Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-07
WORDS OF PRAISE
| ! [! FARMERS OF FRANCE
rad Of Great National ..gricul.
turists' Society Tell Of Part
They Play i'm War.
''URNIsH THIRD OF STRENGTH
seasants AT Home, and Particularly
tho Women. Also DO Their Share,
Il He Says-Will Face Many Difficult
ties After Conflict Ends.
fBy Associated Press.


/ hconntry. and their efforts IL the wheat
E3helds, as we'll as OF the battle field.
E6Tnust be recognized. said Oh. Rrillaud
&c Laujardicre head of the great Ma
ktional AEriculturists' Society of France
nAto correspondent of the Associated
EaFsress.
|aS,SsS'Farm hands alone furnished more
|ssaian third of our lighting strength
&kmore than the men of any other occu-
ggspation, and their exploits have fur
snished pages of citations in the Jour
Official. The peasants 81, home
gIparticularly the nomenclature. IN their
ssway, done quite as well. They have
q sreally beon the staff OF life TO France
aSduring these trying two years. since
SSbBthey have provided the bread. but un-
SHui lately they got only praise, while
sSthose at the front got decorations.
sE Every peasant woman or farmers
*Ewlfe or daughter who has replaced a
fSman called to arms shall have a sort
FSof decoration, too, in tho form of a
Ssdiploma that will tell what she has
9Sdone for her country. just as generals
&Citatton makes known an act or hero
6fsm on the battle held"
10 NJ Laujardicre is qualified to speak
kfor the rural population; he feels tho
Mpulse of French agriculture every
Emorning when he opens the thousands
lTEof letters that come 10 his office from
Harms all over the country. He pre-
hstdes over the Syndicate Central dos
dc France. This is not
SIauite the same thing as the National
,Es9range In the United States. but In
tEnlany ways 1t bears the same relation
40 It's members. Its membership com
SlSprises more than A thousand local syn
SIdicates besides 1900 individual mem
nF T..
The French farmer was formerly
essentially individualist." said NJ. Lau-
but nc has learned the value
$aol association, and nearly every farm
I11ng community Is organized Their.
fare Sis agricultural syndicates In
sESFrance. with membership before the
.ss5war, OF 1880, 900 assembled in eighty
Mhve different unions OF syndicates
a single one OF these syndicatcs IN
Elthe department OF Loir aud Cher
ssbouEht for its $4,000 members to the
equivalent of $1,000. 600 Annually he
}tfore the war
SsNOT MERELY THE AGENTS
d. Or INDIVIDUAL FARMERS
Cur syndicatcs arc not merely tho
iGsaies and buying agents OF the indi-
sSN!dual farmer: they so farther: they
Tstand between tho farmer and tho man
.ifron whom he buys or to whom he
"a sNS'iS III guy Observation-Disclosures,
fAnlm from lawsuits and expenses; and
i&thcy act ms his banker in "A way.
fSthroush the organization OF mutual
afagricuitural loan societies which are
#Sscparatc from the syndicatcs.
~ Any land owner can borrow the
&smoney he needs Ia exploit his farm
Efrom ono OF our mincty-eight regional
ASor 1000 local agricultural loan banks.
G@whosc combined capital was $1,000 900
!afrnncs in 1919; the state has also
;&placed at their disposition sums ag-
v Sgrcsatins St,o0e,0eo. They discounted
;Ssabont 37o.ooe.ooo francs Of farmers
II paper in that year.
~ we not only help the farmer. but
1--WE help train his children TO be farm
s ars-do all we can 10 attach them to
II the soil. We teach them the scientific
Bpart OF grain and stock raising, and
sS7ot butter and cheese making; we show
sf5them how to keep farm accounts so
Ssathet they may know whether they are
Z making money out Of any given crop:
1.-the farmers daughters are taught
Il farm housekeeping, with special at
ssfention TO the rational utilization OF
n foodstuffs. When we get through with
L them they have no longer any excuse
SEer haphazard e .wasteful use Of pro-
& Tar prices have helped the farmer
~ EEt direction and hampcrcd him in
4nEI er. He gets tho equivalent Of
II : bushcl for his wheat o. -
Il hts more than before the war lie
j gets the equivalent OF 81 cents a bushel
SSor oats, as against - cents before the
y war, and, this year. the GA crop was
& a record one. Wheat was deficient as
fSconpared even to last year. but the
farmer probably realizes more IN cash
il than for last years crop ON the 9th
scr hand he pays a great deal more
sRfor all that he buys--fertilizers fuel.
81 salt, sugar, -four.
The French farmer will. after the
war. still be beset by difficulties that
1--WE must tighten Traction farm ma
n chinery. now almost pyohibi,iy. In
tfprice to the individual farmer must
sfbe provided 10 make up for the lack Of
Farm labor.
a .Thc descrtion Of the farm for tho
IsAown had long ago developed = crisis
|Edhat VIII be aggravated by the wastace
;fpf war and the uphcaval al conditions
y hfterward-it is another OF the prob.
s acms these syndicates are trying 10
Ssolve.
4 Farmers sons and simple farm
- 3iands in the long watches IN the
Y frenchcs alongside Of tho city boys
aSffliayc learned many things they never
xtknew about town life NJ. LauIard,erc
4 thinks. "Curiousity aroused BY tales
sSIof the town will draw them in even
B iErcatcr numbers than ever after the
3 war unless COMMUNICATIONS are pro
fINtOGu u nv ~ cdlc proposes TO make
3 thcir life on tho farm more attractive
5klby higher comfort ~ their habitation
Hand by such distractions as arc trans.
4 tportatlc from the city 10 the country.
lgfk Opposed to the allurns description.
ssof city life, They viii Sc, forth tho
.Flhigher cost Of living and tho iliusory
character Of the supposed town Iii
DIVERSIONS.
}NEW FARM CONSTRUCTION
TO BE MORN. I'IL,tSISt,
k "rhe new farm construction will BE-
Smaho moro pleasing than before. aud
for the long winter evenings profitable
tltght occupations VIII bc provided.
ssuch as the manufacture Of toys b.
ppen, and lace BY women, ALREADY tried
lin a number Of localities with promis-
Ing success.
The mutilated farmer. older will
s}also require attention Improved i'm
tpiemcnts will be required TO keen MIN
at home. and they viii be provided.
sstdn must have machines that can opcr.
tEnte as eas!ly and effectively as he
~ Nc ,,1.