The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-20
WOMEN IN THE FIELDS.
Result of the Deficiency of Men for
Farm Labor.

Youngstown co. Special in Pittsburg
Chronicle-Telegraph
From every agricultural section of the
country complaints are coming in about
the scarcity of farm hands, and the farm
ers are grieving over many fields, whose
crops have been wasted because there were
not enough hands to harvest them. But
there is no section of the country that is
suffering from this lack any more than
parts OF western Pennsylvania and Ohio.
From Sharon to Warren and Niles. the
whole length of both the Shenango and
Mahoning valleys, the cry Is coming from
every farm, Give us more hands. Hay
that should have been harvested before
the rains is now ruined, and wheat fields
were beaten down TO the ground days after
the time they should have been safe In the
barns.
Long ago the farmers were compelled to
ask their wives and daughters 10 assist
them In harvesting. Male help could not be
hao for love or money, so the women had
to turn in and help to keep the farmer
from losing the result of months of toll
and care. And they did it. without COM
plant and with energy and Will. For the
first time in history they were as common
men in the fields along the fertile val
leys, and it was their work that enabled the
farmers to get in any part of their crop.
1t was a common sight during the early
part OF last week to see the women and
girls working in the fields side by side with
ing all those days of extremely torrid
weather. when men and women and chill
dren throughout the country were dropping
over III the Sweltering, killing heat these
devoted women in the valleys of Pennsyl
vania and Ohio went out into the bare, un-
protected fields. with the glare of the sun
upon them, and never gave a thought TO
the danger
With the temperature away above 100 de-
grees, far hotter than the protected Their
mometers on the government BUILDINGS
have II a II IA
pouring down upon their backs. they have
been working every cay and labOring at
task which entails continuous physical ex-
ertion all day long. OF course, so far as
possible, the men took the harder work
themselves, but many OF them Succumbed
to the heat Tuesday, and the brave women
had TO finish their tasks Many of the
women dropped in the fields and had to be
carried into the old farmhouse and revived,
but In an hour or two they were back at
the work again. Pitching hay into wagons,
the bundles of wheat. driving the reapers,
sometimes blowing and even grading the
grain in some cases, these farmers wives
and daughters have worked, and their work
has saved to the farmers of the two val
leys many thousands of dollars
The ordeal is just beginning. The bulk
of the hay and many thousand acres OF
oats are standing in the fields ripening for
the harvest, and the next three weeks will
see the scenes of last week repeated, unless
aid comes from some outside source. The
cause of the difficulty in getting farm help
is said to be the increase in the number
and size of the big steel industries of the
valleys. The big plant at South Sharon
has drawn thousands of young farm hands
TO its furnace doors, and the same tale is
being repeated everywhere.
The farmers in the neighborhood of
Youngstown and other valley manufacture
ing cities are offering from sl.50 TO 81 a day.
with board, lodging and washing. for farm
hands. The tempting price offered has not
been sufficient TO bring helpers. and the
farmers are at their wits end. The situa-
ton as it stands to-day is a grave one to
them and the loss already has run into the
thousands What the total will be no one
can yet tell and every member of the farm
er's family is being pressed into service -
keep il down as low possible. II Will
depend greatly on the weather. and If the
farmers are lucky they may get off with
comparatively small losses from now on.