The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-02
WOMEN AS field HANDS
Western Farmers Prefer Them to
Men Laborers.
The European Custom of Hiring Fe-
male Peasants to Till the Soil md
Feed stock Is Coming In Vogue In
This Country Because of the Dini-
Guilty of Securing Male Help.

In many parts of Europe, and particu-
larly in France and Germany. women
save long been accustomed to work in
the fields and on the farms. When these
peasants leave their French and Ger
man homes. therefore. and come to this
country, it is no. surprising that they
should carry with them the same ap;i-
tude for field work in their new homes
as was the case with them In the ham
let's they have left. Wherever Germans
are gathered together. there will be
found women who do farm work. There
are many Germans in Illinois. and the
following will serve 10 show no. con-
genial farm work really is to some Of the
German woman. The New York Evening
Post" gives a case, in point. as follows:
This spring a German farmer whose
place Of business is located some ten
miles northeast of Ravenswood drove
INTO Chicago and visited one of the en-
ployment agencies there.
i want to get a woman to go to Raw.
enswood and work on my farm he an
nounced to the proprietor. The PROPOSE
ton was an entirely new one, as the en-
pioyment OF women as farmhands was q
phase OF the labor problem that had not
before been presented in Chicago. The
agent In spite of his experience could
not reprees smile
What do you want the woman to do?''
he queried. The farmer, who looked at
the matter from German standpoint
could see nothing incongruous in the prop
osition.
Cant ] hire feld hand OF you with
out having TO tell you how many acres
day 1 expect her to plow?'' was the
unexpected answer.
''she?" exclaimed the agent you sure
ly don't expect me to furnish woman 10
pillow for you, do your"
Well, what do you suppose I want q
field hand for?'
Return here this afternoon" said the
agen, 'and l will see what 1 can do for
you"
1t was by chance that the agent asked
I FredeHka Schultz, stout German wom-
an, II she would like to take the place To
his great surprise she was delighted, and
instead Of the expected refusal of so IN
usual proposition. she agreed to sc With With
the farmer when he came back. She had
washed dishes and engaged in similar
work since her arrival in this country,
and, according TO her own statement, she
was tired Of 1t all. In the fatherland, she
had worked Oh her t..t--'- ,.ttsr= Iarru
taking her share Of the hard work with
the laborers.
When the German fsrmer came in the
afternoon he Siook Frederick with him
I've told my neighbors Of you, and they
are coming in. as they need farm hands
quite as much as l did, he told the agent
as he drove off. Hitherto we have never
been able to get anything but lazy, shift
less men to help US in time of need, and
we don't like them. We want German
women. They are more reliable, and the
work they do is better done"
In Kansas, it Is said to be true that out
of the 11,ooe fafmers in that State, 5000
are women. Many American women are
also now included in this band. There is .
similar condition in Oklahoma. 1t is the
same with the women thus engaged as with
the men, Some of them work in the fields,
while others act as overseers.
The present wheat crop of northwestern
Kansas is very large. Ellis. Hays City.
Wa Keeney. and the surrounding district
is substantially solid field of wheat Not.
withstanding the recent importation into
Kansas of thousands of harvest
hands, there is yet a dearth of laborers.
When the situation became so serious that
the farmers were in state Of semi-panie
over the prospect of losing part of their
crop, then 1t was that a meeting Of young
women was called TO discuss the situation,
the result being the formation in Ellis of
a club composed entirely OF young women
who will assist the Kansas farmers by CO.
ing out into the wheat fields and doing
their part in saving the wheat crop. They
will receive for their labor regular mems
wages