The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-02-01
WOMEN FOR FARM
WORK IN MONTANA

WOMEN FOR FARM
WORK IN MONTANA
Should this war continue for some
time into the future we nav expect
to see thousands of women doing reg
ular mems work on farms in this coun-
try is the statement of E. L. Currier
of Bozeman, who is federal farm help
agent for Montana. "We have no rea-
son to suppose that what has happen
ed in England and Canada will not
take place in this country. At the
present time the "Women's Land
Army" of Great Britain has e. A.
600 members. These women have been
used for all kinds of farm work and
in the majority of cases have made
good. We have had some experience
with women farmers in this country
during the past year. Vassar college
has a farm of TAO acres. Last year
partly because male help was hard to
secure and partly because they wished
to give the plan a trial twelve of the
young woman students were engaged
to work on this farm during the sum-
mer. Out of Difference to the opinion
of men who were also employed, the
girls received 17.5 cents per hour
while the men received 20 cents. These
women did every kind Of farm work
satisfactorily, including such jobs as
blowing, narrowing, planting, cult
waiting moving, raking, pitching hay,
cutting grain, shocking, fixing fence,
milking, etc. At the end of the sea-
son the men admitted that the women
should have received the same pay per
hour as they did.
Another notable example of the sue
cessful use Of women for farm work
took place at Mt. kisco, New York. A
women's agricultural camp was estab-
lished at this point with 73 girls in
attendance. These girls were given
some preliminary training in farm
operations and later hired out to the
farmers in the vicinity. They were
used for all kinds of farm work and
in the majority of cases they more
than made good. Farmers at the end
of the season expressed great salts
faction with the service which the
girls had rendered. 1t was the unani-
nous opinion that what the girls
lacked in physical strength they more
than made up for in willingness, con-
scientiousness and quickness to learn.
AS far as the farm labor situation
in general is concerned one main fact
stands out above all others, and that
is this. Farm help in the usual guam
titles and of the usual kind is not to
be had at the present time, nor does
it seem likely that conditions will i'm
prove during the period of the war.
We are going to increase our agricul-
tural production in this country be-
cause it is necessary to do so in order
to win the war, and the war must be
won.
The only conclusion to be drawn is
that we will have to secure a large
percentage of u help from sources
of supply that ordinarily are not made
use of. Business as usual" simply
doesn't apply in this case. The bust
ness as usual method of getting farm
help was for the farmer to drive into
town and bargain with some mar on
the street. For some time these men
simply have not been there, nor does
it seem likely that the yare going to
be there in anything like the neces-
sary quantity until after this var is
over. The best solution seems to be
for us to thoroughly organize our boy
power, our m power, our group
of retired farmers, and then if worse
comes to worse, we a depend upon
business and professional men who
have had farm experience, to close up
shop and help us take car of the
harvest.