Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-28
FRENCH PEASANT WOMEN
. GATHER CROPS THIS YEAR
Their Work Not Confined TO Fields.
but Covers Whole Range Incl
dent to Agriculture.
FEW BABIES IN FARM REGIONS
.licsult OF Their Activities While
: Men Are at front, as Told In Re.
I ports Of Ministry OF Agriculture,
! Shows Good General Condition.


lcorros pondence OF Associated Press. J
EtEI;MONT TERRAND. CENTRAL
FRANCE October 27.--The women OF
france have gathered the crops this
year. while their cons and brothers are
lighting ~ the front and they are big
crops. The harvest ia Just closing. the
YARNS in this vast farming region are
iairlt bursting with wheat, oats. hay
-hhh multitude or farm products, and
the HeidH ARC stacked with the straw
covered yield Of potatoes, carrots. bcets
aud vegetable. Of all l;inds--all these
crops a tribute 1" these Spartan peas
an, women Of France. who Ia a WAY
arc lighting the country's battle just
ms much as the men IN the trenches.
For three days correspondent OF
tho Associated Press has passed
through 500 miles ar this farming re-
gion under escort OF army officers
signed by the Ministry OF War. pr.
marily for the purpose OF seeing the
thousands OF German prisoners gath
cred i'm from Champagne and elsewhere
hut incidentally swing tho opportunity
OF seeing these French peasant women
cultivating the fields. driving the oxen
for the fall blowing, picking, sorting
and shipping fruit. ana gathering in
the stores of vegetables AND tobacco
Women were to be Eeen everywhere
bending over the burrows or with pan
n!ers on their backs carrying the heavy
loads OF carrots and turnips: on top OF
straw rickG pitching the grain into
place or loading it on wagons. IN the
freight Yards near the stations bring
ing in the farm products and storing
them on nat cars, and In long, irregu-
lar companies along the roads at night
going home from work with their dogs.
wheclbarrows babies and armsful OF
fssots.
In one thirty acre field Of turnips
tive sturdy rna;rons were At work, and
one young woman. with old gray
bearded peasant. evidently the father.
In chair under a shclter!ng tree with
the baby beside him. He was TOO old
for the lighting line or for this other
warfare OF tho women Ia the nclds.
further alolS great sweep OF fields
was dotted with knots Of women gath
;cripg potatoes into bags. and thcu
t,hrowirg the nlled bags over their
Shoulders To carry TO the waiting carts
Each group OF women had yoke Of
,oHcn and cart They were heavy set.
square. built women. Ike those painted
Gby Millet with coarse aprons and black
dresses -;rt up to their knees usually
ttfC ntbLtU. 'll al Nlln"S W w! Alr 'AE
white hcadscar, typical OF this Au
.crcuc farm country.
rSU'rI or WOMEN PUTTING
TAII. FERTILIZER On
ON one large farm a i.arty OF women
mere putting on the fall fertilizer be
Grrc the winter set in. Some We're Oh
ING carts and scores OF others were
acat;trcd over the blacN earth. lcvelinc
"a, l.,
ether ucld one woman alone WAS doing
,he fcrtiliziuE. and a sweep Of about
ten acres showed what she had accom-
piishe,i The NEXT farm had ALREADY
Yielded it's crop of corn. and nov the
W"iucu were gathering the pumpkins
from between the close cut CornstockS
Tho bodies 81 the women moved up and
down with the regularity of windmill
as they picked up the big pumpkins
and hcavcd them Up TO other women
standing on the carts 10 receive them
several times along the route there
MAS "A picture of tho army OF lighting
mon on Que hand. and the Rruiy OF
working women. ON the other. when
detachment OF artillery or cavalry
nassed forward on their way TO III"
front one ARTILLERY detacnmcn, had
heavy field guns. and stretched along
other had the light French mitrals usc
rr fapid fire gun. NJ ono point a
whole division Of cavalry was en-
canned on level sweep OF farm couu-
try and columns OF troopers were eScr-
cisinC OH the field Of iunneuvers. When
these attachments passed along tho
roads ali tho women in the fields
would stop work and stand with arms
akiinbo gazing intently at the spec
taclc OF their men going forward for
the nrhtine. for in almost every case
the women in the fields were the wives.
mothers and sisters of the men re-
,cruiteh in this vicinity. and now on
,ihc march nearer the lighting line.
After the detachment OF heavy field
Guns had passed. we stopped 10 eX
amino the road. TO sec il this splendid
,nacaGam had been cut by the constant
missing Of artillery and the digging of
cavalry hoofs Tut there was not
dent from the passing OF these twenty
ton guns. and the we'll made road
showed no more effect than from the
.passlnc OF several automobiles. The
officers said this condition was general,
and that the famous roads of France
were passing through this ordeal Of
ARTILLERY and cavalry without appre-
cinhlc impairment.
The womcn's work in the farm re
Eions is not confined to the fields, but
covers the whole range OF work Incl
dent 10 agriculture. One stretch or
country was particularly abundant IN
straight young saplinSs, and here the
omen were at work hcwnc the sap
IinrS. plline them like cordwood along
III" roaG ready for the carts 10 take
TO tho station. Further on, nj the sta
j,cu. women were on the Nat cars
Giving sapIinSs from other women on
'arts, and thus this product fc teie-
:'rlrh poles, railway tics. etc. goes
Stoadil. on, Willie the men arc away
IL the country inns, zoo. women are
dong everything; not only the cook
ms. tot running the establishment. and
even taking the places OF tho enrcons
in inc village cafes.
VIZ. SEEM or or PLACE