1914. 
1157 
THE KURA H NEW-YORKER 
Business 
Farm Women As Earners 
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Beginning a Barm Business. 
FTER my husband died I had visions 
of a time, perhaps 15 years distant, 
when my girlie would be ready for high 
school, our bank account would be gone, 
and no funds forthcoming with which to 
pay expenses, unless I could build well 
for the future. I had formerly been a 
teacher, but couldn’t teach now without 
leaving my baby. I had no idea of leaving 
her, and therefore must make a living in 
my own home. I finally purchased five 
acres of good level land with a nine-room 
house, poultry house, etc., and between 
50 and 00 bearing apple trees. I knew 
nothing of the business side of farming 
so must necessarily go very carefully for 
I knew I could easily “sink” all I had. 
It seemed best to devote the first Summer 
exclusively to studying the business—I 
won’t say learning it, for a lifetime could 
easily be devoted to that Practically 
everything thus far has been experimental, 
the aim being to get my bearings, as it 
were, and decide on my work for next 
year, when my baby will be less trouble 
and I can get more time to look after de¬ 
tails. As she will not be two years old 
for nearly three months she is pretty 
small to “farm” with very successfully. 
With the object in mind of finding the 
thing with which I sir uld be most suc- 
cesful I planted a mixed garden and 
berry patch, consisting of nearly all com¬ 
mon vegetables and berries. I bought less 
than 500 berry plants, including straw¬ 
berries, blackberries, red and black rasp¬ 
berries, and gooseberries. I also took 
care to have as many varieties of each 
kind as possible for the money invested. 
My Columbian black raspberries all died, 
but nearly all the other plants are doing 
finely, and I expect a fair crop from them 
next year. Raspberries bring from 15 to 
17 cents per quart here, and all berries 
are usually high all Summer, so we shall 
put out a good many more next Spring. 
My immediate profits came as great dis¬ 
coveries are said to do—by accident. I 
put in two packages of tomato seed with 
the idea that if I had a money crop that 
would be the one, but it has been such 
a poor year for tomatoes that I find my¬ 
self with a wilderness of vines and worlds 
of tomatoes, but very few salable ones, 
though I did sell a few plants, and may 
sell a few tomatoes later. Peas, however, 
which were planted in where other seed 
failed to come, and put out entirely as 
an afterthought, sold readily for $1.50 
per bushel. Right there a valuable les¬ 
son was learned. The same time and 
labor spent on peas instead of tomatoes 
would bring a hundred times greater 
profit. Next year there will be about 
four plantings of peas, about two quarts 
of seed to each planting, which will give 
a good succession, and the amount will 
be about what I can pick and market 
without help. 
Cucumbers were planted in a waste 
corner to prevent the weeds from taking 
possession and these sold for slicers at 
20 cents per dozen. I took my baby 
girl, went to the nearest city and called 
on a prominent grocer, where I found a 
ready market for horseradish of which 
I have plenty. It brings 00 cents per 
dozen wholesale or 10 cents per bottle 
retail. After consulting my neighbor, 
who is a fruit man, I bought 24 new 
fruit trees—apple, pear, and cherry— 
direct from a reliable nursery, paying less 
than $3. Every one grew and is doing 
nicely. We have more vegetables of all 
kinds than we shall use, but gardening 
requires a wheel hoe, and next year one 
will be added to the equipment of the 
farm. 
Knowing nothing about raising poultry 
I knew I might easily fail, and the fail¬ 
ure mustn't be a big one, so I bought 30 
day-old chicks and 40 yearling hens. It 
isn’t scientific, I know, to buy old hens, 
but pullets aren’t for sale in Spring or 
Summer, and would cost $1.50 each if 
they were, whereas I bought hens at 16 
cents per pound, making an average of 
less than 50 cents each. Even now while 
they are molting I get a crate of eggs 
in 11 or 12 days, which bring 28 cents 
per dozen. From my chicks I raised all 
but three and have about IS nice pullets 
which ought to lay in November, but as 
a hen has no sense of duty they probably 
won’t. However I have cleared much 
more on my investment than the bank 
would have given me, have a comfortable 
home for myself and my baby ,and have 
learned lots of things to apply next year. 
We are four miles from a big Summer re¬ 
sort and 14 miles from a city of 30,000 
inhabitants, so our markets are good, but 
no one could have known less of business 
than I did. I’m simply feeling my way 
and learning as I go along. 
MRS. E. M. ANDERSON. 
A Business in Pickles. 
HE Department of Agriculture tells 
of a woman at Richmond, Virginia, 
who has made a national reputation put¬ 
ting up and selling pickles. She began 
in a small way with so fine a product 
that her goods advertised themselves, and 
the sales spread all over the country. 
There is opportunity here for many a 
farmer’s wife and daughter to develop a 
good business. Many people are exceed¬ 
ingly fond of pickles and sauces, and they 
will buy them in large quantities where 
they probably would not purchase the 
ordinary canned goods. The price of the 
pickles also is higher than that of canned 
fruit and vegetables, so that a better price 
may be charged for them. The farm 
woman should first practice until she 
knows how to put up products entirely 
satisfactory for home use. Having done 
this, she may look about for her mar¬ 
ket. A woman who goes into this busi¬ 
ness must be thoroughly careful, and also 
be possessed of infinite patience and de¬ 
termination. for it may be a long time be¬ 
fore she can hope to establish herself in 
a permanent business. There is a good 
opportunity in this, however, for some per¬ 
sistent woman who can make a good pro¬ 
duct and has the determination to stay 
by the business until it has been de¬ 
veloped. The Department gives some 
good advice about putting these goods 
upon the market. The time has come 
when the farmer’s wife can make good 
use of printers ink and parcel post in 
developing a business. Such a business 
would be a benefit to the farm in a num¬ 
ber of ways. It will give the farm wom¬ 
an a more independent position, with an 
income of her own. and what is even 
better—give her something new to think 
about. The interest she will take in the 
development of her business, and the cor¬ 
respondence with distant people, will help 
her greatly and broaden out her life as 
well as adding money to her purse. 
Always Make a Written Contract. 
WO years ago my relative and I de¬ 
cided to go into the poultry business, 
so we bought the eggs, each paying half. 
We have built two houses and other 
things to carry on the business, and in 
all I have paid for half. In this way I 
have kept my share of the profits, which 
I claim as mine, also I claim half the 
stock. I have done all the chicken work, 
besides working on the place. I have 
drawn monthly wages. Now my relative 
claims that all I am entitled to is my 
wages. Do I own half the stock and 
am I entitled to half the profit? I am 
willing to allow a fair interest on the 
investment for my share for rent, as he 
runs the place. If I am right in my 
claim have I a right to sell half of the 
stock? There was no written agree¬ 
ment. I never thought that he would 
not do as we agreed to without having it 
in writing. He does ail the business, 
handles all the money for the place. 
HEN MAN. 
R. N.-Y.—Our only reason for airing 
this sad family trouble is to impress upon 
our people the need of making a definite 
written contract whenever they start to 
do business. Do not trust to verbal 
agreements or what you think the other 
party will do. Have it put in writing, 
using a regular legal form and then you 
will know just what to expect. In the 
above mentioned case the relatives ought 
to get together and divide fairly if they 
cannot agree. As it is with the misunder¬ 
standing a legal battle may be necessary. 
What Direct Trade Does. 
EING engaged as a market gardener 
who sells vegetables, fruit, buttex 1 , 
buttermilk and eggs directly to customers 
on regular route from a wagon. I give 
ON A VEGETABLE FARM. 
below a memorandum of a load marketed 
on my one-horse wagon on July 10, this 
year: 
25 heads cabbage at 5c . $1.40 
34 cucumbers (slicers) at 5c. 1.70 
23 bunches onions at 5c. 1.15 
16 bunches beets at 5c.80 
13 bunches radishes at 5c.65 
15 quarts beans at 10c . 1.50 
10 quarts peas at 10c . 1.00 
18 pounds tomatoes at 10c . 1.S0 
15 pounds lettuce at 5c.75 
3 bushels apples at 30c per peck. 3.60 
18 pounds butter at 30c.' 5.40 
30 quarts buttermilk at 10c. 3.00 
26 dozen eggs at 24c . . . .. 6.24 
$2S.99 
This was one of the best loads of the 
season. Loads are taken every day ex¬ 
cept on Sunday during the Summer, and 
two days out of the week during Winter. 
We never use more than one horse un¬ 
less the roads are bad, when we put a 
tongue in the wagon for two light horses. 
The best days for marketing are Friday 
and Saturday, and the best month in the 
year is July. In September and October 
the market is often glutted and prices are 
low. In March and April we often carry 
some valuable loads from the greenhouse. 
The only article in the above load that 
was forced was the tomatoes, as the out¬ 
door crop had not yet matured. Of 
course, the above memorandum is nothing 
remarkable, as it could no doubt be dupli¬ 
cated by many gardeners. d. l. 
Indiana. 
The 35-cent Dollar. 
S the following statement concerns the 
labor of a farmer's wife as well as 
the labor of hired man and farmer we 
give it here as sent to us : 
56 baskets plums, Damson.SS.60 
Express .$4.71 
Commission . 86 
- 5.57 
Net proceeds.$3.03 
56 baskets at $25 per M_$1.40 
Picking, one man one day 
and board.. 2.00 
- 3.40 
Net loss .$0.37 
My wife packed the plums and deliv¬ 
ered at express office four miles. Where 
does she get her pay? I have done the 
pruning, spraying, once for scale and once 
for curculio, and have to pay the inter¬ 
est at 5% on $100 per acre land. The 
commission man got his which was per¬ 
haps none too much. The express com¬ 
pany got theirs, which waas five times too 
much. The consumer will get his when 
he buys the plums and sugar and then 
kick because the farmer is getting rich. 
He will also kick because the farmer can¬ 
not sell wheat at 80 cents per bushel. 
Query: Where does the farmer get his? 
F. A. SEELEY. 
Woman’s Work in Business. 
and B, two young men, are about to 
buy a farm and form a partnership 
in the raising of chickens and other farm 
products. A is married and has four 
children. B is single. A thinks B ought 
to hire a girl to help with the housework, 
and that B should pay the girl. B thinks, 
being the house is run out of the pro¬ 
ceeds of the sales before the profit is 
divided, that the girl should be paid the 
same way. Will somebody please give 
us some light on this as to the kind of 
contract that should be made? 
Pennsylvania. f. g. b. 
E. N.-Y.—As this has to do with wom¬ 
an s work we will ask some of our women 
readers to give an opinion. A must re¬ 
member that if his wife and four childi’en 
receive their board and lodging out of the 
partnership arrangement B is helping to 
pay for. it. There are six in A’s family to 
be fed against one in B’s. On the other 
hand, what allowance is made for the 
work which A’s wife performs? Here 
is a good question for women to discuss. 
It is probable that A’s wife is wise in 
bringing up this point in the partnership. 
Board Near College Town. 
E live in a college town, and thought 
that through The R. N.-Y. I might 
learn of a girl who would appreciate a 
pleasant home in the country. We are 
only a half mile from the village and 
the trolley passes the door. We have 
good schools here. I should prefer a girl 
within the ages of nine to 14. I would 
offer a good home for $4 per week. This 
includes board and room, also some laun¬ 
dry. She would be required to pick up 
her room and help some with the work 
when out of school (meaning Saturday 
and Sunday). Knowing that there are 
men who are left with children, who 
would be glad to pay to have a woman 
look after their daughter, I thought that 
The R. N.-Y. might reach such. 
Massachusetts. mrs. a. f. t. 
R. N.-Y.—We print this, following our 
plan of giving in this way the first state¬ 
ment of a suggestion for a new business 
for farmer’s wives. This is something of 
a new idea. We have had several calls 
from women who live in college towns 
and would take young women students to 
help at housework. There are dozens of 
ways in which women may help them¬ 
selves to business or companionship, and 
we desire to tell our readers about them. 
M e print the first new suggestion—others 
should go in “Subscribers’ Exchange.” 
An Auto Truck Gardener. 
HE picture above is that of a new 
auto truck recently purchased by 
one of the most successful truckers in 
Central Pennsylvania, to haul his crops 
to market. The man by the side of the 
truck is Charles M. Smith. Nine years 
ago this man gave up a job in railroad 
shops to take up trucking on 10 acres of 
ground, and to say that he has been suc¬ 
cessful is putting it mildly. He is the 
man whose strawberry crop yields $500 
an acre. Last year he raised a canta¬ 
loupe crop that brought over $S0O. Peo¬ 
ple who know Mr. Smith and the number 
of acres of ground that be farms, wonder 
how he ever gets such immense crops off 
such a few acres of land. This man is a 
hustler: he studies everything new in 
horticulture and agriculture, and he is an 
authority on these topics. His goods are 
always in demand, and he is unable at 
present to supply all the trade that wants 
his produce. lie has taken a course at 
State College; he has burned the mid¬ 
night oil many a night studying; he is a 
good citizen interested in every good 
move for the interest of his community. 
Ilis little farm is a model, and every inch 
of it is being made to yield fine vegetables 
or fruit. He raises big crops; he is 
raising a big family, and he is laying 
money away for a rainy day. 
Mifflin County, Pa. E. e. clapsby. 
