Up the Hill to Our House 
A PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF THE MAKING OF A HOME IN 
THE COUNTRY 
A FTER we were established in our new home I heard on all 
sides discussions of the farming problems, and I soon 
caught the contagion. My eagerness to solve several of these 
problems would not be satisfied until my theories were proved 
correct. There are two methods of conducting the farm to secure 
the greatest returns, in meeting as far as possible the family needs 
at a minimum cost. If there is but one man employed to do all 
the work of the place, for instance, the quantity of live stock and 
size of vegetable garden must be necessarily restricted. Man¬ 
aging in this way, it is improbable that all the demands could be 
supplied in the line of milk, eggs and vegetables. One would only 
find it necessary, however, to buy a small quantity with which to 
fill in. Supposing, on the other hand, one wishes to have all the 
table needs provided for on the place; then the live stock and 
garden must be added to, thereby necessitating the employment of 
an extra man. Accordingly, the supply would exceed the de¬ 
mand, and, to avoid running behind with expenses, the overflow 
must be sold. In the first instance, one may be at least assured of 
not having unnecessary burden and expense, and therefore we 
adopted the former method. 
The first creature which ever stirred my heart in friend¬ 
ship was a new-born calf on my father’s farm. When a 
tiny girl I returned from a stay of two years in Germany, 
and on our wav home paid a visit to some friends. I had 
looked forward with blissful pleasure to the coming days 
of companionship with the children. When we arrived I 
looked at them and thev stared at me. I became conscious 
for the first time in my life of my clothes, which I suppose 
were particularly German. They spoke to me, but I could 
not understand. I shyly attempted a German phrase; no 
answer, but giggles. Then began the inquisition of my 
childhood, with trembling heart and burning eyes I stood 
the taunts and jeers of the children. For months a posi¬ 
tive horror seized me at the sight of a child ; but the dogs, 
my own thirteen cats, and best of all, Pansy, my calf, filled 
my soul with rapture. After a short acquaintance, how¬ 
ever, the treadmill of city streets and the primness of city 
houses called me, and from then my country life ended 
till my own farm claimed me. Until now, cows figured in 
my scheme of life only as an artistic addition to the land¬ 
scape. Nevertheless, we celebrated the establishing of our 
farm with the purchase of a cow. Her hair had that 
sandy, middle-aged look, and so bony and horny was this 
creature that she must have been some re¬ 
lation to the hat rack. As she walked 
down the hill to the stable, her feet twist¬ 
ing about oddly at each step, she had the 
grim, determined look of an old family 
servant whose sole wish in life is to run 
the affairs of her young mistress. The 
next morning, while paying obeisance to 
the new member of our family, our man 
gave me a list of the cow’s needs. “We’ll 
be afther wantin’ a milkin' stool for ’er." 
A milking stool for the cow ? ?” I repeated. 
“That’s funny; does a cow reallv sit on a 
stool while you milk her?’’ The grin 
which spread over the features of our man 
jogged my memory of those pastural paintings which show the 
correct position of the cow during this operation of her motherly 
duties. It may be of use to someone taking up this simple farm¬ 
ing life as hobby or business to learn of the statistics for seven 
months founded on actual experience. Based on an average con¬ 
sumption of five to six quarts of milk daily for this period, the 
total value approximated $90. We made 27 pounds of fresh 
butter, which, at 37 cents a pound, amounted to $10: 
Cost of cow. $56 
Grain feed. 25 
$81 
Value of milk, average 6 quarts daily for seven months, at 8 
cents per quart.$100 
Value of butter, 27 pounds, at 37 cents. 10 
Sale of cow. 47 
Total receipts .$ r 57 
Total expenses . 81 
Net profit. $76 
Our aim was to make the place pay for itself, and certainly our lone cow never lacked 
for hay 
(The first chapter of this history appeared in the March issue and told of the 
selection of a site and the building of the house. Last month the planning and 
planting of the grounds zvas described. This, the concluding chapter, is concerned 
zvith the furnishing and management of the house.) 
( 365 ) 
