could see that 

 mother was true in saying "what's well 

 begun is half done." When I found my 

 time was completed, I kept on working 

 and enjoyed it and I will keep on having 

 helpful hands for mother. 



Coutinued on page G 



What the Home Economics Club Has 

 Done For Me 



M.ARY YARROWS, HADLEY 



Twice I had joined the Home Eco- 

 nomics Club, and both times I had 

 dropped it with the work incomplete. 

 So when Mr. Gould of the Farm Bureau 

 came to our school for the purpose of 

 securing members for the Home Eco- 

 nomics Club, I decided to join it once 

 again, and this time to complete it. Be- 

 sides I was desirous of helping Uncle 

 Sam and this was my best chance of 

 doing so. 



After I joined the club, I took a great- 

 er interest in cooking, than I ever had 

 before, especially in war cookery. It 

 was a great deal of fun to putter with 

 substitutes for wheat flour, sugar and 

 lard. Up to the time that I joined the 

 Club, I had not realized that there was 

 such a great variety of edible things. 



Whenever 1 heard of or found a 

 recipe for some new dish, I woud try it. 

 If it was good and came out successfully,. 

 I'd tell our neighbors and friends, most 

 of whom had stacks of flour .substitutes 

 on hand and did not know how to use 

 them. They would feed them to the pigs 

 and chickens. I know that I have saved 

 many pounds of food from being de- 

 voured by pigs and chickens. Now 

 after advising the Polish women in our 

 vicinity about the use of all substitutes,, 

 when they next saw me they'd thank me 

 for what they called my kindness, but I 

 only thought it my duty. Imagine my 

 sen.se of pride at feeling that I was real- 

 ly and truly helping my country. If I 

 had not joined the Club, I doubt if I 

 would have paid very much attention to> 

 the cooking of war foods. 



Not only did the Club help me to take 

 a greater interest in conserving food,, 

 but also in the conservation of clothes. 

 Many of my brother's and father's old 

 Sunday shirts I have remodelled into 

 every-day blouses for my younger 

 brother, or kitchen aprons for myself 

 and step-mother. Not only was there a 

 lot of excitement and pleasure in re- 

 making clothes, but economy — a great 

 deal of economy. 



As in the way, I lengthened the lives 

 of six pairs of scrim curtains. They 

 were very old, cracked and full of holes 

 in the lower part of the curtain at the 

 place where it comes even with the win- 

 dow sill. The holes were so conspicu- 

 ous that the only seemingly possible 

 thing to do would be to throw them 

 away. But I was siezed with the Home 

 Economics Club fever of re-making old 

 clothes. I took these curtains and 

 changed them around the other way; 

 Continued on page '> 



