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For Homemaking Information What Do You Read? Listen to? Watch fo r V By Diana Ferris The survey findings in this article have been abstracted and condensed from the 8th prog- ress report of the “Special Study of Ontario Farm Homes and Homemakers." Copies of this and other progress reports from the socio- economic study jointly undertaken in 1959 by the Ontario Department of Agriculture and the Canada Department of Agriculture may be obtained on request from 20 Spadina Road, Toronto 4, Ontario. S WE WERE SAYING last issue, every A single one of the 352 farm homes we visited in Ontario had mass media sources available. Not only that: 6 out of 10 of them owned radios and TV sets and bought farm press publications and also subscribed to non-farm magazines and newspapers. Nearly 3 out of 10 of them had all of the above media. but oneâ€"most often it was a TV set that was missing. Nearly one out of 10 of them had three media sourcesâ€"most often TV sets and magazines were missing; while a very few had but two mass media to choose between Ethese few homes all had the farm press. plus one other means. The Printed Page To look then at these various information sources in turn: What kinds of “helpful” homemaking information do farm women look for on the PRINTED PAGE? Most of all, textile and clothing articles, they said: next often. nutrition and food stories. What kinds of fabric topics? Oh, patterns. dressmaking hints. the care of synthetic fab- rics. general mending and sewing tips and fashion advice were some of the things they specifically mentioned. And what kinds of food topics? Oh. information about food prepara- tion. meal planning, new recipes and the pre- scrvtng and storing of foodâ€"to name but a few. Something else: It was found that textile and clothing information was more often sought in the pages of the non-farm press, while food and nutrition topiCs were most of- ten read in the farm press. Maybe this just means that farm papers carry more stories on food. while the non farm-press prints more articles on fabrics. or it may imply preference. Another trend noted was that although farm families bought more newspapers than maga- zmcs. homemakers used magazines more than 20 newspapers for homemaking informs”. we weren’t trying to do a survey ' particular media; we just wanted to t general, about sources and subjects L mation of concern to the rural woman And so from the answers farm won us we were able to compile the fOHO‘Wll toâ€"leastâ€"mentioned subjects of interest l printed media when a~hunting horn, news and views: 1. textile and clothing 2, nutrition and food stories, 3. genera. making hints, 4. home furnishing topic formation on crafts and hobbies, 6. g. news, 7. home management ideas. t‘ sions on family relationships, 9. l'lOll formation, 10. health articles, 1]. background reading” type stories, 12 arrangement suggestions. 13. associat club activities, 14. advertisements, 15. ing tips. Leaflets, pamphlets and brochures additional printed media source used | half of the farm women intervieuet their interests were practically identicu above list. In other words, when farm took the time to sit clown and write it‘ information they again most of all “a: sistance with fabrics and foods (exct foods headed the pamphlet interest [is than textiles) and they again wanted l. sistance about grooming matters. And der of interest was just about the 53m. tween, with home furnishing informatio- a little more popular. Radio What about the kinds of "helpful" making information farm women “Sit. on RADIO? They told us they heard r. (“spot”, “feature” and “commentator' mostly the latter) household hint shou often. Their answers then turned up the in next in importance to household hints farm programs were considered to L “helpful” homemaking information! Television When it came to TELEVISION, H's shows. which were third in imporlan farm women on radio, headed their r ence lists as sources of homemaking im‘ tion. Apparently, on a combined sigh‘ sound media, women wanted to be enterl HOME AND COU‘ But any w ill Mop inc uxt. lllg d. RY