72 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



For the New England Farmer. 



OUR GRANDMOTHERS vs. 

 LADIES. 



MODERN 



Mr. Editor: — I thought my article in the 

 Farmer of the Gth of October was made sufficient- 

 ly plain to he understood by any one, even that 

 intelligent "Old Bach,^' who opened the first bat- 

 tery upon the weak fortress of an "Old Spinster." 

 I find, however, that not only the "Old Bach," 

 but "Polly" and "Anna" have been pleased to 

 misconstrue a portion of said article. I can not 

 see why the articles of "Polly" and "Anna" do 

 not conflict more with each other than with mine. 

 It seems that the most offensive part of my arti- 

 cle was the sentence in which I mentioned the 

 fact, that our grandmothers were educated as far- 

 mers' wives should be educated, not to play on a 

 piano, or make pictures, (I might have said ex- 

 clusive of everything else,) but to spin and weave, 

 &c. I did not wish to insinuate, by any means, 

 that our grandmothers were an uncivilized set of 

 human beings, mere slaves, and nothing else, but 

 I did mean to say that they were not afraid of 

 work, and were not in the habit of leaving the 

 management of their household affairs with "Bid- 

 dy" in the kitchen, while they were squandering 

 away their own time over a piano, or some frivo- 

 lous picture. 



They were willing to take their share of the bur- 

 dens of each day, and bear them cheerfully, with- 

 out a murmur, and when their husbands came in 

 at night, after the toils of the day were ended, 

 they were met by wives whose countenances wore 

 a pleasant aspect, and who were ever ready to 

 speak a pleasant and an encouraging word ; they 

 were capable, too, of giving their children good 

 instruction, because they read the Scriptures 

 more than novels. Our grandmothers could and 

 did read their Bibles, and write a very good hand, 

 too ; and boys who were reared and trained by 

 them, seldom contracted vicious habits. How is 

 it with boys raised by some of our modern ladies ? 

 Too often the reverse, and for the reason that 

 they too often leave the training of their children 

 with some foreign "Bridget," while they are do- 

 ing something else. 



I do not wish you to understand me to say that 

 all farmers' wives indulge in such a course. Such 

 is not the case. But I believe that nine-tenths of 

 those who are ever finding fault with their liege 

 lords, and those who say the most about hard- 

 ships borne by our farmer's wives, are those who 

 are indulged as above, and knoAv as much about 

 hard work in the kitchen, as Biddy does about 

 the piano in the parlor. The ideas that I wish to 

 convey in my former article, as well as the pres- 

 ent, are as follows : 



First, that our grandmothers did not enjoy the 

 advantages of modern inventions, consequently 

 their tasks were much more arduous to perform ; 

 secondly, that they performed those tasks much 

 more cheerfully than many of the farmers' wives 

 do theirs at the present day, notwithstanding 

 they enjoy all the advantages of modern improve- 

 ments ; thirdly, they were of sound minds, as a 

 general thing, and although their chance for an 

 education was very limited, they made greater 

 improvements than many modern ladies do with 

 all their modern chances for an education ; fourth- 

 ly, they were better wives, and better mothers, 



and better prepared to train up a family of chil- 

 dren than many of the whimsical things of the 

 present day ; and last, but not least, they were 

 not in the habit of publishing their domestic 

 grievances in the newspapers, for the purpose of 

 making a display of talents. I know this to be a 

 fact, because one of them is the mother of the 

 "Old Spinster." 

 Claremont, N. II., Dec, 1860. 



THE AIR PRESSURE CHURN. 

 Among the improvements which an advanced 

 civilization brings to light every day, and which 

 go to bless mankind by exalting still higher that 

 civilization, the farmer may enjoy his full share. 

 He has not yet seen fit to avail himself of many 

 of them, but is gradually bringing them to his 

 aid, as custom or prejudice yields before the pal- 

 pable evidences which they afford of increasing 

 his profits. 



Much more has been done to aid the farmer in 

 the field, than to aid his wife in the dairy room, 

 or kitchen, though she fully appreciates the wash- 

 ing machine, cooking stove, and other culinary 

 and domestic improvements. Here is one, figured 

 above, having a more immediate connection with 

 the business of the farm, and one which we re- 

 gard as substantial and valuable. We have now 

 had it in use some time, making with it about 

 seventy-five pounds of butter per month. 



The first thing which we found in this churn to 

 recommend it, was the neat and substantial man- 

 ner in which it is made. 



The second, the ease with which it is wrought. 



The third was the appearance of the butter up- 

 on opening the churn ; it was lying in one entire 

 mass, and having the right temperature to secure 

 its being worked over with ease and facility. 

 This is an essential advantage, as in other churns 

 it often comes so hard that it is difficult to work 

 it at all. In the Air Pressure Churn it has inva- 

 riably come in a perfect condition to be easily 

 and effectually worked and made into balls, or 

 packed down in tubs. 



