1002 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 21, 19ir- 
The Confession of an Optimist 
“And She Lives on a Farm” 
I [mutual Enthusiasm. —The only 
excuse I ask of you is for my enthusiasm, 
hut it has been in my system since birth 
(more or less! and even a run-down farm 
hasn't quite exhausted the supply. Re¬ 
cently I read ah article in The TL X.-Y. 
that struck me as perfectly honest, sin¬ 
cere and absolutely true of one man's ex¬ 
perience in ".back to the land.” It has 
earmarks of our own experience, so I 
want to tell you how we are planning 
the game as real baek-to-the-landers. Two 
things also I have read in The It. X.-Y. 
that have made a great impression upon 
me. I wish every city couple with the 
"farm fever” might read them. One is 
that there are just as many failures as 
successes, because odds are too great, the 
work too hard physically, and so many 
discouragements they are forced to give 
up. The other thing is that it is essen¬ 
tial for the wife to have a happy dispo¬ 
sition. I believe that myself—should call 
it a first essential. To illustrate further, 
should say a disposition like a duck, so 
that every discouragement and hard knock 
would roll off like water on a duck’s back 
t— but in self-defence let me add I strongly 
advocate a "three-fourths happy disposi¬ 
tion" for the man who is going on a 
farm. 
S arting Without Debt. —We have 
been on our farm five years, and still have 
a little leeway under middle age. We 
came because my husband felt he could 
not stand another turn of the screw in 
the oftice of a large and well-known cor¬ 
poration. He received “honorable dis¬ 
charge”—his leaving was a great surprise. 
Surprise, perhaps, that one of their men 
had actually accumulated surplus enough 
to buy a small farm. It was hard work. 
I’ll admit, but all except a very, very 
small part was our saving. I would like 
to stop and try to describe the amount of 
nerve it takes to take that “saved” money 
from the bank to put in a new and untried 
venture. Those of you who have done it 
need no extra description. Now our big 
idea was- to start without a mortgage— 
because we did not know what debt was. 
Many people called us foolish to pay out¬ 
right every cent of purchase price, but 
“habit is a cable.” you know, and we 
preferred really to own our place. You 
may argue it would have been better to 
pay down less and. put more into im¬ 
provements. The real estate agent said. 
“Many young couples take a mortgage to 
keep them from getting lazy: if th y 
didn't have a mortgage they. wouldn’t 
work.” I remember remarking at the 
time: “We'll work to keep the mortgage 
off." Every man for himself. 
A Run-down Farm. —We paid $3,000 
cash for a run-down farm of 16,acres, re¬ 
serving just enough balance for the most 
meagre equipment and h very small mar¬ 
gin for the unexpected. The house is old- 
fashioned, small and attractive, with 
some improvements. The outbuildings 
are dilapidated. The house has been 
painted. The barn is too large for our 
needs and is in bad shape. We have built 
five poultry houses, one of them costing 
$S5. We launched out to “go into poul¬ 
try.” Neither of us had ever had any 
experience. Again we followed our own 
advice and started in a very small way. 
The first year we hatched all eggs under 
hens—about 100 perhaps. We did buy 
two settings of very excellent stock to 
get cockerels for the next year. That 
was the start of the business side. and. 
oh. how weak and pitiful it seems now. 
a-«d how big and uncertain it seemed 
then ! That Summer we took in very 
little. We sold a few products of the 
farm, but the biggest impression of that 
year was the number of checks we had to 
cash for current expenses. No one knows 
until he tries it how fast money can go 
out when there is none coming in. One 
good thing we did was to paint the house, 
set out young apple trees; small fruits 
and an asparagus - bed.- We had a real 
gentleman’s garden that year : every veg¬ 
etable known to -the most enticing seed 
catalogue, and we have never had as good 
since! We bought a horse and cow that 
year, and raised a pig. 
Hard Work. —The next Spring we 
raised more chicks and started a private 
route in a nearby (five miles) town. We 
had now begun fully to realize that we 
should have to hustle to keep ahead of 
< )Id Man Mortgage. We worked like 
Trojans and took everything we could to 
sell to our nearby town, and sold" direct to 
consumer. Imagine the education a city 
man would receive who had never “ped¬ 
dled” one thing before. Some day I hope 
to have time to write up “Housekeepers 
As We Have Known Them.” Believe us. 
it takes grit, determination and patience. 
I say “us,” for I was so interested that 
when the old black horse was ready to go 
T went, too; partly for a hitching post 
and partly to keep up my partner’s spir¬ 
its. We left home many a morning at 
5 a. m. to sell berries or sweet corn, and 
were not home until 2 p. m., so hot and 
such tiresome work. This second year 
we began to find ourselves; by that I 
mean we could see what was in demand, 
what was easiest for us to handle, and 
this was the year there were fewer 
checks to write. Not to a great extent, 
but we began to notice it. 
Poultry Raising.— We were con¬ 
vinced that we could "make a dollar” on 
poultry, so the third season we bought an 
incubator, raised more chicks and sold 
some! We had quite a respectable route 
of most respectable people. I will not go 
into details about the ups and downs, nor 
ins and outs. We are just an average 
couple, neither .stupid nor "clever." By 
the grace of God and our own common 
sense we have tried and worked desper¬ 
ately hard to make a run-down farm pay. 
What have we for assets? We are five 
years older. What have we to show for 
our long days of hard work? First of all. 
remember four of these years world war 
has been going on. and we have battled 
against war conditions. 
Results. —Here we are: We own our 
farm—every square inch of it. The mort- 
! ige so far hasn't been signed for us. 
We owe no one ; pay cash for everything 
we buy except grain, which we pay by 
the month. Consequently we are urged 
to open charge accounts, but we refuse 
with thanks. We have owned a Ford for 
three years—had to; either a Ford or a 
hired man. and we chose the Ford. Most 
time we want to hug it—it saves so much 
\ 5 
Farm Felling Partners in Illinois 
time and makes things easier for us, 
hut (iometimes "quite the other way.” 
We have a splendid young orchard of 
about 200 trees. We have one large and 
six smaller poultry houses, about 200 
liens, and this year 500 chicks besides, the 
latter headed by cockerels of the best 
strain money can buy. We have a Jer¬ 
sey cow and all our own milk, cream and 
butter, and we enjoy it. We have a straw¬ 
berry bed of 1.000 plants, an asparagus 
bed of one-fourth acre. We do about 
$1,S00 to $2,000 worth of business, and 
this year I think we shall pass that. 
May's sales pass the $200 mark, and 
we have had to refuse much business, so 
you may safely conclude we do other 
things than ride in that Ford for pleas¬ 
ure. We own three Liberty bonds and 
soon shall have paid for another—all of 
small denomination. We pay a premium 
on a life insurance policy that is equal to 
another $50 bond. In five years, if we 
are alive, that policy is going to make 
things hum. set up the old barn. etc. Al¬ 
ready it has been spent a hundred times 
—but if the partnership should be dis¬ 
solved by a higher wisdom than ours and 
the policy be paid, then this little farm 
would have a new owner as soon as pos¬ 
sible, for neither of us would remain here 
after the death of the other; every blessed 
thing is too sacred. 
Other Assets. —Now. beside these as¬ 
sets we have health and contentment. 
We have no real luxuries, as the world 
goes, but that depends on what a man 
calls luxuries. We have the very best 
of food, because we deem it the best pos¬ 
sible investment. I believe good food, at¬ 
tractively served, one of the biggest aids 
to success. If you are going to hoe corn 
all day. wouldn’t a good dinner on a 
clean, attractive table make a pleasant 
resting place at noon? If the wife with 
the “happy disposition” should bring you 
a cool glass of milk, out in the field, about 
3:30 or 4 p. m.. could you drink it? 
“Too much bother.” Not for me. I can 
see such interest paid for the effort I feel 
I cannot afford not to keep my husband 
well fed. The harder the work tin* more 
care I spend on proper nourishment, and 
I'm not a crank on food, either; but I 
know it pays. We have old clothes and 
only the new ones that necessity requires 
to keep us neat. We have hosts of friends. 
Our customers have many of them be¬ 
come warm friends. We have tried to be 
reliable. We may have succeeded, for if 
we wish to sell our products over the 
'phone oftentimes we are not even asked 
the price, which shows; I think, we may 
be trusted. 
The Power of Courtesy. —For in¬ 
stance. we might call up your house and 
say: "Mrs. Snow, do you care for peaches 
today?” “Why. yes: thank you; bring 
me four quarts.” Please don't overlook 
the thank you. That is the whole situ¬ 
ation in a nutshell. She appreciates the 
opportunity to get first-class stuff and 
feels grateful. It pay's to he courteous, 
on or off a farm. Mrs. Snow isn’t rich, 
not by any means, but she knows she is 
going to be treated right. Why. I've even 
known my husband, who knows more 
about music, art and literature than most 
people, to go to the ’phone and call a cus¬ 
tomer and say, “Pardon me. Mrs. Stalk, 
this is your egg man; how is little David 
today?” You see. he is big enough to 
stay where he belongs: to her he is “an 
egg man.” but he realizes how sick the 
boy is. and really cares and hopes lie is 
better, and is anxious to hear before his 
next weekly visit. Now. I believe that 
all helps: that genuine, honest-to-good- 
ness. mau-to-man treament. Anyhow, we 
feel fine on this little farm after five 
years. We hope we shall have no more 
of misfortune than we have had. We 
have met our Waterloos. real ones, even 
to doctors’ and surgeons’, bills. We have 
been through deep shadows, but 
“What we’ve met of stormy pain 
And of sorrows’ driving rain 
We can better meet again 
If it blow.” 
We have an ideal and we are willing 
to work for it. Every little chick, every 
tree, every pretty bush and perennial in 
our garden is a part of our life and fam¬ 
ily. Don’t you think if we keep our 
heads level, and keep on working, we'll 
be real farmers instead of "baek-to-the- 
landers” in time? R. L. s. 
Massachusetts. 
A Pair of Selling Partners 
The accompanying illustration intro¬ 
duces Lois and George Clark, children of 
a successful farmer whose acres are close 
to a very popular automobile highway. It 
stretches far. far out into the northwestern 
rural districts of Cook County, III. The 
roads have been paved with concrete and 
the farmers have contributed liberally to 
the cost. It is not to be wondered at, 
theu. that the farmer takes advantage of 
every opportunity to reimburse himself. 
He has taken to doing business by the 
wayside, and in this his boys and girls 
aid him materially. 
Lois and George are here seen selling 
farm products and converting their pleas¬ 
ure-seeking city cousins into paying cus¬ 
tomers. When they took their stand be¬ 
side the roadway the basket and the big 
bowl seen on the small table were filled 
with eggs. When the picture was taken 
they had only about a dozen 'left. They 
had sold 15 dozen at 50 cents a dozen. 
“Y\ o’ve got about 150 White Leghorns 
and Plymouth Rocks,” Lois said in an¬ 
swer to a question, “and we have no 
trouble in getting rid of our eggs. Some 
people think our prices are pretty stiff, 
but they go away with the eggs. George 
and I handle the business, but when it is 
not too chilly little Willis comes down 
and sticks around until our whole stock 
has been automobiled awav in paper 
sacks.” j. L . GRAFF. 
The Demonstrator's Strenuous Life 
The following “Story of a Day” is 
given by the Missouri Farm Xeics Serriee 
to show how one Home Demonstrator 
kept awake : 
She was called from the breakfast table 
twice, once to make a date for a meeting 
to hold a community sing, and the other 
time to give information about canning 
asparagus. As it was Saturday and 
office day. she was at her desk at S :30. 
reading mail and dictating to her stenog¬ 
rapher. By 9 o’clock the rush was on. 
and only four letters had been dictated. 
During the day she responded to IT tele¬ 
phone calls, lasting from three minutes to 
15. the last call coming at 10:30 at niglit. 
but her landlady did not call her to ans¬ 
wer it. 
She made five dates for future meetings, 
had four office calls from as many women, 
each remaining a half hour or longer: 
held seven conferences previously ar¬ 
ranged for. varying in length from five to 
15 minutes; talked to 125 members of the 
Farm Bureau about the scope of her 
work, and its benefit to the rural women : 
helped the chairman make plans for 
“Baby Week”; arranged for a community 
“sing” and promised to train a chorus 
to sing at a rural meeting on Memorial 
Day: took charge of a 13-year-old girl at 
the request of her mother and went with 
her to see the sheriff to ask his protectum 
for the child from an irate neighbor wom¬ 
an who had threatened her; interviewed 
candidate for the position of matron to a 
newly established home for working girls, 
and then made appointments for her t > 
meet other members of the committ 'e; in¬ 
structed a rural teacher as to tic' best 
method of installing a hot lunch in her 
school next Fall, and advised her about 
taking care of her girls’ sewing club this 
Summer. 
She used a whole half hour for lunch, 
except for a few minutes when she went 
to the bank. At 5:30 she was starting to 
return a book on “The Newer Nutrition,” 
feeling that there were some things she 
had left undone. There were. 
This Wonderful 
Double Service in 
Your Country Home 
Costs Little 
Nothing to get out of order or 
wear out. Supplies modern 
light for house and barns and 
fuel for cooking more efficient¬ 
ly than any other system. 
LIGHTING THE HOME 
Write us for names and ad¬ 
dresses of neighbors who have 
used it for years and prefer it 
to all others. 
COOKING ON A 
Carbide Lighting and 
Cooking Plant 
J. B. COLT COMPANY 
288 Fourth Avenue, New York 
THE SELF-OIUNG WINDMILL 
has become so popular in its first four years that 
thousands have been called for to replace, on their 
old towers, other makes of mills, and to replace, at 
small cost, the gearing of the earlier 
Aermotors. making them self-oil¬ 
ing. Its enclosed motor 
keeps in the oil and 
keeps out dust and 
rain. The Splash Oil¬ 
ing System constantly 
Roods every bearing with oil, pre¬ 
venting wear and enabling the 
mill to pump in the lightest breeze. , 
The oil supply is renewed once a year. 
Double Gears are used, each carrying half the load. 
We make Gasoline Engines, Pumps, Tanks, 
Water Supply Goods and Steel Frame Saws. 
Write AERMOTOR CO., 2500 Twelfth SL, Chicago 
WELL dr p%' s ng WELL 
Own a machine of your own. Cash or easy 
terms. Many styles and sizes for all purposes. 
Write for Circular i 
WILLIAMS BROS., 432 W. State St.. Ithaca, N. If. 
■ 
AGENT WANTED 
to canvass for the Rural 
New-Yorker in Fulton 
and Saratoga Counties. 
Experience not neces¬ 
sary, but must have 
ability. Permanent pos¬ 
ition for right party. 
Address :— 
Harrison Elwell 
Worcester, New York 
or 
The Rural New-Yorker 
333 W. 30th Street New York City 
[ 
When yon write advertisers mention 
The Rural New-Yorker and you’ll got 
a Quick reply and a “square deal. ” See 
guarantee editorial page. 
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