Evening journal., 1918-04-08
By E. c. RODGERS
special stan Dispatch

NEW YORK, April S.-A million Wo-
men workers are needed on American
farms This year.
Tho agricultural labor shortage must
be made up with the aid of unemploy-
cd men in small towns, retired far-
mers. members of the L. :. Boys
Working Reserve women.
The shortage measured in man-power
is 100000 laboreTs. This allows Tor
the increased acreage This year, the
Young men who have been taken into
army and navy and the farm labor
which has been drawn into war factor
les in cities.
It is expected that a million farm
workers can be obtained from the ranks
Of unemployed men and retired farmers
now living I'm small towns. The I. :.
BOYS Working Reserve hopes TO enroll
a million boys.
That leaves million short Of the
required number.
This the Womsn's Land Army OF
America hopes 10 make up.
The Land Army was organized here
in New York following a conference OF
officials NJ the l.. =. Department Of
Agriculture, The Moman's Committee OF
lIIE NfUuilHll NA 4NuNANiiaA AfNANAAaA NAAAA AtAr
wOman's division Of The u. $. Employ
ment Service.
! Considerable experimenting was done
/ last summer by the Land Army, camps
being maintained In six New York rural
communities Several hundred city
girls and women were employed at
/ truck gardens and farms. At first the
! farmers did not take well TO the idea
/ Of hiring women farm hands. But aiier
a while, when man labor got scarce.
/ they appealed TO the camps and many
Of them already have written to the
Land Army's headquarters, y Fifth
avenue. asking that working units be
established in their communities this
year.
In three weeks this spring over 200
New York girls and women registered
at the Land Army's headquarters for
farm work Most OF them worked on
farms last summer.
The armys plan is 90 send out units,
each under the direction Of a chaperon-
leader Units are composed Of from 2
10 100 women. They Will live in tents
or vacant farmhouses during the sum
mer going 10 and from the farms IN
cars furnishes by the farmers. They
will be paid 81 a day, out OF which each
must pay her share OF camp expenses,
or they can sign mp for si5 a month,
and the unit pay all costs, coliectins
from farmers at the rate OF 81 a day
for each worker.
Mrs. Henry Wade Rogers is chairman
OF the Woman's Land Army. Mrs. Gif-
ford Pinch0t is chairman Of the COM
mittee which viii have the response
bnity OF spreading the idea and OF
placing the units in other States.
Helen Kennedy Stevens, New Nors
college girl, tells Of the work done bS
farmerets in Westchester county, y
y. last summer.
I'VE were all city girls" Miss steven:
said, enthusiastic but sublimely ignor
ant OF farming. Camp opened with 3
, girls BY the middle Of March there
were over 20. During The early part o.
! the summer we weeded and cultivated
Those who knew how 70 handle horse'
worked with the horse cultlvstor; thl
others had 20 stick to the wheel hoe.
1--WE were hardened 20 our eight-hOul
day OF labor by the time the farmers
orders began coming In. We liked ihl
, field work ON the big farm better thar
the garden work
James Wood, president OF The Bed
ford Farmers Club, says that wheI
asked about the work 0f the wOmeI
in ihe Mt. Kisco Unit the farmers tes
3 tihed emphatiealy TO heir efficiency
Intelligence, zesi, steadfasiness an,
good behavior