The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-27
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN
Woman on the Farm
0y Sophie irene Loeb.
Copyright, 1917, by the Press Pub. Co.

Copyright, 1917, by the Press Pub. Co.
.(The New York Evening Worldly
A few days ago in Albany 1 talked
with Henry Weiting Of the Commission
o. Three. appointed to carry out the
new food law of the state. Commits
sioner Weiting is farmer. lie is re.
puted to be most efficient farmer.
and keen student Of farm life.
Il don't know what we are going to
do If We don't get more people on the
farm" he said. THAT Is the big prob
lem that confronts the production part
Of our work. Labor Is woefully lack.
ing. Our big efforts will be directed
toward making people so to the farm
for work.
Nov a number Of people think that
all one needs to do Is to bring q lot
Of city people to the farm at GER
tain period and the problem is solved
This Is all wrong. Unskilled workers
on the farm are Just as detrimental as
In any other field Of endeavor.
But there are thousands Of good
farmers that are not on the farms.
These are the people we want"
pointed out to Commissioner
Weiting how In the congested areas Of
our city there are many foreign fam
lilies who, in their own countries, were
farmers all their lives.
"These are the people that will prove
Of great value" said the commissioner.
They are trained to the soil. Their
women folks understand 1t also, and
all could work together. Every en-
couragelnent. every effort should be
made to urge such people to work on
farms.
ALSO there is great work for many
women there"
The commissioner Is right. There Is
a great avenue for women on the farm.
For example, take Sadie, my helper.
Sadie has put up more than 800 Jars of
fruits and vegetables. She could do a
great deal more-enough to supply a
small community. Neither does she
hesitate to load wagon of wood when
the men are not ON the Job.
Up early in the morning and until
late at night her task Is never unin-
teresting to her. She appreciates the
blue sky and the lovely country scenes
and gets into the spirit Of the seasons
as they come.
She looks with amusement at the
city jewellers and their feeble attempt
at work In the country. She is slight
but healthy and strong and the out
door life is one of Joy to her.
She produces. produces, produces.
and has pleasure with it. Il don't
know why women can't work on the
farm" says Sadie. Hundreds of
women with their education and intel
ligence could learn the various kinds
Of work on the farm and be independ-
ent as money makers. A woman could
make a specially of certain products
and send them to the city by parcel
post and quickly secure a small Circle
of customers. You just have TO get
into the spirit Of the thing"
All. there is the truth forget into
the spirit of the thing" Country life
in the United States is Just beginning
to get popular. The city people are
awakening to a realization Of the great
Joy of being in the copntry-all the
year round.
Hundreds OF families of moderate
means could at this war time go to the
country with great profit. Labor is
very high and In every community in
the country it is scarce. And while
the husband could get work the family
might be adjusting itself to farm life
and looking forward to texpanding its
work In this connection.s
know very poor family who went
to New Jersey. They could scarcely
make a living, enough to \keep body
and soul together in the city. The
husband was motorman and con-
tinued his work in the vicinity in
which they lived. This little family
succeeded in raising enough potatoes
and apples and other fruits and vege-
tables to last them all winter. as well
as some to sell.
Never before have We had SO much
ahead for the winter" said this wom-
an. we will not suffer this winter
for want of the staples as we did many
winters before. If only had the
sugar and other ingredients could
put up enough preserves to provide
many people. as we have such q sur
plus"
1t Is this very surplus that women
could take care of on the farm. am