Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-20
FRENCH PEASANTS
ARE FILLING FIELDS
Country Under Cultivation as if
1t Were in Midst of
Peace.
CROPS WILL BE NORMAL
Farmers, Women and Children
Deserve Praise Equal to
That Given Soldiers.
CROPS WILL BE NORMAL
ny GEORGE DUFREsNE.


on agriculture in France just pub
lished reveals that the peasants of
France. who have contributed by far
the greatest number OF soldiers now
lighting against the Germans from the
north to the Swiss frontier. have still
been able to till their fields. as IL We
were in the midst of peace.
The official statistics show that on
May /. 1915. as many acres OF French
soil unoccupied by the enemy were In
state Of cultivation as on the same
date last year. fact which means
that the crop of grain and other agri-
cultural products in France probably
Will be normal in size.
VI. Guyon, one Of the inspectors of
agriculture. with whom had a talk
few days ago. and who had visited
every village and hamlet in the Depart
ment OF the Marine. said that he was
quite unable to find words to express
his admiration of the peasants Of these
districts. which less than ten months
ago were devastated by the Germans,
but which to-day give every promise
OF abundant crops. There are thous-
ands OF ruined homesteads, but not one
single neglected field.
III our brave soldiers have won the
admiration Of the world" he said the
rural population. the old men, women
and children, who have remained at
home are entitled to no less praise.
Everybody who has had an oppor-
tunity to pass through the war zone
has been impressed by the splendid
qualities of the French peasant. 1
have seen them myself calmly working
in their fields blowing and sowing
within 100 meters OF the rear trenches.
and wherever ground has been gained
by our soldiers 1t has Immediately
been put under the pillow.
SPLENDID QUALITIES
OF TILLERS OF SOIL
1T is especially near the bombarded
and destroyed villages. Of which there
are only too many in the districts
where the battle Of the Marine was
fought from Meaux to Esternay, Fere-
Champenoise. Revisny and Vitry-le-
Franco. is that you are impressed by
the tenacity, endurance and splendid
qualities OF the tillers OF the soil In
many places there is not a single house
left that is Al TO live in. and the peas
ants during the time or the first in
vasion lost everything but what they
carried on their persons. The horses
and cattle were killed or driven off,
their implements were destroyed, their
houses pillaged and set on fire, and
even their fields were ruined by the
passage OF heavy artillery and the dig
ging of A maze Of trenches.
One had reason TO fear that these
peasants. who had been robbed Of
everything, might have abandoned
he{r fel nd
their brethren in more fortunate dis
tricts until the war was over but such
thing happened nowhere. AS soon
as the enemy had been driven back.
old men, women and children returned
to work, and began cultivatinG their
fields. to which they are so strongly
attached. and in a few weeks no trace
OF the war was visible. The fields
wore their usual aspect but for the
thousands OF crosses that mark the
last resting places of our fallen heroes"
Sergeant Iron, nineteen years of age.
has twice been mentioned in the orders
Of the day. once in the orders OF the
army. and has received the military
medal
During a fight near D, in the Nord.
a French force found it necessary to
retire. motor gun mounted by ma
rine fusileers broke down. The Ger
mans spotted" the vehicle. and poured
a heavy fire upon it, The fusileers
were compelled to leave the gun.
Volunteers were called for 10 attempt
to rescue the motor gun. A noncom-
missioned officer and four men re-
sponded to the call. They set forth,
but were all shot. Five more men vol
unteered, and suffered the same fate
The French officers had made up their
minds to abandon the gun, when Ser
geant Iron came forward and asked to
be permitted to make an attempt TO
save It,
The officers gave their consent and
the sergeant selected four chasseur
cyclists and started on his dangerous
mission. The five men crawled to-
wards the gun, and succeeded In reach
ing 1t, in spite of the bursting shells
and the heavy infantry fire. The SER
geant tried to start the vehicle, but it
would not move. He made an examina-
ton, and found that the oil tap had
been turned off. He turned 1t on, and
the engine began to work.
Taking his seat at the wheel, the SER
geant had not driven far. when he re-
membered that n chasseur was lying
wounded near the German lines. Fac
ing the German fire. he drove towards
the wounded man and lifted him into
the car, which arrived safely in tho