The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-21
NEED FOR FARM LABOR
TO BE GREAT IN 1919
Department Of Agriculture Plans Fur
Their Efforts to Supply Help in Har-
vesting Crops; GreaI Acreage of
Winter Wheat Indicates
Gravity Of Situation.

Even if peace treaties should be form
ally executed before the next harvest
season, farm labor conditions in the
United States viii not automatically re-
turn in 1919 to pre-war conditions.
Therefore, the United States department
Of agriculture is planning farm labor ac-
Invites for 1919
Officials Of the department suggest
that the farm labor situation in 1919
may be quite as serious as that of 1918.
A large part of our army may remain
in Europe throughout the year.
What Wheat Acreage Means.
The area Of winter wheat sown in the
fall of 1918 is estimated by the depart
ment Of agriculture at 4a027 900 acres,
which is 1919 per cent more than the re-
yised 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 planted
and there has been no claim that there
was 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. It will aim
To tap every source Of emergency help
men, women and girls, from the cities,
the boys working reserve, and other
organizations of that sort
The main effort of the department.
however, is to be conferred on placing
men permanently as helpers. on the
farms, Permanent labor employed the
year around under good living condi-
tions and at fair wages, is believed to
be one of the prime needs Of literally
millions Of American farms.
Many soldiers and men who have left
the farms for war industries-and fig,
ures show that war Industries took more
men from the farms than were given to
the army--are expected TO return to the
farms if they are offered permanent ard
profitable employment
What is the farmers part in making
farm labor permanent? In the first
place department officials believe, every
farm that has an idle period during a
part of the var should so plan its oper-
atoms that there will be work through
every season. Crops can be rotated, live
stock fed, dairying pursued, and poultry
produced, These activities, added to grain
production, viii solve the problems in
many sections, it is believed.
Homes for Hired Men.
Large numbers of married men should
be working on the farms, it 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 department has developed plans for
model structure.
Cooperation Helps Farmers.
One feature of the departments work
with stimulating cooperation and ex-
change of labor among farmers. For eX-
ample, it recently has listed the heads
of more than 1000 thrashing rings in
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
These rings include from three to TWEEN
ty farms and involve not only the CO.
operative purchase of a thrashing ma
cane but also the cooperative arrange
ment of crews for harvesting and thrash
ing.
The plan has proved so successful tina
the same idea is spreading TO other
kinds of farm work which can best BE-
handled by crews or teams of men.