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, .
t BY - J
ew r vese- -w- war- y
rOr Ff from Walerburs! Conn, on
from Ncto York have set, out to earn
their living in an unconventional manner,' Z
V Weary of the" exhaustion and worry of
city labor, these, girls of education and refine
ment' have turned 'to the cultivation of the
soilr"lt is a care free, healthy and sane life",
one of them declares. : : . L V-
Miss MUdreeLB Fairfield and herjtster,
MSS Ada L Fairfield, have Succeeded SO well
. . i . j l ft
upon their Original plot Of tWO, and a half
acres,' and believe so fully in their ability to.
. . , ' i t .
make a living off the land, that they ,have
just purchased sixty 'three acres additional.
Formerly school teachers in New York,
Miss Florence E. Randolph and Miss Bertha
' Caiktonjiaveettled upon ashcty-acre farm
at Bakerville, and are doinglexceedingly well
in the manufacture of peanut buttet. They
manage their farm without male help? except',
ing a 12-year-old chore boy?:.: v- . ;
: Below Miss Mildred B. Fairfield tells of
the f arming expeftencesjoJiersdf and sister.
Byindrcd-BrittoiwFairficld.
HOSE iglrl dd knowabaat farmln' after all;
d"ye see that potato patchT ' -
That 1 the remark I overheard on day 4
last June aa I stood In the barn looklag
at .the potato patch. I felt highly gratified, a th
admiring farmer wa the neighbor who In April oame ,
In to e the seed potatoes I had ordered from New..
T6rTflenearnmgth AMca paid, - he had Informed--
mo,' "Tou're Juat " main foolish to pay so much Just ,
throwing your money away. , ' " ' "
"They ain't better than you oouid buy at Tuttle's.
Shucksl New potatoes for' the Fourth? Not here -maybe
In York Bute, but not here, i j
; ," "When t sent him some of the new crop for his dinner ; ;
on the ' Fourth the message cam back. "That . beats . .
And. apparently, tha potato patch boat other. On
Sunday a man drove up and stopped, remarking, "Say,"
do you know, I wa workln' yesterday' aver on Chip-
pen's Hill and X saw your potatoes from there, and I
had to come to see 'era closer. Prettiest pitch In the .
district;- " V' ' " " ' """" " " ""
Five year 'ago in April my sister and X decided we
could, and would no longer afford to store our house
hold goods la elty storehouse and also that aur sum-
mar vacations war too expensive, both a to money -and
tha minus quantity of anjoyment." '
Bo, after only a short period of deliberation, - we
bought an old red farmhouse and two and a halt acres "
of land on the top of a hill In Lltchfleld eounty, Conn
It I Just far enough from New York' to escape the ,
cum of suburbanlsiu. and yet wtthln an easy distance
as to time and expense, " -" ' la ' ' 1
There were on the place- three apple trees, two""
cherry and several pear tree, and the ground was (as
we thought at the time) incumbered with an enormous
barn. - . . : ' V .'.'''.
While th house Is nearly 100 year old and the
view front the window charming, th determining
factor in choice waa . In the possibilities th location
gave for successful market gardening.'
. .The railroad station Is two and a halt miles away,
but It la only a short distance from the village centre,
and "the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker"
call daily for orders. , j
The village, and. In 'fact,' th country for six miles,
has but on Industry; men, woman and children all
working In the "shop." the largest of Its, knd In tha
world. . : ' ' ' " '';..-, .
Two mile to the west Is another factory village,
whose supplies of vegetables and fruit coma from New
York.' Four mile to th east I Bristol, a town of
factories'; Waterbury-is twelve miles to the south, and
irtford only twenty miles , away, i ; , ' ,
; FACTORIES ATTRACT FARMERS
Fsctory workers are" paid once a week;' there Is no .
community whose people spend money so lavishly for
(oort, and tte supply of garden truck Is lnadeiute and
Cr In quality.. While many 'armors retain their
its, the factory effers more ready money, and the ,
(arms are not worked. '
We did not start with the Mea of maklns; a buslnesa
venture Immediately., though we expected eventually to-.
)tve In the country, and felt that there was a market
when w were ready to and could give up work In the
city. In the meantime, we could learn the condition of
locality and bave the fun of experimenting.
The first summer we he.d only a garden for our
own "so, but' aold hay and eomn fruit. In tho fall
we started a strawberry bed aa our first experiment.
Nest aummer neither, of ui could arrange to take'
"more than a month's vacation, so the only garden ' waa
what the caretnker had. . We attain eold hay and fruit.
The fruit trees had been neglected; accordingly, the first
' fall I pruned the trees severely snd found the quality
of the fruit greatly Improved the next year.
- Tho following spring we had a new strawberry bed
laid out, put out cut-runt and raspberry hushes. Hhort
vacations again interfered with nur undertaking to do
- much Work, but we aold, besides the bsy and fruit, sixty
qunrts of strawberries. .
Kaeh ff these three years we paid the tax and In
surance from the sale of fruit and hay, bealdee having
vegetables for our own table while here and what fruit
w wished to preserve for ua In the city in the Winter.
In the winter ther wn a caretaker In the house,
si that we could come up for over Sunday at any
"Tt wa decided that my sister' would spend the greater
.part rf the summer of l1 here, and accordingly we
hail new bed of atrawberrle set nut In April and had -ths
garden planted at the same time a fair-slscd gar
jun expecting to-eell early vegetables.
Then the trials began. The planting wa don by
Tim cnzccri su;;day
-'(r vi'f vw
fares
', neighboring fsrmer, but for the later cultivating w
were forced, to get help where we could. '
One man finally consented to assist, and blandly
, hood up all the .early bean, beets, . onion and carrot. .
When ; remonstrated with, . he remarked, "Well, you
women folk from lha city ought not to know about-
farmli). He-felt grimed because hired him , no
' more. '. .. . ,., . .- .
In June we found a man .who know how to work,
prefer to work out of door to working In the ahop and
' who la willing to take direction, no matter how criyr
they may aoem our (leighbor consider many. If not all, .
of our methoda craty. '
' '. Ha nrtw read the farming and gardening magaalne
, and paper a they come, and suggest experiment on
ocoaAlon,-This man wotka for ua aa we need him.
the hour, and doe all the odd Job, mow the Uwn.
muk repair on bout and barn, aaw wood, etc
WUn aaslatano of a Ut garden-we sold green
wr" October ao and lettuce grown outdoor e."
cember 1 we took in SCO that aummer, beside what wa
ued.. fur our own uving. ; - .
The 'strawberries war a fllur,aaheavy
storm broke th fruit front - tha- plants Just as
were In condition for nicking. ,
. X-ast year I . determined to give the experiment of
gardening a fair trial, to cams' up In March and started
a hot bed with cabbages and tomatoes. "The hay . field
was ploughed th fall before, and" that was planted with.
potatoes. .
''There were 960 cabbage plant and WO tomatoe. be
sides tha .corn, peas, beans, . cucumbers, onion, turnip,'
squash, carrots, beets, melons, parsnip and salad plants.
One,: Den
t -r T"'Lm T,CAS 1 ' ' 7 I ' 1 ' . ' .etaS
cg? g '''' Si" fcrgSt ":;v,:---
PUTS DRUNKARDS ON PROBATION; 98 PER
O KEFORJI OS per cent of tho drunkardt
Jipon vrhom he tries his uplifting remedy
Jk-ueh-is--the remsrkabl) record dairaecr
by Judge William J. Pollard, who pre -
idi in, the Dayton street police court of St
Loui, JIo. " ; ". -
.60 widespread is Judge Pollard's fame, or,
. rather, the fame of his success s a reformer,,;
that upon a recent visit to Great Britain lie found :
himself lionized. '. . . . .
; Lord Magistrates of London consulted him; '"
he hobnobbed Vith members of the Ilotise of CJom -mons,
and was entertained by peers of the realm;
. To all these he explained his plan of setting: tho
drinking' man on his feet with a helping hand in- .
stead of sending him to the workhouse in'dis
' grace. ,;': 1 ' . "-": ', , , ' it
' ',' . "... ....... - ' f f ' ;-- ;
JUDGE POIXARD'S PIaN Is simple.' To avoid any ,
suggestion: of absurdity. It may be said at, tha out- .'
set that sodden drunkards, some of them women.
' with whom drmk Is considered a disease., ara sent
to th workhouse without los of time. - .
. The . Magistrate conalder them Incurable. Their
word I worthless, A pledge I meaningle. Their Uvea
have been and will be thl Itinerary, with little change:
Workhouse, alx month; release, drunk again; sentenced .
lo another six monthe. and so, year after year. .
It la the man with the ramlly. the man sometlmeai -
firobsblv. with "Just a chance,'' who Intereats Judge Pol
ard. William Jonea, for Instance, becomes fiery on fiery
whisky. He breaka the dishes at home, and takes his
spite out on Mrs. Jonee by striking ber. Pollreman Clancy
teara his uniform taking him to the station house.
'. Jones' flahUng spirit has given way to headache and '
meeknesa when he comes before Judge Pollard the follow.
Ing morning. The usual question are asked. Jone I
impressed with the seriousneas of atrlking his wife.
He Is given a.cbanoe that saves the wife from further
. ahue and allows the rtireadwtni)ecio go free to make "
i th family living. - '.' ' - ,
"Jonea." says the Jodse. "you were druntik... . Ton kt
- your wife, fought the pollreman and should go to th
workhouse. It you will promise me uot to drink for one
year snd will elan a pledge to that effect, I will stay
execution of tbe ti'TO fine your tee warrants and give you
a chance to make a man of youraelf.
"If you come before me again, you will go. to the
workhouse to serve out that fine. If I bear of -your
drinking again, I'll hava you In court.
"Now go over there, sign that pledge, then go home
1
journal, ronTLAr;a Sunday noiuG. jArrjAiiv a ,?o7
kD i r " . . , i i 1 1 1, in ii nm , I
'I I " v f ar 1
. 1 ' ' . . - ; .
From this w had all that wa could use. Including -preserve
and picklea; sold t90 worth and accumulated '
much knowledge aa - to good-selling crop. - This In
cludes 140 quarts of strawberries and winter vegetables,
but doea , not Include . potatoes reserved for seed this
year. . -
' We have ploughed the old strawberry bed. deciding
i
J
. v . i r rr y
and fight for Instead of against that little woman who
carries your child In ber arms.
"Report to me at my house every Monday. Wednes
day and Friday night for two months."
In discussing his plan, the Justice said th other dayt
"The probationer will put on his best clothe and look
pretty eple and spaa when be comes to my house. I show
him into tha parlor, put him at ease and talk wits him.
mm
1
that the cost and energy required to cultivate and pick
wa too great to make it profitable to raise for market
ing,, and w have only kept enough for our own vse.
LJLajsra do not own horses, bavins no- pasturage, the
expense, of cultivating la greater than it- need be, but
our barn, which we first considered an Incumbrance, '
Jias hulped to out this expense somewhat, " '"- -
. Two of our neighbor have barns aa much too. small .
as ours is too large, and as w allow them. to tor ;
their extra wagon and hay here, they in turn loan us
a horse with plow'or -drag, a our needs demand.
Our expense for last ' year's- garden was for seed and .
labor, and came to about tflO. This left but a small
profit, but we feel that that is not the only one; w!
have the, good "will of our neighbors; w have had a
oomplete change of occupation and the accompanying -mental
rest during. our vacations; an abiding place) any
time we wish to coma,' and a feeling of Intense satis-,
fsctlon that w ara no longer bound by the walla of a
city flat
We believe so fully In our ability to make a living
off the land that we bave Just bought sixty-three acres
down the road from us. This give ua a wood lot and
wood to sell, and will allow us to keen cows and horses
and do away with tha necessity of hiring so much
labor.' , ' .. ' .
:, Now, wa expect to rovers our mode of living ' by
working on the farm In summer and taking vacations
In the city during January and February.
' AVe do not consider that w are strong enough to
do farm work, oven If we so desired, therefore our ex-
pensee are. heavier than la absolutely necessary, but
find wa accomplish mora In th and by hiring work
don and saving our energies for what , we can't pay
any ona to do. . ,
Papers are full of- accounts of tha money-making
qualities of chicken and bees, Personally, . know
nothing of them. Wa keep chicken for our own us
successfully and are satisfied to stop there. - Bees I ara
afrsld of. ; : - - . .
' At Fakervffl 'a somewhat different experiment la
being tried. The Misses Carleton and Randolph bad
Sy lust whatever good thought com In my mind.
' "I talk on the happlnea there ought to be In bringing
up a family. - I sometimes compare tiie satisfaction down
In your heart that a dollar for the baby shoes win
bring, when being what some men cail a good fellow
" brines nothing but remorse.
"Thl men visit me for the required time. Soon T -
a clearer skin, a finer eye, a better-dressed man. l'erhapa
-
created A demand for peanut butter.- and they wished
jLjJcoClhelr twn-flnwtlch to maKeJt, : ..
In June they started a search for a pUc, whlcn)
they said must be within on and a halt miles from,
railroad station, , and they would not buy more than tan
acre of land. After numberless drives through tb
country, they bought a farm of sixty acres. f!e mile
from tha station, at Torromrton. They purchased tha)
stock with , tha place, so they have , two horses and
three 'cows. They have started on a more ambit lava
scale, and expect next year to add bea-keeplng and sheet)
raising to their venture. ..
. If women ara weary with the worry and exhansttois
of city labor; it they anjoy digging In the earth and ara
content with less money and more" leisure,. with fewer
demand for clothes and carfare, but with a saner Ufa
than Joining in subway trains and' sky-scraper aleva-a
tors, let them try farming, i '.
rr--BBt,- If ;they- ara unwilling to fore-ro the exeltemect
of crowds, do not prefer earth roads to pavements and
asphalt, and cannot wait the season's) pleasure ao4
enjoy assisting nature with hard work, let them keep)
away from the country -for anything mora than a visit.
. i The crowds, stores and theatres are the only things
one misses books, dally papers and magaslnea com
' here aa easily as in tha city, and there Is much more)
tima for enjoying them.
Oddities in Railway Laws
a N EXAMINATION of tha railroad Uws of the)
f various State brings to light many features)
. that may be considered oddltlea , '
. In -Oklahoma railroads- running - withht
three mile of a county seat must build a )ln through,
-the" town and maintain a station there, ;
. Railroad in Montana must maintain a station at
every platted town site of 100 inhabitants, or mora '
. Should a railroad employ in California become in
toxicated whlleon duty ha may be convicted of a mis
demeanor, and if death comet to any one as a result
of the Intoxication, the employe may b convicted of
a-felony.
Tha Vermont trolley company whose' car fall to)
com to a full etop and display a algnal at a grade
-crossing Is subject to. a 0ns of tZi for each omission.
: It I believed that the law ha prevented a number of
grade-crossing accident. . i ,,
South Carolina the conductor of a trolley ear
who refuses to separate whit and colored passengers)
may be convicted of a misdemeanor. . ,
. California has made it a misdemeanor to transport
cattle, sheep or hogs In carload lots for more than
thirty-six hour without stopping 7or" ten hours' rest.
The same State makes train wrecking punishable bjj
death Jr life imprisonment, at tha option of tha Jury.
Railroad, telegraph and express stations In Mlnne
ota must bear th local nam of the community, an
less this would causa confusion by similarity to tha
namea of other stations aloes the line.. -
The Legislature of Florida at it lata session passed am
act Intended to make railroads mora prompt lit sottllns
claima. Roads falling to pay a claim for toss or damsges
" within ninety days must pay 25 per cent, on the Judg
nent obtained by tha claimant in excess of the amount
offered by tha railroad to settlement. ,
Kentucky Court of Appeal ha decided that the mere
fact that a great many people have been ra tha habit of
using a railroad trestle aa a footbridge without objection)
on the part of tha company doe not glvs th peopia
IJpeclsi right on tha bridge, or compel tha company ta
exercise any especial degree of care for their safety.
It has been decided by th Supreme Court of Georgia)
. that an engineer Is not Justified ht acting on tha presump
, tlon that a child of tender years on a railroad track win
. appreciate its danger and usa the Judgment of aa adult
In getting out of tha way of an approaching train.
California has a law making it a felony tor any person!
to circulate false reports regarding th value of tha stock;
of any corporation formed In tha State. Punishment mayj
be two years imprisonment. 13000 fine, or both.
CENT. REFORM
on his last visit he brings his wife and baby he'e juat aa
proud of the reformation as I am and 1 see. althougt
nothing Is said, a trim bonnet has replaced the shawl
that formerly covered the woman a head; her dreaa Is
better. In truth, he a a man bow. and bis wife Is proud
of hlra. 1
"Now, which Is the better, to send that man to tha
workhouse, while his wife begs, starves or does worse, or
to give him a chance? I know which is the better. It's
, no longer a question. It bas bwu pruvwu.
"What percentage of the men violate the pledge and
go wrong again? Two per cent, that I know eC Onlyt
two men out of a- hundred bave ever been brought back;
to court, -where I execute the stayed sentence. ,
"Others msy break the pleog I aunt know; but it
they -do. It is done so discreetly they do not com lnt
court and the police of my district do Dot hear of It.
"I first adopted the system three snd a half years airx
I can't well figure to what extent it has decreased in
toxication, because there is less drunkenness now from
another more far-reaching cause. When Governor Folk
' put tha Sunday lid on 8t, Louis a noticeable falling oft in
such cases in the police courts followed.
"My efforts In this line command respect. I some
times take long chances to eave a man and save him.
too. It takes an insight into human nature. But lootc
at the loss of prestige to the Pollard pledge If I gave It
to a drunkard who would go out and again become drunk,
houtlng how he had fooled the Judget
"No, men of that class seed a rhyalclan, aot a Juris
or a pledge. They ara hopeless. The workhouse I thuir
heritage. I am sorry for them. But when there Is a
chance of savins; a man. I cannnt give hlra a kicn down
hill by sending him to ths workhouse.
' "One man. In whose case I made an error ef Judg
ment, was Intoxicated two hours after be hsd signed tne
pledge. His wife Informed me. Next day he mr.
Sriaod to be called into- court. He denied he bad be. -i
rlnklng. I anew differently, fie was sentenced to s
months. -
. "When he earn out be thanked m. voluntarily t-v-
the pledge and baa been sober since. Ho my ttist mlstu
in tnst ease waan't sucTI a serious one.
"Twice since I returned from Europe I have h i
'vlaHed by men whom I caved. One is now a proor.
business man. Three years sao as .waa down and
He hated himself and hated bis wire. He struca h"
police, arrest, court, pledge.
"It made a man of him. He rsme tin to t1 U r
" You'll pardon me If I tell you I f- it a great r1 t
me. That's my only vanity. It rtt-I me ! t p. .
fine-looking. well-dre 1 man stsmllna tbre I i ,
being In the gutter, with the stlmna of a work ....
- tence upon htm. The other msn a eipet li.f-e . n . i
the same. -He called to thank m.
"riinoe I returned I have bed ennM'oe n. r
faced, clear-eved, rthr gwl-. , , r
tirTTi me. . 'Jiidn. 1 nt to ti- ' i
'I took it for a yr two yeam
month asn. I f.M. I'm sorry. 1 . - i , .
to s'"n ths pleds ln'
"W ell he slsned it. H'lrh w-i i ., 1 t t
' to aevote my oum :e t n to h" ,