South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-28
f ARM LABOR NEED
NOT ON DECREASE
Agricultural Department Plans
to Supply Help to
Harvest Crops.

Even if peace treaties should be
formally executed before the next
harvest season. farm labor condi-
tions in the United States will not
automatically return in 1919 to pre-
war conditions. Therefore the
United States department of agricul-
ture is planning farm labor activities
for 1919.
Officials of the department sug-
gest that the farm labor situation IN
1919 may he quite as serious as that
Of 1918. A large part of our army
NAV remain i'm Europe throughout
the year.
What Wheat Acreage Means.
The area of winter wheat sOwn in
the fall OF 1918 is estimated by the
department of agriculture at 49.O27,-
600 acres, which is SO percent more
than the revised estimated area sown
in the fall of 1917.
The winter wheat acreage speaks
a volume in regard TO the need for
farm help Three or four men will
be needed TO harvest what one man
! has nlanted-and there has been no
claim that there was a surplus of
/ labor for the planting operations
Permanent Labor Advocated.
The department Of agriculture
plans to maintain its organization
that aided in supplying farm labor
! in 1918. II will aim TO tap every
source Of emergency heIp-men,
women and girls from the cities, the
boys working reserve, and other or
CARNATIONS OF that sort.
The main effort of the department,
1 however, is to be conferred on plac-
\ ing men permanently as helpers on
the farms Permanent labor, en-
ployed the year around under good
living conditions and at fair wages,
\ is believed TO be one of the prime
needs on literally millions of Amer
lean farms.
/ Many soldiers and men who have
/ left the farms for war Industries
and figures show that war industries
/ took more men from the farms than
were given 70 the army-are expect
/ ed TO return to the farms if they are
offered permanent and profitable
{ employment.
What is the farmers part in max
/ ing farm labor permanent? In the
\ first place, department officials be-
lieye. every farm that has an idle
period during a part OF the year
should so pipn its operations that
there will be work through every
season. Crops can be rotated. live
stock fed. daiiying pursued. and
poultry produced. These activities.
added to grain production. will solve
the problem in many sections, it is
believed.
Homes For Hired Men.
Large numbers of married men
should be working on the farms. il
is stated. To get them, better tenant
houses are needed in many cases
and permanent employment is a
/ prime necessity. To help meet the
need for good tenant houses. the de-
partment has developed plans for
model structures.
Cooperation Helps Farmers.
One feature of the department.
work deals with stimulating coopera-
ton and exchange of labor among
farmers. For example. it recently
has listed the heads of more than
1000 thrashing rings in Ohio, Indi-
ana. Illinois and Michigan. These
rings include from three TO 90 farms
and involve not only the cooperative
purchase OF a thrashing machine but
also the cooperative arrangement OF
crews for harvesting and thrashing
N The plan has proved so success
full that the same idea is spreading "a
other kinds of farm work which car
best be handled by crews OF teams
OF men.