The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1515 
- 
“A Successful Farmer’s Wife" 
The letter on page 1422, which was re¬ 
printed from the Atlantic Monthly, por¬ 
trays the dark side of farm life altogether. 
I think this writer would be unhappy— 
at least part of the time—in any sur¬ 
roundings. I lived for five years in an 
isolated community in a Western State 
just as she does, but I never was so lonely, 
for books and magazines were my con¬ 
stant companions in my idle moments, 
and I didn’t have so very many idle 
moments. I think I am a successful 
farmer’s wife, but T read. I make time 
in the long Winter evenings, in the hot 
afternoon hours of Summer, and the cool 
twilights: I find a few moments in which 
to read every day. I am not interested 
in politics to the extent of being a “new 
woman." but I keep up-to-date on these 
matters, but do not feel that I personally 
shall ever want to vote, though I am a 
believer in woman suffrage just the same. 
I have the “unlimited capacity" for 
work this woman speaks of. but I don't 
exercise it to the extent of working IS 
hours out of 24. yet I do a wonderful 
amount of work. I love my work and 
don’t mind work in the least. 
I have milk to drink, and the very best 
of golden butter is on our table three 
times a day the year ’round, and T enjoy 
milking and churning and attending to 
my pretty cows—we have three. As for 
economizing. I certainly do that. I was 
raised to. and I am very proud of my 
ability to make things last, and to make 
one dollar do the work of two. Town 
folks are having to economize now as well 
as the farm woman, but they are not so 
adept at it. I don’t long for non-essen¬ 
tials. such as diamonds and costly silks, 
to be worn once and cast aside; I only 
want clothes suited to my environments, 
plenty of neat gingham house dresses and 
aprons, with a serge coat suit and dainty 
white waists. My hair is cared for, and 
I use cold cream when I think it is neces¬ 
sary. but my hands do not look like a 
society belle's, and T am not a bit ashamed 
of them, either. They are proof positive 
that I have done my share of the world’s 
work, that I am no slacker. 
I take a day off now and then, and am 
always glad to get back to the farm ; I 
go to church and Sunday school. I attend 
the weekly prayer meetings, often con¬ 
ducting the services; if our church has a. 
picnic or any kind of an entertainment 
I am on the committee for gettiug up the 
programme, and I find time for it all. 
I go to town when I am obliged to 
only, and I feel half choked all the time 
T am there. The dust, the noise and con¬ 
fusion do not suit me. I love the quiet, 
peace and beauty, the wide open spaces 
of the country, the trees, the mountains, 
the sun, the moon and the stars—these 
are the worth-while things to me. 
I go to the movies often when in town, 
but would prefer being under one of the 
silver maples in our yard with a good 
book or paper. I can do most of the 
things husband can till it comes to driv¬ 
ing a team ; I can’t do that, but I often 
help unload hay in a pinch, and do quite 
a bit of hoe work. 
I do all the baking, and—if I do say 
it—it is done right. I do the butter- 
making. the washing, ironing and mend¬ 
ing for a family of 10. also all the cook¬ 
ing. and I can cook anything raised on 
the farm, from a beef roast to a glass of 
jelly, from a kettle of apple butter to a 
chocolate cake. 
I bathe the children till they are large 
enough to do this for themselves, the gar¬ 
dening, the care of the chicks, including 
the hatching, is my job, but the few times 
I have tried hair-cutting has brought such 
a yell of protest from the victim when he 
viewed the result in the mirror that I 
finally came to the conclusion I wasn’t 
intended for a barber anyway, so I leave 
that to others. I help gather and store 
the Winter vegetables, thankful that I 
have them to store, and I fairly revel in 
the store of canned fruits, butters, jams 
and preserves, all prepared by my own 
hands, and T do my own soap-making. I 
make pretty dresse^ for my two little 
girls, overalls for husband and the boys; 
sometimes I quilt. I scrub. I make sau¬ 
sage that is simply delicious. I render 
lard, and I can write articles acceptable 
to farm papers and others. I can prepare 
a paper to read before the literary society, 
and read it. too; I can win in a spelling 
contest nine times out of 10. and I am 
not boasting about these things; all my 
neighbors'can do the same things, for we 
farm women just have to be “all-’rouud 
women." I do all these things because 
(lod has given them to me to do. and I 
love my farm and my family. I see the 
sights I love every day: the hills and 
vales, the cattle in the pastures, the 
flowers, the trees and all the beauties of 
the farm. T hear the sounds I love: the 
birds’ songs, the laughter of happy chil¬ 
dren. All these things are far ahead of 
the operas. I think. So I think I may 
say I am a successful farm woman., and 
also I am happy in my work, and I 
couldn’t be induced to exchange places 
with any town woman. It’s all in the 
way we look at it: we can be happy any¬ 
where. or miserable anywhere. For my 
part. I am going to let the old world wag 
as she will, and be gay and happy still. 
Tennessee. • - MBS. H. - 
The Cietrac it a master at belt work. 
No “Off Season” 
' 1 ’HERE is no “off season” for the 
*■ Cietrac. It is a year ’round in¬ 
vestment paying you a steady interest. 
When not necessary in the fields 
use it to do the other work that you 
formerly did with horses or the sta¬ 
tionary engine. The Cietrac is a 
master at belt work and knows no 
equal at dragging dead weight. 
It is ideal for orchard work and be¬ 
cause of its small size, its short turning 
radius and its power, has become the 
standard tractor among orchardists. 
The Cietrac runs on metal tracks like 
a locomotive. No extra power is re¬ 
quired to push it through the soil. It 
for the Cietrac 
runs on its tracks on top of the ground 
and consequently most of the power 
goes into drawbar pull where it belongs. 
The Cietrac operates on a very 
small amount of kerosene, gasoline or 
distillate. It does more work more 
days in the year and does it better , 
cheaper and faster . 
Order your Cietrac now for prompt 
delivery. With it you are assured of 
a service fully in keeping with the 
machine. Send today for booklet, 
“Selecting Your Tractor.” 
"^Cleveland Tractor Co. 
19009 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, O. 
The largest producers of Tank- Type Tractors 
in the world. 
hich is the best way to buy a 
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horse, blanket on or blanket off? 
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When you buy a horse you strip off his blanket and go over him point by point to 
see whether he is built to do the work you require. 
When you buy a furnace it is even more important that you find out what is under 
the blanket, for before you can tell whether a furnace will heat your house properly 
and economically, you have to find out how it is built. 
N P* Sterling Furnace 
j “ The One Register Furnace " 
Has uncLr its blanket a high grade furnace—fire pot, dome, flues, etc., every part scientifically de¬ 
signed to economize fuel. Any furnace or stove expert will tell you that the Sterling name has 
stood for the best in workmanship for over 60 years. 
In addition the NP is designed especially to convert every bit of coal or wood into heat, deliver 
this heat through one register and distribute it evenly over the entire house. 
The drawing in the lower corner shows a cross section of the NP, and explains just why the NP 
really does its work. Successful heating by one register depends upon the rapidity with which 
the air circulates. 
A—Sterling construction insuring perfect combustion and saving of fuel. 
B—Extra large heating dome which heats air passing around it more 
quickly and to higher temperature with less fire. 
C—Outside air passages keep the air cool way to the bottom of 
the furnace and so make the air flow very swiftly into and thru 
the heating chambers D, and then pours it out with great force 
thru the register. 
These outside air passages are vital Sterling features. Here are 
some others: a cool cellar, feed door large enough for chunks 
of wood, heavy grey iron castings (no scrap used > special fire 
pot where natural gas and solid fuel are used, special three 
point, dust and gas proof joints, extra large air moistener. 
These and many other points you should know about fur¬ 
naces are explained in our free book “Heating the Whole 
House with One Register." If you are interested in heat¬ 
ing your house in the best and most economical way. send 
for this booklet describing this furnace which is made by 
the same firm who make 
THE STERLING RANGE 
The range that bakes a barrel of flour with one hod of coal 
Sill Stove Works --»- Rochester, N. Y. 
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