Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-24
Waste of Woman Power
Menace to Nations Life

A fcw of the reasons why girls leave
home when that home ia on q farmland
etHtistica show that young women arc leav-
ing tho rural districts for the cities in larger
numbers than young men--aro revealed
by tho survey Of 10000 farm homes
In thirty-thrco states of the North and
Wcet recently completed by tho depart
mont Of Agriculture in cooperation with
the state agricultural colleges and farm
BUREAUS.
More than half Of the women inter
Viewed, although clnssed by the Census
Ofiicc with those having "no occupation, !"
are up and at work by o'clock i the
morning. The working day Of the average
woman is IL g hours the year round, and
in summer il is 1912 hours. And eighty
seven out of each one hundred women
have no regular vacation during the year.
FEW WOMEN RAvE HELP.
Five additional men are required for
Mt least six weeks in the year on so per
cent of 6,0S3 farms reporting, but only
IA per cent OF the women included in the
survey reported hired help, and that for
year. Yet ~ per cent of the women made
part or all Of the family bread, GO per cent
churncd their own butter, in ninety-six
CASES out OF one hundred they did the
family washing 43 per cent having no
washing machines, and only 80 per cent
having running water In their homes;
92 per cen tdid all the family sewing, and
otherwise looked after their families, the
average numbering five persons, and their
homes meaning In the majority of cases
sevcn-room house.
In addition, "a per cent of the women
assist in the field work, 25 per cent help
To feed and bed the livestock, 36 Per cent
assist in the milking, 5000 include milk
pals in their dishwashing, and 5,703
wash the separators. Eighty-one per cent
attend to the poultry, meaning on an
average ninety hens, and Sc per cent spend
part Of their time wedding, hoeing and
tending the vegetable and flower gardens.
These tasks accomplished, the farm
woman has nothing else to do, and may
devote herself 10 such social diversions as
are possible at an average distance of
SO miles to the nearest high school, %
mikes TO the nearest church and As miles
Ia the nearest market, and to the care Of
her children, If she has any.
cHILDLEss FARMS.
Amo ne the surprises In tabulating
the survey was the small number of chill
drcn in farm homes, 7,467 reports show
Ing an average of but l.. Is under ten years
of age for each home, and but 0.S9 between
ten and sixteen years of age. In the rural
homes of the East the number of children
fell below the countrywide average, while
that IN the Western section proved the
highest, with IA children under ten
wears and 81 child per home between
ten and sixteen years.
Significant in this connection are the
figures showing that the average farm home
is more than five and half miles from the
family doctor, twelve from ralned nurse
and fourteen from a hospital.
This means" comments Miss Florence
+. Ward, in charge of the departments
extension work with women, under whose
direction the survey ws.s made, that
even though the farm home be provided
with an automobile and telephone l62
per cent have autos and - per cent have
phones, the farm family may be obliged
10 act unaided IN case of sickness, child
birth or serious accident"