The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-19
WOMEN OF FRANCE. HARVEST
 LARGE CROPS WHERE EVEN
 THE COWS REPLACE THE OK.

sprinkled among the robust women. They are either old men. usually bent and crippled who go at their work unsteadily, or very young men and boys, not yet in the class of 17-year- old recruits. But these men are mere supernunlaries nowadays, much as the women were before the war, when they gave a helping hand when the harvest was greatest.
 The new babies, tooA are very few in the farm regions. In the two days through the farm regions only two farm women were seen carrying their young babies. With the men all away at the war, the birth rate must neces- sarily fall off these women are turning from the cares of maternity to the cares of the soil. But the little children are everywhere present, and are helping their mothers, in gathering the crops. In one field two little girls were guiding the ox-carts, and in another little tots were polishing off the leaves of cabbages so to make each one look fat and profitable.
 Curious detail: Even the farm beasts the cows-are bearing the burdens of the war here in the farm regions, while most of the male brethern-the oXen-have been mobt1ized at the front for supply wagons. Two beasts labored along the road, drawing heavy carts of farm produce, as the army
 
 The animals strained under the big wooden yoke, but instead of being OK en they were very sleek young cows, their bags heavy with milk. A woman driver guided them, they sank under the yoke like the farm woman bearing their panniers of carrots.
 'Is that usual-to yoke milk-cows fer burden" was asked, ''Yes, in war times even the cows must carry their share. was the reply. And it was further explained-that the few horses seen in the fields were mares, as the heavy staIlions were needed for the artillery, except the few retained for stud purposes, and the go1dings were used for cavalry and supply trains. Thus war nobiHzes the male animals for the bAttleIine, and turns the fe- male animals into beasts of burden.
 Inquiry of the farm women brought out some interesting phrases. They have organized the work as much as the men did. The women workers are graded and paid, according to ability and position. Those in responsible places make five or six francs a day and more in the busy, harvest season. besideds board and keep. Women in common farm work make from one frame centimes (about 30 cents) up ward, and much more during the rush season. Young women between IS and 24 get the best wages and do the most work. Getting enough women farmhands has been difficult, but recruits have come from the women refugees from the devastated regions of Nothern France, from Bel guim and Poland. The old men and the boys often earn less than the women, and do less work.
 One novel phrase developed by the Inquiries was that the army of France is largely an army of Farmers. For example, in the 1908 class the young 1 farmers, or almost as many as from all other branches, including com merce. This shows how the farmer are doing the fighting, and how the farms have been left to the women. The same proportion, of farmers is in all the classes now called to the col ors up to the class of 1916.
 The result of the women's work in gathering crops is told in official re- ports of the Ministry of Agriculture, which, although incomplete at this stage of the crops, shows an excep- tional1y good general condition The acreage in wheat has been only 512 per cent less than last year, notwith- standing a considerable section of farm land in Northern France is now overrun by the enemy. The acreage of rye is about the same as last year, and of oats a little short of last year. The vineyards have fallen off somewhat this year, not through the women but because of wet seasons and 3, pest This is offset by two exceptionally good crops, potatoes, and forage for horses and cattle. Both of these lat ter crops aretof advantage to the fight ing forces, particularly the forage.
 So that, although, this army of the women of France has fought the bat tie at home, planting and gathering the crops to keep the country sustain : ed, while the other army has fought hattie at the front.