Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-05-18
ENGLAND TO Use.
WOMEN ON FARMS
Attempt, Not Only to Maintain
Agricultural Production, but
to Increase 1t.
PLAN TO OBTAIN VOLUNTEERS
Must Pass Examination as to Ability
to Endure Work--Labor Usually
Undertaken Has Been Connect
ed With Live Stock.

Great Britain has attempted, on ac-
only to maintain her agricultural pro-
ducti0n but to increase 1t. To Ga 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, 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
0.1,:d, to train themI ind 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 experi'
cnced 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 complete outfit. consisting of
boots, clogs leggings brooches, hat,
and two pairs of overalls.
Work Undertaken.
The most usual types of agriculture
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
ard efforts were mndc to place them
on farms However. before any of the
women land workers were allowed t.
undertake farm work, the farm was
inspected and suitable quarters were
fcunl for the workers. Their expert
cnce seems to show that 1t Is imprac
tlcu5le to sead the women out to worl
IS individuals. but that they must b.
kent together. AS a result Of this stu
alton, usually ono member Of the groul
becomes matron of The party and gen
ernl chaperea. Another, more skille,
than the rest, becomes group leader O
forcwomnn. Although many of tn
workers were from the well-to+lo class
cs, they were compelled to accept tn,
prevailing wage in the community am