Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-04-25
ENGLAND TO USE
WOMEN ON FARMS
1
attempt, Not Only to Maintain
Agricultural Production, but
to Increase 1t.
PLAN TO OBTAIN VOLUNTEERS
AUST Pass Examination as to Ability
to Endure Work-Labor Usually
Undertaken Has Been Connect
ed With Live Stock.

Great Britain has attempted, on ac-
count of the submarine warfare. not
only to maintain her agricultural pro-
duction but to increase it. To do this
an active campaign was undertaken
to place women on the land. This
work is carried on under the direct
supervision of their national board of
agriculture. The organization is some
what similar to that found in our
county agent organization, there being
district agents, a county community
with county organizer and local
agents in every county. The functions
of the local organizations are: first,
to secure women land workers; sec
-ond, to train them; and third, to find
farms for them to work on. The work
of obtaining volunteers has been car
ried on by means Of posters, personal
visits. meetings, competitions, and SO
on.
AS soon as woman indicates her
desire to take up work on the land,
she must submit to physical exami-
nation in order that the committee
may be sure that she is physically fit
to endure the strain of farm work. She
is also examined as to her personality,
in order to determine whether she can
get on with farm conditions.
Types Of Practice Farms.
After she has been accepted she Is
sent to one of the practice farms.
These farms are of various types. In
some instances they are agricultural
colleges that have been turned over to
the training women. In other instan-
ces, the women are gathered together
In a home and sent out to the neigh
boring farms to be trained by expert
enced farm workers. In still other In
stances successful farmers have turn
ed their farms over to the county or
ganizations to be used In training wom-
en-, the women living on the farm and
participating in all operations. During
the training period the workers are
without any expense as far as their
living is concerned, and are furnished
with a complete outfit, consisting of
boots, clogs, leggings, breeches, hat,
and two pairs Of overalls.
Work Undertaken.
The most usual types of agricultur-
al labor undertaken by the workers
have been those connected with live
stock and intensive farming, such as
growing mangel raising calves, milk
ing, care of live stock, etc. The period
of training generally lasted four weeks.
If. at the end of this time, the students
showed sufficient skill. they were listed
and efforts were made to place them
on farms. However, before any of the
women land workers were allowed to
undertake farm work, the farm was
inspected and suitable quarters were
found for the workers. Their expert
ence seems to show that it Is fmprac-
ticable to send the women out to work
as individuals, but that they must be
kept together. AS a result of this stu
alton, usually one member of the group
becomes matron of the party and gen.
eral chaperon. Another, more skilled
than the rest, becomes group leader or
forewoman. Although many Of the
workers were from the well-to-do class
es, they were compelled to accept the
prevailing wage in the community and
were required to do as much as the reg
ular agricultural workers for the same
pay.
In order to increase the demand for
women workers, and to add interest in
this kind of work, competitions have
been held throughout the country.
The competitors were Judged upon
their ability to milk. kill and dress
poultry, harness horses, hoe root-crops,
drive harrow. spread manure, trim
hedge, and drive cart Thus 1t Is
found that our English-speaking allies
have increased their production under
actual war conditions.