Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-25


reason why women should not make
just as good farmers as men," declared
Professor w. j. Spiliman. expert in tho
Bureau Of Farm Management of the
Department OF Agriculture. few days
ago.
The professor was seated in his Office,
tho, walls of which arc decorated with
maps Of the United sts,es, splotched
with colors that interpret the present
crisis to the initiated eye. Ono covered
with large yellow splotches represents
the government mobilization OF farm
labor that is now going forward In
all parts of tho country. Facing the
professor sat young woman who had
come In search Of advice on farming as
career.
Is a woman strong enough?" asked
the young woman doubtfully. isn't
plowing very hardT
Flowing Not Very Hard.
The professor explained that in these
days Of machinery blowing was not
very hard. When you planted your
crops you rode in steam tractor and
kept the side boxes full Of seed. Plow-
Ing was accomplished without even
this effort. Even without steam. he
said. blowing was not difficult Neither
was harvesting. All you had to do was
to occupy a scat and drive a couple
OF horses. or. failing a seat, to walk
along In back Of the horscs with tho
reins in your hands. Women might
have some trouble stacking heavy bum
dies of grain, ne thought, but II was
sometimes possible to hire men for that
particular task.
Furthermore" declared tho profess
sor next season I expect to sec at
least $4,000 women taking tho place Of
men on farms. 1t is estimated that
about 40 per cent, or $4,000 of the
young men drafted. Will come from the
farms Male labor is already scarce.
Women will be needed to help harvest
the crops"
In view Of this. Professor Spillman
thinks that the present training camps
for women might do we'll to teach agri-
culture instead of shooting, so that in
time OF need they might prove really
useful. An inexperienced person Ia OF
little use on a farm. Hence, IL the
milking. gardening. driving horses and
poultry breeding, In addition to a few
lectures on agriculture. Il would ulti-
mately be OF great service to the ma
ton.
This opinion is also shared by several
other experts in the Department Of
Agriculture. Already II Ia becoming so
difficult to secure male labor for the
farms. that the idea Of hiring women
presents itself as natural alternative.
Moreover. there arc others in tho de-
partment who agree with Professor
Spillman that women make just as good
farmers as men. One man In q sudden
burst OF generosity said he thought
they were likely to achieve even greater
success than mea for tho reason that
the nation and. therefore, knew what
other women liked in buying OF food
Not Altogether New Question.
women have been farmers. OF course.
ever since there were farms In a way
IT is not a new question. II you con-
a In af Ill o.
out of 100000 women in oecupa-
tons IN the United States. 1906, 900
are In agriculture. But tho majority of
these are women whose homes are on
farms. Their work Is not agriculture,
but Homework. Thus women agricui-
their own farms. or women who choose
agriculture as q profession-Are still
rare. To be sure, the number Is In
creastng almost daily. Iowa and Mis-
souri, now have women farmers assoc
Citations with central headquarters
and annual conferences. at which tho
women meet and talk over their va
rious farming problemL
Then the famous International show
is. no longer a masculine institution at
women merely accompanied their hus-
bands and appeared only at the horse
show, which was considered the big So
cial event OF the occasion. Now wo-
men arc to be found at the show dur
ing all tho hours OF the day, discussing
tho exhibits. arguing farm problems
with the men, and occasionally going
home with blue and purple ribbons A
woman won the State championship
prize for the best specimen Of grain
at the Iowa agricultural show last
year. and other Iowa women captured
prizes on their poultry and cattle.
Problems No Different.
The problems OF the woman farmer
arc no different from those OF the
man farmer. In going into agriculture
the first question to be decided is
whether or not you have q natural pre-
dilection for farming. Do YOU prefer