1210 
■Che  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
Business 
A  Little  Cash  Needed 
1  cannot  resist,  writing  a  few  words 
in  regard  to  the  letter  on  page  1101,  the 
trouble  and  trials  of  an  Eastern  State 
farm  woman.  She  has  my  sympathy  but 
1  do  not  think  hers  an  exceptional  case,  for 
I  believe  there  are  dozens  of  farmers’ 
wives  here  working  just  as  hard  and 
under  similar  conditions  for  a  mere  ex¬ 
istence,  and  if  they  are  lucky  they  prob¬ 
ably  get.  a  smile  or  two  for  their  reward. 
Here  Is  my  case:  1  milk  five  cows  night, 
and  morning,  drive  them  and  others  to 
pasture,  Lake  care  of  nine  calves,  feed 
pigs,  also  feed  and  care  for  about  80 
hens  and  20  ducks.  1  raised  80  chick¬ 
ens  and  20  ducks;  got  scolded  for  not 
raising  more.  We  have  not  got  a  gar¬ 
den  near  the  house,  so  have  1o  go  away 
up  in  the  lot  t<>  get  the  vegetables,  etc., 
for  the  table.  I  had  to  help  in  hayfield 
all  through  the  season,  also  drive  horses 
on  horse  fork,  prepare  meals  for  family 
and  hired  help,  cut  and  dropped  an  acre 
of  potatoes,  bugged  same  three  times  and 
got  scolded  for  not  hand  weeding  them. 
1  have  to  walk  over  a  mile  of  rough  pas¬ 
ture  to  fetch  cows  to  barn  every  even¬ 
ing  ( Sundays  excepted),  do  my  ow  n  pa¬ 
per-hanging.  painting,  washing  and  iron¬ 
ing.  housework,  sew  for  and  take  care  of 
two  little  children,  three  and  five  years 
old,  patch  and  mend  for  husband  and  my¬ 
self.  Have  made  butter  all  Summer  with 
a  crock  churn,  also  have  had  to  break  up 
my  own  wood  for  Cooking  and  baking 
practically  all  Summer.  I  shall  have  to 
help  cut  corn  by  hand  tliis  Fall,  pick  tip 
potatoes,  also  pick  apples,  pick  and  can 
berries  and  other  fruits  in  season,  and 
about  the  only  convenient  thing  I  have  is 
plenty  of  water  inside  my  kitchen  door. 
My  reward  for  these  slight  services  is 
promises,  and  about  three  or  four  limes 
during  the  year  I  am  taken  to  see  my 
relatives  and  friends  for  about  three  or 
four  hours  each  visit,  hut  not  10  cents  a 
year  do  I  get  for  my  own  private  use. 
Ilut  for  all  that  I  like  the  farm  life  and 
would  not.  mind  tile  work  if  1  only  had  a 
little  cash  to  handle  occasionally. 
a  farmer's  wife. 
The  Business  of  Box  Packing  Apples 
|  Last  year  we  tried  an  experiment.  A 
young  man  wrote  that  lie  knew  how  to 
pack  apples  expertly,  and  thought  he 
could  go  into  some  community  ami  show 
people  how.  We  Wiintel  to  see  if  the  ser¬ 
vices  of  an  a  [Tjde  packer  were  in  demand 
the  same  as  those  of  a  carpenter,  a 
HI  a  son  or  a  painter-  so  we  printed  part 
of  his  note.  Now  he  comes  back  with 
this  report.  'There  seems  to  he  a  demand 
for  all  sorts  of  labor  if  you  can  only  get 
the  right  party  on  the  wire.J 
In  July,  1915,  T  was  in  correspond¬ 
ence  with  you  relating  to  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  box  packing  of  apples  in  the  East, 
as  suggested  in  an  article  by  E.  Ander¬ 
son  in  The  R.  N.-Y.  for  Nov.  21),  lDl-’i. 
Out  of  it  two  growers  in  two  different 
States  became  enthusiastic  for  the  box 
pack  for  this  particular  fruit  and  mar¬ 
ket.  The  experiment  proved  a  good  move 
for  them,  and  provided  a  few  weeks  of 
employment  for  me,  to  say  nothing  about 
the  observations  and  exchanges  of  ideas 
and  experiences  with  fruit  men  in  differ¬ 
ent  sections  of  the  country.  One  of  the 
growers  wrote  me  in  January  last,  that 
he  was  receiving  $2  pci*  box  out  of  Phil¬ 
adelphia  cold  storage  for  his  fancy  Stay- 
man  when  his  barrel  stock  of  the  same 
grade  and  variety  seldom  sold  above  $5. 
Roth  packages  were  put  up  by  me  or 
under  my  direction.  It  is  most,  likely,  in 
fact  I  fee]  certain,  that  I  shall  be  at 
liberty  again  this  Fall  to  assist  any 
grower  or  group  of  growers  with  their 
packing  box  or  barrel  and  box,  hut  not 
barrel  alone  if  there  is  any  box  packing 
to  do.  W.  0.  YEAGER. 
Back-to-the-Land  Beekeepers 
Thirty  to  40  hives  of  bees  are  an  im¬ 
portant  feature  in  the  plan  of  Mrs.  Susan 
E.  Howard  of  fitoneham,  Mass.,  to  secure 
a  living  from  three  acres.  Mrs.  Howard 
is  chief  beekeeper,  and  an  expert,  but 
now  and  then  there  is  an  emergency  call 
for  Mr.  Howard  when  he  comes  hack 
from  his  work  iu  the  city.  This  swarm 
chose  to  cluster  on  n  bean  polo  with  the 
beans  nearly  ready  to  pick.  The  weight 
of  the  bees  lias  forced  the  foliage  into  a 
bunch  toward  I  lie  end  of  the  pole.  A  bean 
pole  is  decidedly  more  convenient  for  the 
owner  than  the  tail  trees  on  which  bees 
often  decide  to  cluster.  Tlie  other  pic¬ 
ture  shows  the  bees  safely  liived.  They 
will  be  moved  to  their  permanent  loca¬ 
tion  before  they  have  had  time  to  get 
their  hearings  where  they  arc. 
These  well  seasoned  buck-to-thc-lnndors 
do  not  fully  endorse  the  old  saw  about 
“A  swanu  of  bees  iu  July  not  worth  a 
fly."  They  contend  that  a  late  swarm, 
properly  managed,  may  be  worth  the  sil¬ 
ver  spoon  or  the  load  of  hay,  or  even 
both  combined.  Early  in  July  there  is 
time  to  store  enough  clover  and  bass¬ 
wood  honey  to  cany  tliem  through  the 
Winter,  and  a  wintered  hive  is  worth 
money  of  late  years  if  for  nothing  more 
than  to  carry  pollen  in  cucumber  green 
houses.  Even  a  very  late  swarm  may  he 
profitably  carried  through  if  the  keeper 
has  plenty  of  extra  comb  filled  with 
stores  and  the  small  after  swarms  may 
become  strong  and  valuable  producers 
the  following  season.  G.  B.  F. 
Direct  Dealing  in  Farm  Goods 
The  It.  N.-Y.  helps  out  with  advice  for 
many  sorts  of  problems,  and  a  hoys’  or¬ 
ganization  in  a  Methodist  Church  wants 
your  advice  as  to  whether  farm  products 
i-oiild  bfl  obtained  direct  from  a  farm 
with  the  assurance  of  the  quality  of  the 
goods.  These  boys  have  bought  candy 
direct  from  the  manufacturer  and  sold  it 
at  store  prices.  'The  money  raised  is  used 
for  work  among  the  boys  in  the  church. 
Our  idea  is  to  solicit,  in  the  same  way, 
orders  for  a  number  of  laurels  of  apples 
and  potatoes  or  butter  in  5-11,.  boxes,  so 
as  to  make  a  good  sized  order  and  place  it 
with  a  reliable  farmer,  we  to  deliver  and 
collect.  ’The  question  is  could  we  get 
guaranteed  product#  to  handle  this  way? 
If  so  it  will  purl  Lilly  solve  the  problem  of 
the  cent  dollar  for  some  farmer,  and 
give  the  consumer  first-class  products  at 
a  reasonable  price.  n.  F.  w. 
Newark,  N.  J. 
Yes;  there  are  farmers  who  would  give 
good  measure  and  a  square  deal  in  such 
a  trade.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  to  de¬ 
velop — one  of  the  ways  in  which  farmers 
may  come  closer  to  the  consumers.  We 
have  had  several  cases  where  such  work 
has  been  done  by  clubs,  churches,  fra¬ 
ternal  societies  or  other 'organizations.  In 
some  cases  the  employees  of  a  big  insur¬ 
ance  company  or  of  some  manufacturing 
house  will  combine  for  buying  certain 
supplies.  Formers  wllO  deal  with  such 
Organizations  must  be  careful  about  pack¬ 
ing  and  grading,  and  he  scrupulously 
honest  with  whatever  they  sell.  'There  is 
an  opportunity  in  this  plan  for  doing  a 
good  business,  but  il  all  depends  on  the 
way  the  work  is  handled,  and  the  way 
the  goods  are  graded  and  packed. 
Division  of  Property  Between  Husband 
and  Wife 
If  a  man,  A,  marries  a  woman,  R. 
and  both  go  to  work  and  accumulate 
about  $28,000  in  real  estate  and  then  the 
man  A  refuses  to  live  with  the  woman  It, 
what  part  of  the  estate  can  she  hold? 
She  has  four  minor  children  to  support, 
lives  in  Illinois.  mbs.  g.  a.  w. 
Illinois. 
In  the  first  place,  a  husband  who  with¬ 
out  cause  abandons  or  neglects  to  provide 
for  his  wife,  or  children  under  12,  is 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor  and  may  he  pun¬ 
ished  by  fine  and  imprisonment.  As  to 
the  division  of  the  property,  it  depends 
on  many  things.  Probably  >t  stands  in 
the  name  of  the  husband.  Husband  and 
wife  in  your  State  may  sue  each  other 
for  the  possession  or  control  of  his  or 
her  property,  and  the  question  is  whether 
you  can  show  your  interest  in  the  prop¬ 
erty,  as  neither  can  recover  Compensation 
for  any  labor  performed  or  services  ren¬ 
dered  by  the  other.  However,  the  wife 
is  surely  entitled  to  support.  Probably 
the  wife’s  best,  move  is  to  consult  the 
September  10,  11)10. 
very  best  local  counsel  obtainable.  This 
is  a  case  where  it  is  cheapest  in  the  end 
to  get  the  best. 
Use  of  Minor's  Property 
A  died,  leaving  daughter  $100  out  of 
estate  of  $8,000,  daughter  being  under 
age,  the  guardians  paying  hoard  and  gave 
money  for  clothing.  Can  this  he  taken 
out  of  what  was  willed  her  in  Pennsyl¬ 
vania?  MBS.  F.  J.  D. 
Pennsylvania. 
If  A  made  no  adequate  provision  for 
the  support  and  education  of  his  daugh¬ 
ter  during  her  minority  the  Orphans 
Court  may  make  a  suitable  allowance  out 
nf  her  estate  for  her  support  and  educa¬ 
tion.  The  guardian  in  such  a  case  would 
lie  justified  in  using  the  legacy,  after  re¬ 
ceiving  the  sanction  of  the  Orphans’ 
Court,  in  paying  the  daughter’s  board 
and  clothing.  This  procedure  is  more  or 
less  general  in  all  of  the  States. 
Transfer  from  Husband  to  Wife 
Wluit  is  the  legal  process  for  n  man 
to  transfer  his  personal  property  over  to 
his  wife,  and  is  it  necessary  to  have  a 
lawyer  to  draw  up  a  will?  m.  b. 
Massachusetts. 
The  laws  of  your  State  do  not  author¬ 
ize  transfers  of  property  by  husband  to 
wife  except  that  a  wife  may  so  acquire 
(hut  not  in  fraud  of  creditors)  wearing 
apparel  and  articles  of  ornament  or  ne¬ 
cessary  for  personal  use  to  a  value  not 
exceeding  $2,000.  The  legal  process  for 
such  a  transfer  therefore  would  he 
through  a  third  party.  It  is  not;  neces¬ 
sary  to  have  a  lawyer  to  draw  up  a  will, 
hut  if  the  property  is  of  any  considerable 
value  it  is  always  safer,  and  as  In  other 
mutters  it  is  generally  better  to  get  the 
best  obtainable.  It  is  the  cheapest  in  the 
long  run. 
Woman  and  Farm  Property 
My  husband  made  an  assignment  to 
his  creditors;  everything  excepting  my 
household  furniture  was  sold  to  satisfy 
his  creditors  at  sale.  1  hid  in  some  farm 
machinery  and  paid  cash  for  same. 
Since  then  I  bought  a  small  farm,  mort¬ 
gaged  same  for  full  value  ns  I  had  no 
money  to  pay  on  same;  also  bought  some 
stock.  Some  I  paid  cash  for,  part  I 
made  payments  on.  I  also  had  a  surrey 
and  sleigh  I  bought  a  number  of  years 
ago  with  my  own  money  which  I  earned 
by  keeping  boarders.  Unknown  to  me 
my  husband  endorsed  a  note  with  a  party 
who  asked  him  to  favor  them  afterwards. 
This  party  went  inti*  bankruptcy  and 
note  was  placed  in  hank.  My  husband 
was  called  to  appear  before  the  judge;  he 
told  him  he  had  no  property  whatever 
and  was  unable  to  pay  the  note.  Eater 
on  I  had  to  appear  before  judge;  I  told 
him  my  farm  was  mortgaged,  m.v  stock 
only  part  paid  for,  and  I  could  tell  just 
how  I  had  Iimde  payments  for  same. 
Three  days  later  she  rill  and  lawyer  came 
and  levied  on  stock  and  farm  machinery. 
Then  shcrill’  cuiue  and  posted  hills  of 
sale.  I  have  no  money  and  hate  to  em¬ 
ploy  a  lawyer  unless  lie  is  sure  of  win¬ 
ning  the  case.  Must.  I  give  up  my  prop¬ 
erly?  (hm  they  sol  1  what  I  have  bought 
with  my  own  money,  and  if  they  do  sell 
can  I  ever  get  anything  for  damages? 
K.  w. 
It  is  aiwuy-B  hard  to  give  definite  ad¬ 
vice  in  cases  of  tliis  sort  without  know¬ 
ing  the  parties  involved  and  every  de¬ 
tail.  Our  general  advice  is  to  employ  a 
good  lawyer  aud  lose  no  time  about  it. 
It  is  probable  that  you  endorsed  that  note 
with  your  husband.  In  any  event  you 
should  have  an  attorney  in  such  a  case, 
lie  should  appear  at  the  sale  and  pro¬ 
test  against  it,  and  if  possible  vacate  the 
levy  made  by  the  sheriff.  He  should  also 
look  up  the  testimony  made  at  the  bank¬ 
ruptcy  proceedings.  If  the  attorney  can¬ 
not  stop  this  sale  he  should  get  up  and 
make  a  public  protest,  and  the  chances 
are  that  few  will  bid  for  the  goods  in 
such  a  case  where  a  lawsuit,  might  fol¬ 
low,  but  the  only  way  to  get.  at  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  this  case  is  to  have  an  honest  lo¬ 
cal  attorney  examine  into  it.  Do  not 
send  your  husband  to  the  lawyer  for  you, 
and  <lo  not  let  him  appear  for  you  in  this 
matter.  If  he  should  do  so  it  would  seem 
as  if  you  are  acting  jointly  with  him,  and 
that  he  had  an  interest  in  these  goods. 
This  case  is  a  fair  illustration  of  the  in¬ 
justice  which  may  be  done  to  a  woman  in 
taking  her  property  away  from  her,  and 
it  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  ways  in  which 
our  legal  procedure  should  he  changed. 
It  Is  also  one  of  the  many  cases  where 
an  honest  lawyer  is  needed  in  order  to  ob¬ 
tain  anything  like  common  rights. 
Back-to-the-Land  Beekeepers 
Bees  thal  Climbed  u  Beanpole 
