What It Was, When It Was, The Way It Was

I have been writing lately about how it use to be down on the farm. Well now I have come across a very old book that has three sections in it on, animal health, people health and housekeeping and cooking. I thought I would put segments on my blog. I hope it will be entertaining. This book was published in the year of 1910. It is two years short of being one hundred years old. I must stress again that this material is for entertainment and learning of a by gone era. If you decide to try some of this stuff, you do it at your own risk. So if you whip something up to put on your hair to make it grow and it turns blue, don’t come crying to me about it.
Just read and enjoy yourself.

The Old Farmer.


THE HOUSEKEEPER'S SCIENCE OF COOKING
OR
DOMESTIC SCIENCE IN THE HOME.
“Good cooking means the knowledge of all fruits, herbs, balms and spices, and all that is healing and sweet in fields and groves, and savory in meats. It means carefulness, inven­tiveness, watchfulness, willingness and readiness of appliances. It means the economy of your great-grandmothers and the science of modern chemists."—Ruskin.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S CREED.
I believe housekeeping and cooking is and should be interesting and worthy work and that the majority of women would enjoy it if they had the opportunity to know more of its science; that it must be considered elevating —the highest art—and not a menial and brainless occupation. If a man is not ashamed of his profession or work, there is no reason why a woman should be ashamed of hers.
I believe before marriage every woman should show to the man she is to marry that she thoroughly understands the work of making and keeping the home on a perfectly systematic and business basis, as much as the man has shown her that he has a profession or business capable of providing the income for the maintenance of home and family.
I believe that marriage is a life partnership with mutual interests as well as love; a partnership of square dealing and equally shared responsibilities, and should not be entered into from any other motive.
It is reasonable to suppose that the young woman should be able and willing to keep house as conscientiously as she has taught school or music or used the typewriter.
Can you use the salary of the young man wisely, economically and so that each of you may live comfortably, besides saving a little for the proverbial "rainy day?" This question should be answered before marriage.
I believe home making, housekeeping and all that goes with it is not drudgery, is not a narrow sphere for the woman, but that it is the very high­est type of living.

" He who gives us better homes, better books, better tools—a fairer outlook and wider hope—him will we crown with laurel."—Emerson.

WHAT CONSTITUTES HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT?
Not many years ago everything made to meet the needs of the people was created in the home. Now, as different shops and factories have taken most of the productions and developed them into large and flourishing industries and manufactories, there are two problems always to face, and these are-production and consumption. It is interesting to watch the wonderful strides of today in producing wealth, but it is of at least equal importance how this money is spent; and the home is the center for the consumption of this wealth. It has been said by students of Home Economics that the greatest financial losses come through the home. If this be true, then women should begin to have a better understanding of the practice of economy in the home. First, they should help and encourage in every way to increase the income; and second, to lessen the expenditures. It is not always what we earn, but how that is spent that insures the best economy and results in perfect, or nearly perfect, household management. At the present time the difficulty with the housekeeper is not so much that she has lack of income, as that she does not always spend wisely.
Women are almost having their first real awakening to the fact that they must acquire more knowledge and skill to do the work in the home success­fully and thus live better and have greater enjoyment and prosperity.
Home-making is, or should be, a business. The home has close business relations with the grocer, butcher, merchant, bank and in fact the business world in general and only business-like methods can succeed.
Begin early in life with your daughters' and train them in systematic household management and home-making and there will be fewer financial failures in the business world.

HOUSEKEEPING A PROFESSION.
Housekeeping has passed the days of mere drudgery and now ranks among the professions.
There is much thought exercised by the well trained and thoughtful house­wife who plans and directs and knows herself how to do any of the work in the home.
We know this work takes more brains than dollars, and education and training are necessary for the woman who selects the food, clothing and all the works of art for the uplifting and growth of a well-balanced family, mentally, morally and physically. She should be trained in the estimation of values, in food, clothing and household furnishings.
She should have had practice in the various duties of a home before mar­riage. Otherwise the expense comes at the wrong time, which is unjust to the man. Mrs. Ellen H. Richards says, “By teaching the girl under fourteen how to cook, she will do it naturally and easily when she is a housewife." If women knew how to do this work well, it would cease to be a drudgery.
A good business man has to know his business thoroughly and apply to it ordinary business principles and systematic methods in order to succeed. The same is true of housekeeping.

HOME EXPENDITURES AND ACCURATE RECORDS.
“An economical household, not a stingy one, makes a successful and contented home." —Freeman.
“In olden times women thought arid thought before they spent, often making the spending a burden. Now women often spend and then think and think and think." There should be some happy medium.
If we have studied pure foods, good taste in dressing and the same in furnishings for the home, we have made great advance in the lessening of home expenditures. Accurate accounts should be kept of the allowance for such use and what it is spent for. There are many ways of doing this but one of the simplest is a card index system on which the expenditures for the day, not itemized, but headings, may be quickly noted and footed up at the end of the week. This is absolutely necessary for system and economy in the home.
It is true, that all the members of the family must unite in this if it is successful. They must all agree upon a universal or given standard of living. It is better to divide the income to cover the necessary expenditures and then try to live within it. The, figures must be before you or you will find waste and more waste. One housekeeper recently said to me in trying my Expense Cards, " I found I was not losing on my regular expenditures, such as gro­ceries, etc., but my ' miscellaneous' was appalling." Twenty-five cents today and another tomorrow seems very little but for a month or year it means much loss.

ORGANIZATION AND DIVISION OP LABOR.
It is very easy for most of us to imagine the home where no system or organization exists.—There is no order; things are placed here today and there tomorrow and valuable time is spent in searching for articles which have no settled resting' place. This kind of living, or staying, more properly speak­ing, reacts upon every member of the household. The work is much harder and costs infinitely more in time, strength and money than a definite and well regulated home would cost. “It is not the revolution that wears out the machinery, it is the friction," and nowhere is this so true as in the home. If the housewife has had no training or experience her troubles are legion. It is first in knowing how and what to do, the proper division of this labor, and when it is to be done. It makes very little difference whether it is the woman with no servants or one with several. It is now conceded by every thinking individual that the housewife must not only know how the work is to be done; but must be able to plan, systematize and direct the same.
Applying this knowledge every day, one need not carry the kitchen or three meals a day “on their shoulders “from morning until night, but have regular hours for definite and systematic work, recreation or study. It is very easy to direct “Mary " to do the washing, bake a cake and have company for dinner, and it is quite another thing to know the necessary time required to do these things.
System is the keynote of the home. Each day's work should be planned in advance; in fact, a written or printed plan of work should be in every kitchen. Then a written menu of the meals. These may be written on cards, one for each day of the week, and indexed under the card index system so uni­versal now. On the opposite page may be references showing where recipes for certain dishes may be found, or any other notes. The grocery order should be made out and the refrigerator consulted at the same time. “Woman’s work," it is said,” is never done." It has been largely her own fault. Plan, systematize, and pigeon-hole your work; in other words, get rid of it, which will be a wonderful care-remover.
Woman's life, as a rule, is made up of little things. This is particularly true in the spending of small sums of money; five cents here and there, then a dime, quarters and dollars until in this small spending they do not realize that “tremendous whole."
I repeat, housekeeping is a profession and it is the careful watching of just the right time to buy, and what to buy, that constitutes good household management. Much depends on the manner or style of living whether you should buy in large or small quantities. Find the happy medium between the hand to mouth style of living and the buying in too large quantities, which may mean waste. Marketing is an art. We had better say to market well is an art. Buy foods in season as nearly as possible. If you can only purchase a little, buy that which is good and use every bit of it. It is the little wastes that fill the garbage can.

A WELL EQUIPPED KITCHEN AND THE UTENSILS.

“The best is the cheapest" is a good rule to follow. In many homes the surprise is that the meal can be prepared with the meager kitchen equipment provided. Be proud of your kitchen and utensils but take care of them. The very best of utensils may soon be useless if placed over too hot fires, especially gas. On the other hand a medium priced article in the hands of a skilled worker may outwear the very best utensil in the hands of a careless one.
• Many accessories in the kitchen have come to be looked upon as “must haves “through long use. The evidence of utility in everything, together with good taste and judgment in every selection, are the great essentials in buying kitchen as well as other utensils.
Fireless Cookers and Steam Cookers are doing much to overcome this, as in either of these methods of cooking neither food nor utensils can be burned. Do not buy every new thing that comes out. Find out whether it is of prac­tical use, then buy it and use it. Too many articles and in inconvenient places are as bad as not enough. Have a convenient drawer or hook for utensils and always have them in that place and no other.
The Fireless and Steam Cookers and Bread Mixers are among some of the kitchen utensils that have come to stay and it is the intelligent, thinking, up-to-date housekeeper that is looking for the practical, helpful and attractive equipment for her kitchen.


KITCHEN UTENSILS
Range
Refrigerator
Steam Cooker
Fireless Cooker
Tea kettle
3 stew pans, 1 qt. to 3 qts.
Steel spider, 9
Double boiler, 2 qt.
Steel frying pan, 7
Toaster
Frying basket
Spatula
Muffin pan
Colander
Coffee pot
Tea pot
Food chopper
Chopping knife and bowl
Strainers
Bread mixer
Bread pans, 2 or more
Bread board
Rolling pin
Flour sieve
Pans or Basins, 2 or more
Bowls, about 5 in assorted sizes
Dish pan
Drainer
Floor and stove brushes
Broom
Steel knives and forks, 3
French vegetable knife
Vegetable brush
Cream whip
Egg beaters, Dover and flat wire
beater
Covered roaster
Cake pans, layer, 2
Meat and bread knives
Loaf pan, square, oblong or oval Sponge cake pan
Sink strainer
Scales
Soap shaker
Potato and vegetable press Salt box
Grater
Measuring cups, 1 tin and 1 glass Lemon squeezer, glass
Pie plates, 2 or more
Skewers
Skimmer
Table spoons, 3
Tea spoons, 3
Measuring spoon
Bread box
Funnel
Vegetable and pudding dishes, 2 Potato masher, wood
Garbage pail
Waste basket, closely woven
Receptacles for flour, sugar, cereals, con-­diments, molasses, etc.
Kitchen cabinet or table
Chair
High stool
Slotted wooden spoon Wooden spoon, small size Casserole
Custard cups
Tin mold
Coffee mill
Clothes' hamper
Carpet sweeper
Mrs. Kirk's Card Index Cooking Recipes Mrs. Kirk's Housekeeping Expense Cards


Well that's it for this time, but keep an eye on my blog for more segments of this book.

All is well down on the farm.

The Old Farmer