Evening star., 1918-05-12
WOMAN FARM UNIT
READY FOR S|LES|A
Ten D. C. Patriots to Start
Strawberry Picking Next
Thursday.
WILL LIVE IN SAWMILL

Ten strong, patriotic young women
who have decided to give up their GUS
tomary comforts and luxuries to join
the national army of woman farm
workers will leave Washington early
Wednesday morning for Silesia. Prince
Georges county. Md, where they will
become "farmerettes."
1t has been made clear to them that
they are entering upon neither pic
mic or a frolic. They had enrolled with
the Woman's Land Army of the Dis
trict of Columbia with the same seri-
Gus purpose as goes with an enlistment
in the Army. They have been impress
ed with the great necessity for farm
help, especially in connection with the
many truck growers in Maryland and Vtr-
ginia who have been supplying the
Washington market and they will en-
ter upon the venture with the feel
ing that the entire womanhood Of the
nation is watching them and that the
same may be said of the American
woman as of those of France and
where the war, has necessitated their
shouldering the many labortous duties
of the men.
Meet Tomorrow for instruction.
These ten young women, the first
recruits in the land army movement
in Washington. will meet tomorrow
afternoon at the home of Mrs. L. F.
Ransome, 1855 Belmont street. Mrs.
Ransome is chairman of the Woman,s
Land Army CT the District OF Columbia.
which is identified with the Woman's
National Council of Defense. and at
this meeting she will outline the work
M 10
women while enrolled in the nations
cause. She will advise them not only
as an ardent and enthusiastic land
army promoter. but as friend and
asmuch as her two daughters. Janet
and Susan. who are now attending
the National Service School, will be
with the ten farm rockies"
''They are ten lucky girls" said Mrs.
Ransome. in speaking of the farm re-
cruits They are fortunate that they
can be of service to their government
by becoming soldiers of the soil, and
because they are not of the frail, deli
cate, pampered type of young woman
ern times. Although these girls are
now all fine specimens Of womanhood.
wait until after they have had few
weeks of real farm work. They VIII
all be physically perfect. and 1t will
go to prove just what physical i'm
provement results from judicious and
supervised regular exercise in the open
air"
Will Depart on Wednesday.
These ten farm rockies" will as
semble Wednesday morning at the
United States employment bureau
where they have been officially enroll
ed and indexed, etc. and will be trans
ported in a large motor truck to the
of hoi
Charles NJ. Cake will be captain, or
unit manager, of the outfit. which car
ries with it the principal task of being
official chaperon. At Silesia they will
live in an abandoned sawmill. which
has oeen altered and furnished to ac-
dows of which the Potomac river q
mile or so away may be seen. Silesia
is nestled in the small fertile hills
lying between Forts Foote and WASH
ington, and the principal form of agrt-
culture is the raising of berries, peas,
beans and corn.
Strawberry Pickers First.
Charles Taylor, a truck farmer. rep
resenting the truckment in the Silesia
unit, will assign the girls to the va
rious farms in the immediate neighbor-
hood. Their first work will be picking
strawberries and they will be paid at
the rate Of SIS per month and board.
Silesia and its environs has been
termed by many persons one of the
prettiest spots along the Potomac. A
short distance from the old mill which
will serve as the home for these ambi-
tious young "farmerettes'' is a cool.
clear stream of water which empties
into the Potomac. 1t is known in the
neighborhood as Broad creek, and along
its banks are willow trees and tall
oaks affording numerous shady spots
for the workers when they go swim
ming.
Another unit of girls to work on
farms is being planned to serve near
Rockville, Nd, within a few weeks. 1t
is expected that a number of the girls
now training at the National Service
School will enroll for this unit.