The Hartford republican., 1916-12-08
WOMEN
GIVEN DIPLOMAS
WIVES AND DAUGHTERS OF
FARMERS SAVE FRANCE
WITH RECORD CROP.
HARDSHIPS OVERCOME
A. Results of Efforts Country II
sure OF Another Year of Am
pie Living.

NOTWITHSTANDING. Seine ct Marne
France. Dec. among the war re
compenses that will be handed dowr
with greatest pride from generation
to generation in French families ar,
the diplomas, now framed and hang
ing on the walls of many a farm.
house. attesting how the peasant
women and farmers wives, widows
and daughters overcome war diff.
culties. The soil has well repaid
the effort. and. thanks to them
France is sure of another year
of ample living.
The actual cash returns will equal
record year in time of peace. the
excepting oats and potatoes. the
yield was below the average.
This country of the Brie. which is
generally second only to the Beauce
in wheat production and first OF all
for oats. stands at the head for
both. yet this crop was sown almost
entirely by women, girls and boys
too young or men too old to should.
er rifle. There is a good example
of what was done ON a little farm
outside the shade of the forest OF
Fountainebleau at villemer, where
in modest farm house hang the
framed diplomas accorded by the
Syndicate Central des Agriculteurs
de France Central Union of French
farmers) in the names OF Madame
Beaujouan and her daughters. Ray
monde, aged IL, and Jeanne. aged
II.
Harvest Three Crops.
Beaujouan was modified while
the grain still standing in 1914;
Madame Besujouan and her daugh-
ters have harvested three crops from
that farm since. The third is the
best OF the three for they lacked the
twist Of the wrist" as Jeanne Beau
jouan puts IL, until they had had the
experience OF two crops.
They are proud of the crop for
the crops sake. but they don't seem
to be aware of the remarkable effort
il required of them to do the fertil-
izing, piowing. narrowing. seeding
and harvesting. When one talks 10
them about it. they tell him to go
and see the crop that MademoiseIle
Bon Feve got from a seves-
ty-acre farm at Serrigny-en- Bresse.
which promises to constitute the rec
ord for girl farming during the war
when the yield is finally measured.
Like the soldiers OF France. these
heroines of the rear take no praise
there are so many they
say, who have done as well.
Red tape. the paralyzing force that
even the reaWakening of this epic
period has not yet yanquished, with
held from the farms the aid the gov
ernment wished TO supply. excepting
N rare cases. in the seeding OF the
arm.
German prisoners Of war. volun-
eers from the camps OF interned
,ivilian Australians and Germans,
imported from Indo Chi
Ia. Rahyles brought from the noun
aims OF Algeria. Seusalese from the
West African Coast. q few territor-
ais on leave. a good many Parisian
chooI boys and last. but not least
he American seIf-binder helped with
he harvest, but with the exception
Il the self-binder. the help was avail
.ble only in scattered spots
Wear Blue OveraIls.
4 msjssie German porter OF a
Riviera palace hotel. who. in time OF
,eace. .Sors more gold braid than any
General in the war. and one Of the
lead walters OF the best known res
auran,s in Paris. bound wheat side
~ side on a farm in Beauee. In
stead OF the goId-brsided uniform.
he porter. with his felIOW-prisOners.
wore a suit OF blue oyeraIIs with the
ette-s Il. c." Cstanding for Interned
CiyiliAnl on their backs 10 identify
hem as Teutons in case OF a dispOsi-
ion 70 escape. They earned the
c ruiyalent o. forty-hve cents dsy
sad acre clothed. lodged and zen b.
the farmer. Their fare was exsr,i.
the rume as that OF the farmers hir-
ing them and OF the soldiers guard
iEr then. That they were satisfied
rypsars from the :aet thAt, Du- u;
sey oral thousahd. cnly three =: them
tried to get away.
The several thousand German sol
diers employed in the harvest gave
no trouble AZ all. To the great ma