AUG 10 
534 
EDUCATING FARMERS’ DAUGHTERS. 
I HAVE long been an admirer of the dear 
Rural, content to glean, in silence, the 
words of truth and wisdom always to be 
found in its pages ; but when, in one of the 
last numbers, I read Laura Reinhart’s article 
on “ Necessity of Educating Farmers’ Daugh¬ 
ters,” I could maintain my silence no longer ; 
for I felt impelled to tell the writer how her 
kind efforts in behalf of us farmers' daughters 
are appreciated by at least one of the number. 
So accurately has she defined our position, 
and so thoroughly does she understand our 
feelings on the subject that she has placed the 
matter before us more clearly than we our¬ 
selves would probably be able to state it. 
She has struck the very key-note of our dis¬ 
satisfaction. It is not that we object to liv¬ 
ing on the farms where we were born and 
reared and where some of us are perhaps 
destined to end our days ; for a life can be just 
as noble, just as pure and exalted when 
passed on a farm as elsewhere. But we do 
protest, vigorously, against the cruel injus¬ 
tice, the narrow-minded prejudice that pre¬ 
cludes us from enjoying the same educational 
advantages so freely bestowed upon our no 
more deserving town sisters, and which they 
regard as their rights, and not as a privilege 
as do we Observation and experience, both, 
fail to teach us that city-bred girls have any 
greater capacity for learning, or any more 
pressing need of an education than the coun¬ 
try girl, and yet how will the education of the 
average country girl compare with that of 
the average town girl ? 
The latter is our superior not only in edu¬ 
cation but in society Knowledge as well. 
What is there in the life one leads on the farm 
that should tend to lessen the desire for cul¬ 
ture and refinement? Rather would it seem 
that the environments of a country life are 
especially conducive to the unrestricted devel¬ 
opment, mentally and physically, of all that 
is good and pure. Does the farmer imagine 
that because his daughter is a farmer’s girl, 
her appreciation and innate love ot the good 
and beautiful are not as great as those of peo¬ 
ple whose daily lives are passed among their 
influences, and whose advantages are superior 
to hers? Laura Reinhart is right when she 
says it is not a lack of means that causes 
farmers to neglect the education of their 
daughters. T know of more than one farmer 
whose sons are sent away to attend some good 
college or university, and yet the father does 
not even dream that his daughters would ap¬ 
preciate the same advantages, and that they 
are equally entitled to them. And when the 
son has completed his college course, he elects 
his own occupation in life, learning the prin¬ 
ciples of self-reliance as he progresses; while 
his sister who, if she had the same time and 
attention bestowed on her education, would 
be just as intelligent, just as competent, must 
content herself with the meagre amount of 
knowledge to be obtained at the public 
school, and when too old to attend longer as a 
scholar, there is nothing left for her but to 
settle down on the farm, where she performs 
the labors of the household, in payment for 
which she receives her board and clothes, 
without a dollar she - could call her own or 
feel free to spend as she pleases. Do fathers 
who raise their daughters in this way expect 
them to learn the lessons of self-reliance and 
discretion in money matters? Remember this 
is not a supposititious example, but a case of 
which I have positive knowledge, and it is 
only one of the many of which we know 
nothing. 
What truth is there in the plea of farmers 
that a bit of book-learning and a glimpse of 
the refinement and culture that are possible 
to all, only serve to make their daughters still 
more dissatisfied with the farm ? If a girl has 
a natural inclination for farm life, neither a 
finished education nor a knowledge of music, 
painting or the other fine arts is likely to de¬ 
tract from her enjoyment of the country: but, 
on the contrary, both will increase her pleas¬ 
ure to such a degree that the attractions bind¬ 
ing her to the farm will be strengthened, and 
being able to secure all the advantages that 
the city, as well as country, has to offer, she 
will have no desire to change a country home 
for one that can give her nothing she does not 
already possess. 
On the other hand, if a girl displays no 
taste for the occupations of rural life, and 
does evince a decided preference for some 
other pursuit, why not educate her for the 
vocation of her choice * Farmers, do not force 
your daughters, against their inclination, to 
live a life that is utterly distasteful to them, 
and one that is wholly at variance with their 
every idea of happiness; for few women are 
satisfied to live an empty life, and that is 
what it would be to them if their heart be not 
in it. a farmer’s daughter. 
HUDSON RIVER VALLEY NOTES. 
The tablelands, if such they may be called, 
which lie between the Catskill and Helder- 
burg Mountains and the Hudson River, are 
peculiarly well adapted for successful agri¬ 
culture. The soil is a heavy clay, composed 
chiefly of decomposed slate; it is hard to 
work but very strong and fertile. The only 
fertilizer which is used to any great extent is 
ordinary land plaster. The surface is level 
enough to permit the use of mowing and har¬ 
vesting machines. The roads are easily made 
and kept in fine condition. The, bulk of the 
produce is shipped by barge direct to the 
“ best market in the world ”—New York City. 
Land sells for a high price relatively, but 
there is little or no demand for it and the tend¬ 
ency of prices is downward. Hay is the chief 
‘•money ” crop, but it is not nearly as profit¬ 
able as it used to be owing to the fact that 
New York City now draws its hay supply 
from a much larger territory than it formerly 
did. This has been made possible by the Ded- 
erick and other hay presses which compress it 
in such small bales as materially to reduce 
the cost of freights and permit the hay dealers 
to obtain a supply from distant points when 
the price is high enough to warrant it. This 
makes the price of the product more uniform, 
but prevents large profits or rather high prices 
when the crop is short in any particular local¬ 
ity. This year, however, promises to be an 
extraordinarily good one for the farmers of 
the valley; the hay crop is enormous and even 
if the prices rule low, the crop will net a large 
amount of money. After all, the majority of 
truck drivers and livery-stable men prefer 
“ North River ” hay, especially the clear 
Timothy. For some reason, probably 
the heavy soil upon which it is raised, 
it seems to go farther than the lighter grades 
of hay from other localities. The hay is sold 
in all sorts of ways. If the farmer needs the 
money he can sell his hay as soon as it is cut, 
to be baled and delivered during the fall, or 
he can get the dealers to advance money upon 
the crop, to be deducted from the returns 
when they are received. The wealthier farm¬ 
ers usually bale their hay at their leisure and 
watch the quotations in the R. H.-Y., and 
when they think the market is likely to be at 
its best, they ship their hay and take what¬ 
ever the dealer may return to them. The 
owners of the barge lines are usually dealers 
in hay and other farm produce, and are, as a 
rule, very wealthy. Why shouldn’t they be ? 
They get both freight and commission on all 
the hay and other produce they handle and in 
many cases make a good round margin of 
profit besides. 
All the latest machines for cutting and 
handling hay and grain are used in the valley. 
The platforms at the freight depots are cov¬ 
ered with new implements and machines, and 
the implement dealers are jubilant. “ The 
biggest trade we have had in years,” is what 
they all say. 
Corn, usually a poor and comparatively in¬ 
significant crop, is even poorer than usual this 
year. The wet weather caused it to come up 
late and very unevenly. The result will be a 
small crop. It is, however, a matter of little 
consequence as it is usually cheaper to buy 
corn than it is to raise it. A large acreage of 
oats will be harvested in good condition. 
Wheat and rye are not raised to any great 
extent. 
The apple crop is light. Many of the trees 
have been seriously injured by the coddling 
moth. One peculiarity of the valley is the 
large barns and barracks for hay. These out¬ 
buildings are not placed regularly about the 
houses, but are located at the most convenient 
spots on the farms. “ Hill-side ” barns are the 
rule. They save an immense amount of 
labor. Why are so many of the barns left 
unpainted? At the present price of me¬ 
tallic and other forms of mineral paint, 
there is no excuse for leaving out-buildings 
unpainted. Even the immense ice-houses 
along the river bank are thoroughly painted 
and there is no reason why so many ot the 
barns and out-buildings should be left in such 
a dingy, tumble-down condition, rambler. 
Lilfmu). 
MAGAZINE REVIEWS. 
T HE August magazines might nearly all 
be aptly termed vacation numbers, 
dealing as they do with excursions by river, 
sea and land, scenes at the sea-shore, and 
among the mountains and plains. North and 
south, at home and abroad, for simple recrea¬ 
tion, or in search of knowledge, have these 
tourists traveled. 
I N HARPER’S MAGAZINE, James Lane 
Allen pictures “ County Court Day in 
Kentucky.” From being a meeting for the dis¬ 
pensing of justice, it gradually changed into 
a gathering for the exhibition of stock, for 
the hiring out or sale of slaves, for the 
settling of disputes by fistic encount¬ 
ers, for the purchase of all kinds of 
plantation supplies, and, not only last, 
but first, and all the time, drinking Bourbon 
whisky. Here were found the venders of all 
sorts of Yankee notions, the quack doctor, the 
politician, and all sorts and conditions of 
rural folk. The day is still observed, but as a 
holiday, and more from force of long-contin¬ 
ued habit than aught else. “ Fifty Years 
of Photography” by J. Wells Champney, 
is illustrated with a portrait of Da¬ 
guerre, and gives a history of his early strug¬ 
gles and final victory. It traces the evolu¬ 
tion of photography from the earliest pro¬ 
cesses, and gives many of its modern uses. 
It is largely used in the illustration of news¬ 
papers and other periodicals, and has tended 
to cheapen as well as to improve such work. 
In science, its uses are almost innumera¬ 
ble, especially in the study of astronomy; 
stars invisible to the eye have been photo 
graphed, and, during the present year, the 
aurora borealis has been photographed. In¬ 
stantaneous photography has enabled us to 
get pictures of the race-horse at full speed, of 
the birds on the wing, and a cannon ball in 
its rapid flight, as well as to take the baby’s 
picture with any of its varying expressions. 
By means of the Kodak any one with 
ability enough to “ press the button ” can tako 
pictures of persons or objects to suit his fancy. 
“The Kremlin and Russian Art” is a richly il¬ 
lustrated article by Theodore Child, descrip¬ 
tive of the richness and splendor of the pal 
aces, churches and other wonderful buildings 
of that mighty empire. “The Fan,” by Louisa 
Farr, gives a history of this indispensable arti¬ 
cle from the earliest times. It is a very breezy 
subject for summer reading. Other articles are 
“A Gentle Ghost,”“MexicanLustred Pottery,” 
“ Experiences of an Amateur Photographer,” 
“ The Religious Movement in Germany,” etc. 
There are a number of excellent poems, liter¬ 
ary notes, and the usual editorial departments. 
Harper & Brothers, New York. 
I N SCRIBNER we have a very entertaining 
description of “Tarpon Fishing in Flori¬ 
da,” by Robert Grant. The tarpon is an im¬ 
mense fish, ranging from50 to over 200pounds 
in weight, and from four to six feet in length, 
and up to five years ago had not been taken 
with rod and reel. Its habitat is the Western 
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, the chief fishing 
ground being the coast of Southwestern Flori¬ 
da. The headquarters of the sportsmen are 
at St. James City, on Pine Island, and Punt a 
Rassa on the mainland opposite. The season 
generally begins in March, or when the 
weather begins to grow warm. From the 
description given of the lauding of one of 
these mighty fish, three hours after being 
hooked, we should consider it a very exciting 
sport for those who have the patience to wait 
for a bite. One gentleman had fished three sea¬ 
sons, and had not yet caught a single tarpon. 
A long article by Henry Morton on “Electri¬ 
city in Lighting,” gives the history of the de¬ 
velopment of this means of illumination from 
the first demonstration of its possibility by 
Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808, up to its present 
high state of perfection. The desirability of 
such a means of lighting rests in the facts that* 
besides giving the most brilliant light pro¬ 
duced by artificial means, it does not vitiate 
the air as do gas and kerosene, or give off 
any heat, or is; it affected by currents 
of air. There are over 5,000 lamps 
now in operation in New York City alone, 
and this number is rapidly increasing. Under 
the electric light, any city is nearly as light 
as day. It is believed by many that the time 
will soon come when stored electricity can be 
handled and sold in the same manner that 
kerosene now is, so that the isolated farmer 
can enjoy the benefits of this greatest of mod¬ 
ern wonders as well as the favored city 
dweller. Electricity is the power of the fu¬ 
ture. This is a valuable article, giving as it 
does, full details in regard the different kinds 
of lights, manufacture of the machinery used, 
etc. Other articles are “ Form in Lawn Ten¬ 
nis,” “ How to Feed a Railway,” etc. Charles 
Scribner’s Sons, New York. 
S T. NICHOLAS has “ Among the Florida 
Keys,” by Charles Frederick Holder. 
This is another chapter in a summer vacation 
along the coral-reefs of Southern Florida. 
The party consists of the Professor, and sev¬ 
eral boys together with Long John, the boat¬ 
man. They discover all sorts of curious cor¬ 
als, shells, fishes, birds, sponges and aquatic 
animals; catch star-fish, murrys, “Jacks,” a 
kind of mackerel, sharks, and various other 
strange fish, ending the chapter by Tom fast¬ 
ening the grains, a kind of harpoon, in a huge 
shark, and being pulled overboard at the end 
of the line, where we shall have to leave 
him floundering in the blue waters of the 
Gulf Stream. “ Midsummer Pirates” by 
Richard H. Davis is a very exciting account of 
a game called “Pirates and Smugglers ” played 
in sailboats at a summer resort by boys from 
two rival houses. Joaquin Miller has a story: 
“ Captain Duck,” which tells about a Modoc 
Indian, and “ Limber Tim,” a poor orphan, 
who became great friends at one of the fron¬ 
tier forts. But the stories are not all about 
boys. The account of Laura Bridgman, the 
deaf, dumb and blind woman who died re¬ 
cently, is given by Joseph Jastrow. In spite 
of her terrible affliction, and in the face of 
apparently insurmountable difficulties, she 
secured an education, and passed a comfort¬ 
able and happy life, dying at the age of 60. 
“ Little Menan Light ” also tells of the bravery 
of a girl 12 years old who lived with her father, 
the keeper of a lonely light-house on the 
Maine coast. “ The Little Persian Princess ” 
who traveled incognita in the shape of a cat, 
in search of her lost brother, is by Mary E. 
Wilkins. Then there are “A Mutiny on a 
Gold-Ship,” “The Bunnie’sGarden,” numer¬ 
ous poems, and excellent illustrations. The 
Century Company, New York. 
O UR LITTLE ONES AND THE NUR¬ 
SERY for August, is as usual full of de¬ 
lights for the tiny ones of the family. The chil¬ 
dren who were so glad it rained, so they could 
play in the hay-mow with the pigeons and swal¬ 
lows, and hunt the hens’ nests and find old Pussy 
Gray and her kits, are represented first by 
“a nice piece to speak ” and a picture. Then 
the boy who gave up his dear pet frog to 
make a tempting dish for his sick auntie; the 
little girl who sailed a boat full of paper 
dolls; the “Runaway Penny” which Dolly 
found, and which the old rooster stole fi*om 
her; the pansies that turned into fairy people; 
the dignified cat “Sir John,” who sat at the 
table and had a napkin around his neck when 
he ate; the sick birdie whose mamma couldn’t 
get even one strawberry to cool his little 
feverish mouth, and several others are shown 
in picture and story. It Is a real mine for 
mothers whose little ones clamor for stories 
while yet they cannot read. Russell Publish¬ 
ing Co., 36 Bromfield Street, Boston. 
Pisrtllancou.s gVilmtisiufl. 
Hffif 
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Cuticcka. the great Skin Cure, and Cuticura SoAr, 
an exquisite skin Beau lifter, prepared from it. oxter- 
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skin and blood disease, from pimples to scrofula. 
Sold everywhere. Price, Cuticura, 50c. ; Soap, 25c. 
Resolvent,' Si- Prepared by the Potter Drco and 
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Send for “ How to Cure Skin Diseases." 
Pimples, blackheads, chapped and oily skin .jel 
fjsf- prevented by Cuticura t*oAP. 
Rheumatism, Kidney Pains and Weakness 
speedily cured by Cuticura Anti-Pain Plas¬ 
ter, the only paln-kUllng plaster. -> 
For preparing the ground for fall seeding, the Clark's 
Cutaway Harrow will more than pay for Itself in one 
season. No use for the plow-on stubble laud. Take 
It and try It and you will buy It. Send for new cir¬ 
cular. 
Kig^anum M’f’g Corp., Sole ManTrs, 
lllGGANl'M.lCONN. 
I RRIGATED 
■ stone soil: abu 
LANDS 
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naming thlB paper, to Pesos Irrigation cfc In¬ 
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