Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05
of American Women RaDymg to Standard of the Farmerete

making ana millinery. OF seasonal
workers thers were forty employed 1T
ford. n. Y. last summer. Al least
thirty-eight Of these young women were
sewing women or dressmaksrs, used to
an indoor life. They found at the ana
Of the season that they were in better
health than they had ever been. ana
freshed. with q feeling that they had
been not only benefited physically and
mentally. but that they had been able
to do a patriotic service for their
country.
Helen Kennedy Stevens, Q Barnard
College girl Of the 1918 class, daughter
of the Rev. DIR. Stevens of New York.
who went to the Bedford camp in June
and remained until late in the fall
working every day the full eight hours
in the fields and then milking one or
two cows or doing other chores after
the usual days work was finished, on
recent speaking tour through the
eastern states told how before the sum-
the work the men did On the farm, even
to carrying q eixty-pound bag OF po-'
tatoes on her back across a long field.
Abraham Lincoln's great-granddaugh-
ter. Mary Lincoln Beckwith. says that
last year there were only eight men
left to cut hay on an S0o-acre farm in
Vermont. and that conditions will he
worse this year. She has folded away
her knitting. bought a tractor. which
will be attached to her automobile. and
after a short course in practical agri-
cultural work at Cornell College is COM
pleted will proceed to farm the family
land. There are thousands of others
with the grit Of this young woman who
are volunteering their services to help
Uncle Sam raise bumper crops for
America and her allies.
-.
Farmers have been asking where
these women can be housed and FED.
stating that the farmers wife has all
ready all that she can do. The answer
is: They will be housed in vacant
houses. barns or tents. and will bring
their own kitchen equipment with
them. They will be no trouble to the
farmers wife, but when near the house
an assistance to her.
1t is also asked just what they can
do. They will pillow. harrow. plant and
fruit. rake hay. shock grain. NIL silos
and do any other work required. Wom-
en- have done this work in different
parts of the United States. and under
other women will be able to accom-
plish 1t.
vassar College has q farm Of 7to
acres. which was farmed last year by
tWSlN0 SitlSs WIN "ctS oOl0~bSe A@osi.
thirty-three volunteers. They passed
tho physical examination and worked
from June II to August IL. They plow-
ed with a tractor and two-horse plow.
put In the crops, MIXED four cows
apiece. made fences and attended to the
usual farm work. Mount Holyoke.
Smith, Goucher and many other col.
leges for women made magnincent
showing in farming last year.
The woman's land army is gathering
recruits rapidly from all parts OF tho
country. They will have to pass phys
ical examination and be pronounced tt
before being assigned to units Tho
two-dollar- per-day rate adopted In New
York state is recommended where pos.
.sible, but the farmer will not be charg-
ed more than he can reasonably pay II
he il to market his crops advantages.
ously.
The land army explains that girls are
emergency workers, who arc trying to
increase the food supply. The employ.
ment Of them on estates for Ornamental
gardening should be discouraged, ex-
cept where no other employment onerA
Rainy-day work indoors. such as clean
ing harness and oiling machinery.
should be encouraged. Canning and pre-
part of the work. where hours admit.
for cooking and washing are locally
available, the cost of equipping a unit,
including tools, would be. Approximate
~. as follows. per girl: Household
equipment, SIS; tent, $3.50; tools, 81:
overalls and work shirts, $1.60: trans
portation (average). $l50. These are
the figures Of the land army.