ht by the
stern necessity of the Great War the importance of the food supply of the
world and the household. Every woman who is a home maker should have, if
possible, a small garden in which to grow vegetables. Even if she lives in
an apartment, she may arrange to have a garden allotment in co-operation
with others. Gardening is one of the oldest of the home maker's
employments.

The principle which is new in its application to the work of the home
is co-operation. So far home makers have carried on their affairs
independently, each woman very largely by herself. Suppose a group of ten
women, practical, experienced home makers, with sufficient business sense
to recognize fair business dealing, were to decide to arrange for some of
their home making work in partnership. A great deal of the household
buying of coal, bread, flour, canned goods (when buying canned goods is
advisable), sugar, and other groceries, meat, poultry, butter, eggs, etc.,
might be carried on to great advantage in partnership. Canning, preserving
and baking might be undertaken by one or two of the members of the group,
or a professional worker might be engaged to do this work for the ten
members. The actual expenses should be shared fairly and a considerable
saving would be effected when the output was distributed amongst the
members. In the same way, the co-operative group might arrange for
household help. One skilled houseworker might assist with the work of
three or four households. Washing, ironing, cleaning, dusting, mending,
dressmaking, sewing, shopping, and the care of the telephone, could be
carried on either partly or wholly by members of the group in return for
other service, or by paid helpers who in every case should be reliable
experts.

The principle on which successful co-operative work is based is the forming
of a small group of well-known and trusted individuals to carry on work
either in production, or buying and selling, or in both, with the sharing
of expenses and the elimination of commission and secondary profits.
Co-operation is admirably adapted to the work of home-making. The girls of
the twentieth century, with courage, cleverness and enterprise, may bring
a new blessing to the work of the home through the use of co-operation.

While the home-maker recognizes that her first interest is the work
and the life of the home, she must also be interested in the affairs
of the day. The home is the heart and kernel of the affairs