THE SUXDAY OREGONIAN, rOKTLAXD, AUGUST 13, 1916.
Miii mcembs mm mim.
Dncle5amHacTrBune3u Vlell HoucKccpera How To fIake a ' : J
chwmlnj wheel trays, the fashion of ami bar tha whole thina- standing In .
which came from Ens-land with the a large pan (a 2S-cent or SO-cent bls
lmportatlon of the function of after- cult pan). The pan and case are all
noon tea. painted white, allowed to dry and then
One of the most actlTe field agents enameled. A covering; of white canton
in the promulgation of the Ideas of the flannel should be made to fit it. Have
Department of Agriculture and In the the smooth aide out and button the
making: of labor-saving devices, notably coverings on the frame with buggy or
the Iceless refrigerator, is Miss Rhea C. automobile curtain hooks and eyes, or
Scott, whose territory is In yirginla. buttons and buttonholes, arranged so
At the request of the department. Miss tht the door may be opened without
Scott has compiled a book which em- unfastening these hooks,
bodies the concrete result of a year's Thl dress or covering will have to
government club work In homemade be hooked around the top edge also,
labor-saving devices for the use of the Two double strips one-half the width
housekeeper. This explains In full the of ""h ! to form wicks should be
construction of the articles as made aewed on the top of each aide and al
by the women under the direction of lowed to extend over about two and
the Department of Agriculture. one-half or three Inchea In the pan
e of water. Tbe bottom of the covering
"One of the pleasantest reaturea of should extend to lower edge of case,
this work is that women of every age Place the refrigerator in a shady
are eligible." said Miss Scott. We place where tbe air will circulate
have 'members In the clubs who are around It freely. Keeps the wicks In
brides of 20. and we have grand- the supply of fresh water In the upper
mothers who are 75: and Into the Uvea Pln- This water Is carried down the
of some of tbe older women It has sides of this cloth by capillary attrac-
brought an Interest undreamed of be
fore, and all in the line of the day's
tion and when evaporation takes place.
the heat is taken from the Inside.
work. Then. too. some of the most thereby towering the temperature. On
valuable suggestions come from these dry. hot days a temperature of 60 de
mature women, who hare passed a life- frees can be obtained la this refrlg
tlme coping with the difficult prob- erator.
lems of the farmer's wife. and. while Asked u to the efficacy of this re
we help them with our scientifically frlgerator. Miss Scott declared it to be
worked out aids, they help us through entirely satisfactory, and quoted from
the practical experience the years have the experience of an Oklahoma woman
brought them. who keeps the milk from three cows
"Tbe work has also had a whole- perfectly aweet in an atmosphere ten
some effect in breaking down social degree cooler than the outside air and
barriers, the wealthy woman being Just tto that since aha baa had it her
as anxious to learn what Is best for her n11 cream and butter have been
home aa is aha who has lived all her much Improved.
life in the cramping atmosphere of
pinching poverty. The conscientious
housewife of every class wants to lm-
The roller tray and serving tray Is a
thing- of beauty as well aa of utility.
and if made according to the direction
prove ner methods of work, and the of th. Department of Agriculture, can
wnoie iaea ui. u'l".""'"' ' K" be constructed at a cost of a dollar.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 10. (Special.)
Never, perhaps, was truism bet
ter expressed than in the words
"Not half the world knows how the
other half lives." And it has never
been realized until within the past few
years that the 11.000.000 of women
and girls who pass their lives upon
American farms have not all they
should have to make conditions aa liv
able as they might be.
But there has been an awakening
upon the part of the United States
Department of Agriculture to this
state of affairs; and it Is righting it as
rapidly as possible. Farm women are
now having their chance to better
home conditions.
The department, realizing that any
change must come gradually and
naturally, began a few years aro with
the girls of the households. Through
the canning clubs 60.000 girls In rural
communities have been trained to ef
ficiency in a line of work which gives
them a means of self-support by teach
ing them the proper use ' of the re
sources at hand.
The men. who. bad, ihl work, la
charge or quite likely it may have
been their woman assistants knew
that the women could best be ap
proached and more lasting results ac
complished through work with and
for their daughters. The outcome has
been all that could be desired. Mothers
have taken an active Interest In their
daughters' progress, often lending a
helping hand; and now that the time
has coma for the women to take hold
they are found to be not only willing
but anxious to take up the special
work outlined for them. Thirty thou
sand woman are now undertaking defi
nite work and Improving their homes
and communities.
The Department ot Agriculture In.
augurated and now carries on It work
for women through its division of ex
tension work la bom economics. The
department Is enthusiastic over the
manner In which the mothers and
daughters co-operative movement has
taken bold upon the women whom it
has reached, and its benefits are al
ready enriching a large section.
Hrtofor th .south, lias Aeea fcacsv
ward In progressive movements, but
with its recent awakening to the value
of Its own resources and opportunities,
its people are taking up new interests
with all the ardor and vigor of a sys
tem which has lain fallow for time
enough to conserve its power against
the day of need.
So it happens that the women of the
South are taking the lead in co-operating
with the Department of Agricul
ture in Its home extension work among
farm women. The. work is developed
gradually and Is carried on by clubs
which are organised and directed by
trained agent of the department. The
experience, so far. has been that once
properly established upon a .correct,
well studied scientific basis the Inter
est and Impetus engendered among the
members keep the organisation going
by Its own momentum.
Begum with the industry most fa
miliar to the farm woman, egg and
poultry raising and selling associations
were xorined last year upon strictly
scientific and business base. These
worked an immediate and large in
crease in financial returns. There were
7U, woman, la U states who were)
materially benefited last year by this
one feature of home extension work.
.
Buttermaklng was next taken up.
with a correspondingly high average in
lpcrsased elficlency in preparing the
product for home consumption and for
sale, with a financial Increase corre
spondingly - Improved. Every agricul
turist knows that the highest qualify
of butter, which naturally affects the
financial return, cannot be made under
unfavorable conditions and without
proper equipment.
The field agent of the department
was prepared, for this emergency, and
Improved churns, butter workers and
molds were shown. As properly cooled
and kept cool milk Is the first requi
site for a maximum of quantity and
quality of butter, she was also pre
pared to set before the farmer's wife
remote from Ice and manufactured
cooling apparatus a home-made Iceless
refrigerator, which she demonstrated
would keep milk products in Summer
ai a temperature for the proper form
ing and ripening of cream to produce
high-grade butter.
The result was that last year more
than C00 iceless refrigerators were con
structed at home, which proved efficient
aids to home comfort, sanitation and
profit. The homemade fireless cooker
has proved a boon to thousands of
women In remote southern districts
who never before knew that tbe light
est meal might be prepared without
the aid of a heavy armful of wood and
the enervating task of standing over a
hot stove in Summer time. Now the
best small oil heater has been intro
duced for the preliminary heating of
ths food belor It completion by a
few hours' reposs in a fireless eooker.
So successful has been this intro
duction that ' 2121 effective fireless
cookers were constructed by the women
themselves at their - club meetings
under the direction of the department's
field agent. A simple homemade fly
trap suggested by the department at
tracted tbe attention of the women,
and they have made nearly 2000 de
stroyers of this Insidiously working lit
tle house pest, which has for centuries
been one of the banes of Summer life
in the more remote rural communities.
A simple device or wood and cloth,
makes Jelly straining an easy and a
sure operation. A strictly utilitarian
article with a grandiose title is a
scrubbing chariot, while a dustless
mop saves times and strength, and a
folding Ironing board, which Is sus
pended from the wall. Is always con
veniently at hand when wanted and out
of the way when not in use.
A shower bath which may be con
structed at home tot less than SO cents
has brought coolness and comfort to
many bathless households, and quite
frequently leads up to the Installation
of the $ 1 0-home-manufactured water
works recommended by the Depart
ment of Agriculture.
One step in progress leads to another,
and the home extension club women
have advanced steadily through the
strictly utilitarian to the beautiful
combined with the useful; and the de
partment, appreciating the use of
beauty, encourages the venture. It
was. therefore, ready with a simple
homemade design, when the country
club woman followed her city sister's
desire for possession of on of the
velop the mental capacity of the coun
ty woman.'
This convenience) comprises a china
closet, serving table and roller tray all
Asked about th actual construction , ona bullt fop on donaT. . box
of the devices. Miss Scott brought forth
iv inche deep for th top is used
some photographs which illustrated the ,.h -,. oosta for L Dlmen-
work in which she 1 engaged for the ,loM. Too of ,1H ,nche long
Department of Agriculture. All were by u lnch wlde ,nche, Uth
homemade, and the cost of each has a ,.,-rlng compartment S inche
been estimated and is recorded in tbe aeep.
bulletin which th department is pre- Below this compartment a linen and
paring and sending out. silver drawer 2 inche deep wa
Tbe fireless cooker is composed of , placed, with UtUe knob to open th
wooden or tin lard pall, which Is used drawer on either side. Tbe top of the
a th outside container of the cooker, tabl Is put, on hinge and straps or
small chain fastened to It to keeo th
paper before packing. Cut newspaper toD from ffcmng back too far when
and excelsior are used in tbe packing opened. The bottom ot the serving
between this and the nest, which is a compartment is five inches below this
gallon oyster can. This nest is wrapped top.
on th outside with asbestos, and a Around th side of this compartment
piece of asbestos is placed under th little screw books on which tbe
bottom to prevent the scorching of the cups may be hung. In" this compart
packlng when the hot soapstones are mont Is space for serving dishes for
used. Any kind of a vessel with a top six. Below tla serving compartment
that will fit snugly into the nest Is is a drawer, which is divided in the
used, and the cost of this altogether etr by a one-half Inch strip. One
r . ,, . side Is used for the linen and one side
adequate utensil as made by many for iver. Th side used for the
clubs is estimated at 2 5 cents. silver is lined with blue outing; flannel
Tbe companion convenience to th
because this serves the same purpose
and Lb cheaper than felt.
fireless cooker for th hot Summer day
is the Iceless refrigerator, which has A spool cut into halve makes the
been made by several club at a cost knobs for the drawer and a pair of
of about a dollar. As made by th Al- these knobs are placed on each side so
, . ,. r-i..i k. that the drawer can be used from either
leghany County Club th directions are UJ Tn. are square pieces of
aa follows: wood one and one-half Inches square
Have a screened cas made three and with rollers. Sometimes old rubber
a half feet high, with other dimension tired wheels from toy wagons or dis
12 by 15 Inches. Place two one-Inch carded baby coaches are used. This Is
wooden .trip acros. th top over the.". Improvement heca the tray rolls
screen, low enough to allow a squan no, ' w- ,M . . ,
pan to fit in between the four corner.. In "ome . ifSiVSTh--- i
. . . . re used in place of having these made.
Have two movable shelve. 12 to IS At each KnA two bracket are placed
inches apart in It. Use a pan 12 Inches. -s0 tsat the table can be pushed or
square (a 15-cent biscuit pan will an- placed into the serving compartment
war) on th top to hold th water with on handling onlx
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