Ste RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
5 
Spring Thoughts of a Plain Farm Woman 
The Mild Winter. —It seems per¬ 
fectly natural and right to heave a sigh 
of relief now that March is almost gone, 
even if lie was the first Spring month 
and as such was entitled to a real wel¬ 
come from most of us. The truth is, we 
can’t appreciate Spring this season as 
much as usual, because we have enjoyed 
a series of Springs all Winter long. Last 
Winter, meaning the Winter of 1918, 
we fought the elements from November 
until April, but this Winter was imported 
from California or Florida, and all we 
had to do was to marvel and enjoy. So 
in a way, Spring is going to be taken as 
a matter of course on the average farm. 
\\ e have had bare fields and driftless 
roads and only moderate cold for four 
months past, and to hear robins and 
gather sap and pick daffodils seem the 
obvious things to do nowadays. I guess 
we had such a gentle season coming to 
us after what country people especially 
went through with last year, but rewards 
don t always work out in so satisfactory 
and welcome a way. This year we were 
getting poor ice on the first day of March, 
and were put to it to harvest a decent 
supply. The ground will undoubtedly 
protest later on because Mother Nature 
forgot to cover it up warmly as usual 
with a deep snow blanket—and crops 
"ill have one more excuse for slacking. 
So a pleasant Winter isn’t perfect after 
all. and it has its disadvantages, like 
everything else in this world. In plain 
English, our mild Winter was too good 
to be true, and the Northern States were 
unprepared to take care of themselves in 
so much balminess—but it probably won’t 
bother us again very soon. 
The Epidemic. —At our house, we had 
remained at home all Winter to avoid 
catching the ‘’flu.'’ as a dear relative had 
died of flu-pneumonia late in the Fall, 
and naturally we feared this disease above 
everything. So none of us had left our 
little village, and while other families 
came and went freely, we stayed at home 
and ran no risks. But there was evi¬ 
dently a flu bullet with our name on it, 
and in spite of precautions we all duly 
came down with the influenza in Feb¬ 
ruary. Hardly anyone else in our town 
has had this disease, and how we came 
to fall victims is an unsolved mystery. 
The children were mildly sick first— 
fever, aches and pains and chest colds. 
I surrendered next and for 10 days was 
very sick. The rest of the family were 
down by this time and we were a sad lot 
for several weeks. But we did not have 
pneumonia, and we are all alive, and it 
is April nearly now. So the heavy doc¬ 
tor bills are forgotten and very thank¬ 
fully we prepare to catch up with the 
interrupted work. The influenza at its 
worst is a terrible, terrible disease, and 
at its best capable of dealing its sufferers 
disarming blows. Here at this house we 
are many pounds thinner and very tired 
and wan; but we’ll pick up fast now 
April is on the way. 
Roadside Trade. —We intended plant¬ 
ing a quantity of Chalk’s Early Jewel 
tomatoes in shallow boxes by the middle 
of February, but the flu interfered, and 
it was a bit after March first before the 
seed was sown. I am going to raise 
early tomatoes for road trade this Sum¬ 
mer. as well as Early Michigan potatoes. 
We did very well last season with a sign 
out in front, and I sold all the potatoes 
I could dig at $1.25 to $2 a bushel. I 
also had lots of call for Golden Bantam 
sweet corn, nice table beets, beans and 
peas, and this year we are going to try 
raising a double quantity of gardeu stuff 
for transients. We live on a State road, 
and t’/' passing is constant. Last year 
the s..me people came back again and 
again for potatoes, and when that occurs 
your success is practically assured. If 
a woman can find the time to tend a 
garden and a patch of the earliest, best 
potatoes, there is no reason why she 
shouldn’t make a nice bit of pin money 
through the season. Of course it is 
easier and better to live on a traveled 
highway, hut if you do not. an advertise¬ 
ment in the home paper will bring cus¬ 
tomers. provided your goods and prices 
are right. Many farm-bound “Barbaras” 
could remain at home and earn a fairly 
good living in this way. I am sure. 
Hired Help. —The‘first of March our 
helper of last year returned to the farm 
fold after a Winter spent in a mill 
nearby at $100 a month. We had feared 
he would not come back, but wages are 
gradually reducing, and lie had the good 
sense to realize that the farm may be a 
pretty good place to be in touch with 
the longer we live. But mercy! We are 
paying him high wages for tills locality, 
and only a real worker could get them. 
George gets $55 a mouth, good house, 
milk, potatoes, garden, wood and a share 
in our very few apples after the winter- 
killing season of last year. It seems 
good to my husband to have help once 
more, as he milked and cared for a good- 
sized dairy entirely alone through the 
Wiuter, and it is too much for one man. 
The hired help question has never been 
so acute in our town as it is this Spring. 
, In war times there were far more men 
to work on farms, but several of our 
largest owners are totally without help 
at this writing. I can't explain why this 
state of affairs should exist now that 
peace is here, but it does exist, and 
everyone trying to do “big business” with 
the land is seriously worried. We are 
about ready to start plowing. Practically 
the same number and kind of crops as 
were put in last year will again do duty. 
" c shall have six acres of cabbage on 
Heat does not break up Havoline Oil 
You know motors get hot, hot enough to 
worry you sometimes. 
Those plunging pistons can’t score the cyl¬ 
inders. in your tractor when properly oiled. 
HAVGLiNE TRACTOR OIL 
Havoline Oil is sure protection and is carefully graded 
for tractors, trucks and passenger cars. Your dealer will 
tell you the grade your motors require. Ask him. 
Havoline greases are compounded of 
Havoline Oil and pure, sweet tallow . 
Clean to handle and correct in body . 
INDIAN REFINING COMPANY, Producers and Refiners of Petroleum, NEW YORK 
Incorporated 
