1578  £ 'he  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Talking  It  All  Over 
What  Country  People  Say 
Electricity  for  the  Home 
The  rime  is  fast  ajvproaching  when  not 
only  telephone  wires  hut  electric  light 
wires  will  be  extended  to  the  majority  of 
farm  homes,  and  when  every  traveled 
road  will  be  lighted  by  electricity.  When 
this  time  comes  it  will  be  an  easy  matter 
to  prove  to  the  farmers  that  coal  is  far 
The  Farmer  ot  the  Family 
more  expensive  than  the  electricity.  There 
will  be  very  few  gasoline  engines  or  wind¬ 
mills,  because  everything  winch  1ms  been 
operated  by  gasoline  or  wind  or  coal 
power  will  be  propelled  by  electricity. 
Even  at  Ibis  time  the  uses  for  electri¬ 
city  are  manifold.  Sometime  ago  there 
was  an  article  in  The  It.  N.-Y.  about 
“Thrashing  by  Electricity,”  and  today 
these  same'  farmers  are  filling  their  silos, 
baling  their  hay,  and  sawing  their  wood 
by  the  same  power,  all  at  a  cost  of  $1 
per  hour  while  running.  This  cost  would 
be  reduced  were  these  men  to  own  their 
own  motor.  The  electric  company  furn¬ 
ishes  1  lie  motor,  the  motorinan  and  the 
juice  all  for  the  $1  per  hour.  Most  of 
these  farmers  pump  their  water  and  run 
their  cream  separators  by  means  of  small 
motors. 
Not  only  do  t hr*  men  share  in  the  uses 
of  these  motors,  but  they  are  proving  to 
be  a  great  boon  to  the  women  as  well. 
Washing  machines  and  wringers  are  run 
by  means  of  small  motors,  but  almost 
everything  else  is  operated  by  the  cur¬ 
rent  taken  from  the  electric  light  wires. 
Two  cents  an  hour  is  a  very  small  price 
to  pay  for  the  work  done  by  the  electric 
washer  and  wringer,  and  there  are  not 
many  men  but  would  gladly  pay  the  price 
in  order  to  save  their  wives’  strength 
and  temper  and  to  see  the  washing  out  of 
the  way  in  a  hurry.  Oh,  the  pleasure 
derived  from  an  electric  iron.  No  keep¬ 
ing  up  a  fire  to  iron  by  the  kitchen  range, 
or  no  filling  of  gasoline  or  oil  stoves,  but 
just  one  oven  temperature  and  no  need  to 
stop  until  the  last,  piece  is  finished,  and 
all  for  five  cents  an  hour.  What  woman 
is  there  who  does  not  dread  sweeping 
day,  or  the  time  for  housecleaning? 
Sweeping  day  would  he  a  pleasure  and 
the  terrible  labor  of  housecleaning  les¬ 
sened  by  means  of  a  vacuum  cleaner  op¬ 
erated  at  the  insignificant  cost  <>f  two 
cents  an  hour. 
Then  there  are  the  hot  plates,  upon 
which  many  things  may  be  cooked,  and 
the  electric  toasters,  all  very  easy  to  use, 
and  the  electric  fans,  all  of  which  cost  so 
very  little.  Just  think,  it  is  possible  to 
cook  for  a  family  of  six  for  one  month 
for  $7  by  means  of  electricity !  This  is 
far  cheaper  than  buying  coal,  and  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  more  peo¬ 
ple  there  are  who  use  electricity  the 
cheaper  it  is.  The  writer  knows  of  one 
community  where  107  farmers  have 
signed  the  contract  to  have  electricity  in¬ 
stalled  just  as  rapidly  as  the  work  can 
be  done. 
One  electric  company  is  so  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  practicability  of  elec¬ 
tricity  on  the  farm  that  rates  of  $2S0 
apiece  where  two  farmers  live  within  a 
mile  of  each  other  have  been  made.  This 
rate  gives  each  farmer  the  privilege  of 
wiring  his  house  and  barn  to  the  extent  of 
15  outlets  and  ibe  use  of  tin*  power  for 
one  year.  After  the  first  year  the  ex¬ 
pense  is  reckoned  according  to  the 
amount  of  electricity  used.  In  a  certain 
town  of  6,000  inhabitants  less  than  one 
per  cent  of  the  people  are  without  elec¬ 
tricity. 
There  are  quite  a  number  of  individ¬ 
ual  electric  lighting  plants  used  in  the 
State  which  costs  about  .$425  to  install 
and  $1  per  month  to  run.  They  are  very 
simple  to  operate,  and  if  the  plant  is 
large  enough  it  can  be  used  for  almost  as 
many  purposes  as  the  wires  which  come 
from  the  power  house.  Farmers  never 
hesitate  to  buy  the  machinery  and  the 
stock  they  want  and  need,  and  why  can 
they  not  see  the  importance  of  the  most 
wonderful  power  in  existence — electri¬ 
city?  MAY  BARCU8  TAYLOR. 
Kansas. 
R.  N.-Yr. — In  our  Eastern  States  there 
are  thousands  of  places  where  power  can 
be  taken  from  streams  and  lakes.  In 
New  England  there  is  enough  of  this 
power  running  to  waste  to  heat  and  light 
every  farmhouse,  turn  every  wheel  and 
light  every  country  road  at  night. 
The  Old  Max. — Mr.  John  B.  Schoene- 
weg  of  California,  has  sent  us  the  little 
picture  shown  on  this  page.  lie  calls  it 
one  of  nature’s  marvels  in  handiwork,  as 
he  thinks  he  can  see  the  shape  of  an  old 
man’s  head  in  this  tree.  lie  says  that  this 
marvel  is  located  at  Santa  Cruz.  Most 
of  us  have  heard  of  the  old  rock  in  New 
Hampshire  known  as  “the  old  man  of 
the  mountain,”  because  when  viewed 
from  a  certain  angle  it  bears  some  re¬ 
semblance  to  a  human  face.  ’Flint  is  un¬ 
changeable.  The  old  man  pictured  in  this 
tree  may,  by  the  growth  of  additional 
The  Old  Tree  Man 
branches,  produce  a  beard,  an  extra  crop 
of  hair  or  have  his  entire  face  wiped  out 
unless  very  judicious  pruning  is  done. 
Penny  Parcel  Post  for  Libraries 
As  committees  from  our  local  library 
to  report  on  the  reason  for  our  failure 
adequately  to  reach  our  outlying  farm 
population,  and  to  find  a  means  of  over¬ 
coming  tiiis  failure,  I  have  a  report  which 
is,  I  believe,  of  more  than  local  interest. 
Thfc  condition  I  found,  not  only  here, 
but  throughout  the  country,  is  the  same. 
The  farm  territory,  the  larger  part  of  the 
Country  in  extent,  including  by  far  the 
greatest  class  in  America  industrially,  is 
as  much  foreign  mission  territory  to  our 
library  movement  as  is  Asia  to  Chris¬ 
tianity.  From  years  of  observation  as 
country  trustee  of  a  rural  village  library 
I  have  talked  with  hundreds  of  farmers 
about  this  in  my  own  locality,  and  to 
make  my  investigation  approach  the 
scientific,  have  questioned  many  others  in 
other  places  as  to  the  conclusions  thus 
reached.  The  trouble  is  by  no  means  be¬ 
cause  of  a  lack  of  intelligence  on  the  part 
of  our  farmers,  or  of  appreciation  of  good 
reading.  Nor,  indeed,  could  T  trace  any 
blame  to  librarians  or  our  State  Library 
Department.  The  answer  of  one  was  Ihe 
answer  of  nearly  all — tlie  lack  of  con¬ 
venient  access.  To  be  sure  our  rural  li¬ 
braries  are  open  several  hours  at  a  time 
three  times  a  by  State  regulation. 
But  to  secure  a  book  from  the  library 
would  still  often  mean  a  special  trip  of 
from  two  to  even  10  miles,  with  possibly 
another  to  return.  This  is  a  sufficient  de¬ 
terrent  for  most  of  us  from  intellectual 
good. 
It  is  true  our  parcel  post  laws  allow  a 
package  of  library  books  or  magazines  to 
go  for  a  nickel  each  way.  It  might  as 
well  be  five  dollars.  I  will  wager  that  our 
50.000  mail  carriers,  covering  1.200,000 
miles  daily  in  reaching  ten  million  farm 
homes  do  not  carry  to  those  homes  ten 
library  books  per  day.  It  should  be  a 
quarter  of  a  million.  My  proposal  is  a 
strictly  local  penny  parcel  post  rate, 
whereby  the  rural  library  may  send  by 
the  It.  D.  "OUteg  radiating  from  its  vil¬ 
lage  a  magazine  or  book  for  a  round  trip 
price  of  one  °uny.  The  plan  involves 
no  trans-shipm  nt  whatever,  only  the 
mailing  from  and  return  to  the  one  post 
office.  T  do  not  believe  this  would  require 
an  extra  clerk  in  any  rural  post  office. 
Nor  indeed  would  it  at  all  burden  the  car¬ 
rier  whose  load,  in  this  section,  averages 
not  more  than  40  or  50  pounds. 
Thus  with  no  expense  to  the  federal 
government  would  be  redressed  the  in¬ 
equality  whereby  the  farmer  is  now  taxed 
for  State  aid  to  libraries  without  adequate 
return.  The  plan  already  1ms  the  full  en¬ 
dorsement  of  some  if  America's  leading 
agriculturists.  Liberty  Hyde  Bailey 
writes  me:  “I  do  not  know  what  diffi¬ 
culties  you  may  meet  from  the  l’ost  Office 
Department,  but  from  the  standpoint  of 
public  good  it  is  much  to  ho  desired.” 
Dean  Cook  of  the  State  school  at  Canton 
writes:  “It  is  sound;  it  is  workable,  and 
should  be  put  into  effect.”  I  wish  to  hear 
from  all  individuals  or  Granges  wishing 
to  give  aid  or  approval  in  getting  the 
penny  library  post  into  law. 
ALFRED  L.  SPENCER. 
Steuben  Co.,  N.  lr. 
Mother’s  Foot  Comfort 
One  of  the  first  requisites  for  mother’s 
comfort  is  to  be  properly  shod.  The 
house  shoe  should  be  of  sofi  pliable  mate¬ 
rial  with  low  heels,  capped  with  rubber. 
Much  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  lit  of 
shoes,  as  shoes  too  large  or  too  small  will 
either  one  cause  corns.  If  corns  should 
appear  they  may  be  removed  by  binding 
on  a  thin  slice  of  lemon  renewing  when 
it  begins  to  dry  out;  night  and  morning 
should  suffice.  Keep  on  till  the  corn  can 
be  removed  ;  it  may  require  two  or  three 
days’  treatment.  This  remedy  often 
cures  a  corn  and  always  gives  relief, 
i  An  old  c<»rn  and  bunion  remedy  was 
made  by  soaking  bread  crumbs  in  vine¬ 
gar  and  binding  on  the  affected  toe.  The 
same  remedy  is  also  excellent  for  frost¬ 
bitten  feet.  Rubbing  corns  and  bunions 
with  oil  of  cedar  wood  will  relieve  pain 
and  burning.  When  bunions  are  swollen 
and  inflamed  an  occasional  painting  with 
tincture  of  iodine  will  alleviate  the  suf¬ 
fering.  Pouring  water  as  hot  as  can  be 
borne  from  a  height  upon  bunions  will 
reduce  the  swelling  of  the  joint.  Borax 
or  a  generous  amount  of  sea  salt  in  a 
warm  (not  hot)  foot  bath  are  very  bene¬ 
ficial  to  the  feet,  after  which  rub  them 
well  with  a  rough  towel,  dust  well  with 
talcum  powder;  slip  on  clean  hose  and  a 
change  of  shoes  and  you  will  experience 
it  satisfying  sense  of  refreshment . 
Feet  that  perspire  excessively  will  be 
made  more  comfortable  by  adding  a  half 
teaspoonful  of  formalin  (formaldehyde) 
to  the  foot  bath.  Do  not  try  to  relieve 
aching  or  burning  feet  by  bathing  in  hot 
water;  this  makes  them  tender.  Instead 
bathe  them  in  lukewarm  water,  then 
throw  cold  water  over  them  and  rub  per¬ 
fectly  dry  with  a  rough  towel. 
Where  one  must  stand  for  long  periods, 
rugs  will  contribute  much  toward  the 
comfort  of  the  feet.  Mother  or  anyone 
in  fact  should  never  slight  the  feet  of 
proper  care  and  shoeing,  for  ill-treated 
feet  cause  much  discomfort,  and  handicap 
one  of  worth-while  efficiency.  It  is  ad¬ 
visable  to  have  several  pairs  of  shoes,  as 
a  change  of  shoes  is  a  wonderful  means 
of  rest  to  tired  feet.  When  the  feet  are 
very  tired,  from  long  continued  standing 
or  long  walks,  take  oif  the  shoes  if  possi¬ 
ble.  lie  down  and  elevate  the  feet  on  sev¬ 
eral  pillows,  so  the  blood  will  not  rush 
into  them  for  a  few  minutes.  Yon  will 
find  a  few  minutes’  resting  the  feet  this 
way  a  great  help  to  them. 
December  28,  191G. 
When  one  finds  that  a  wrinkle  or  hole 
in  the  stocking  is  causing  discomfort  the 
shoe  should  he  taken  off  and  the  cause  re¬ 
moved  at  once,  instead  of  walking  around 
in  misery.  A  few  minutes  spent  in  mak¬ 
ing  the  feet  comfortable  will  keep  frowns 
away  and  help  keep  us  cheerful,  m.  a.  k. 
Farm  Sanitation. — The  following  is 
as  good  a  way  as  any  I  have  found  when 
a  farmer’s  wife  has  to  deal  with  the 
question  alone.  Have  the  closet  cleaned 
out  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  Spring 
and  a  load  of  fresh  earth  dumped  near. 
Have  an  old  shovel  handy  and  throw  in 
some  fresh  earth  every  day.  The  house 
slops  should  never  be  thrown  into  it. 
but  diluted  with  half  water  and  thrown 
on  the  grass  land.  Toward  the  end  of 
the  Summer  pull  some  weeds  if  they  are 
handy  and  throw  in  with  the  dirt  all  on 
the  roots  and  use  the  potato  sprayer  twice 
a  week  from  the  inside  to  prevent  flies 
from  batching.  If  the  hens  can  visit  tho 
sink  drain  every  day  and  kerosene  is 
used  once  or  twice  a  week  on  the  sink, 
mop,  dipper  and  dishcloths,  you  will  be 
in  no  danger  of  typhoid.  Put  a  table¬ 
spoonful  of  kerosene  in  the  dipper,  wash 
it  with  the  dishcloth  and  see  the  brown 
scum  come  off.  Then  wash  with  soap 
and  hot  water,  rinse  in  cold  water  and 
see  how  sweet  it  smells.  Do  tho  same 
with  mop  and  pail,  sink,  etc. 
New  Hampshire.  E.  M.  M. 
Little  Economies  I  Have  Found  Helpful 
When  making  sauce  from  apples, 
cranberries  or  any  tart  fruit  I  use  some 
soda,  about  one-half  teaspoon ful  to  a 
quart  of  sauce,  and  much  less  sugar  is 
needed  for  sweetening  while  it  in  no  way 
impairs  the  flavor  of  the  fruit. 
When  buying  bran  for  muffins,  gems, 
etc.,  I  go  to  a  feed  store  where  I  get 
either  a  small  or  large  quantity  costing 
from  iy>  to  two  cents  per  pound,  instead 
of  six-  or  seven  rents  per  pound  as  it  does 
in  packages,  and  it;  is  just  as  nice  and 
clean. 
All  my  roller  towels  are  made  from 
grain  hags.  I  rip  the  hem  at  the  top, 
split  both  sides,  French-seam  the  top  to¬ 
gether  and  hem  the  sides.  I  also  make 
bath  towels,  two  from  each  bag,  hem¬ 
ming  the  sides  and  fringing  the  ends. 
These  towels  are  durable,  easily  washed 
and  pleasant  to  use. 
I  make  over  a  great  many  stockings  for 
the  children,  cut  like  the  accompanying 
pattern,  with  notched  edge  on  a  fold. 
When  made  and  sewed  to  the  leg  at 
dotted  line  ns  illustrated,  it  fits  perfectly. 
Of  course,  the  size  may  be  varied,  but  be 
sure  to  keep  the  proportions  and  out¬ 
lines. 
Why  should  we  economize?  We  should 
economize  because  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
have  done  our  best,  to  have  saved  a  dime 
here  or  a  dollar  there,  so  that  we  can  be 
generous  to  the  neighbor  who  has  had  t 
hard  luck,  take  the  little  trip  or  vacation 
that  we  have  so  long  desired,  or  give 
some  dear  one  an  extra  pleasure  to  be 
remembered  through  the  coining  years. 
But  just  t<i  save  for  the  sake  of  getting 
more  money  in  the  bunk  is  pour  economy. 
We  often  hear  and  read  of  the  farmer 
who  overworks  bis  wife  until  she  dies, 
and  pinches  and  pleads  poverty  until  the 
children  run  away,  hut  that  type  is  so 
scarce  we  never  see  them.  If  you  know  a 
farmer  who  is  very  close  and  economical 
you  may  be  sure  that  he  is  so  that  the 
mortgage  may  be  lifted,  the  children  edu¬ 
cated,  and  that  he  and  his  wife  may  have 
a  competence  for  their  old  age. 
Maine.  MRS.  CLARA  T.  8AWYER. 
