The Republican., 1935-04-18
MARKETS BEING RUN BY
MARYLAND FARM WOMEN
More Than 100000 Put Into
Circulation During Last Fis-
cal Year Through Food Sales
THE PLAN WINS SUCCESS

Cherry blossoms faunt a banner
over the Potomac; but in Montgomery
county the cherries bloom to bring
forth fruit. And are just as beautiful.
Throughout all that soft country
side of Maryland there is "a planned
and purposeful growing; farm women
and their families plant and sow; di-
vide clumps of rhubard and set out
seedlings in sheltered spots. In the
outbuildings there is a lowing and a
bleating; lambs are born and baby
pigs suckle Justify. And all over the
little hills are chicken coops and runs,
hen houses and feeding grounds.
Within the farm houses there is
equal activity. Not since pioneer days
have the women of the countryside so
completely taken place in the eco
nomic scheme of things.
Practical Cooperation
A practical cooperation has taken
the place of competitive living; plan
ned marketing to rapidly developing
clientele results in security which,
for long, had been unknown. Mont
gomery county was just as hard hit
by the depression as any other place.
Mortgages were being foreclosed, taxes
were unpaid, children half fed and
less than properly clothed.
Today 211 women look the tax col
lector or the interest accountant
squarely in the eye and pay their bills,
The children have shoes and school
books. Back bills are being cleared up.
The husbands are squarely behind this
venture and the men and women of
Washington are finding out what ex-
cellent neighbors they have and ap-
preciating homemade viands and deli
cacies to their utmost.
Bethesda is just spot on the map
of Montgomery county. Silver Springs
is still smaller, while Takoma Park is
just suburb of Washington, but in
each of these places several times a
week one may find a thriving market
business under the direction and con-
duct of the farm women themselves.
There's hardly man about the place
save on the buyers side of the count
ers, although they are to be seen a
bit to the rear lifting great crooks and
pans and baskets of "vittles."
Earnings Large
These women have earned nearly
$500, 900 and put it into circulation dur
ing their last fiscal year. The year be-
fore that they had totaled about $211,-
900, matter of about $4,000 each.
Not that each woman earns the same
percentage. Of course, she doesn't.
There are big farms and little ones
represented, but they're all in Mont
gomery county and they were all in
desperate need when the market plan
was started.
There are four markets in all. The
Montgomery County Farm Women's
Cooperative market is the name of the
big market on Wisconsin avenue in
Bethesda, while the others, one in Be-
thesda and one each in Tacoma Park
and Silver Springs, call themselves
simply the Farm Women's Coopera-
tive; in all they number two hundred
and eleven women.
Mrs. Julian Waters, president of the
M. C. F. WIS Cooperative Market,
says, 1--WE have stalls for eighty-six
and we have waiting list for months
ahead"
A Kings Grant
The Waters farm, rescued like others
from heavy mortgage, has been in
the Waters family since 1746 when it
was Kings Grant of Land.
"It was easy to see, as far back as
'27 and '28 that the farmers were up
against difficulties that would not be
lightly brushed aside," said Miss
Blanche Corwin who, working as home
demonstration agent at that time, was
the first activator of the market plan.
"There must be some way to put
dollars and cents in the farm wom-
ems pockets" she thought. Butter and
egg money is not enough; not with
farming going as it is and the women
unable to keep even their chickens
and cows"
Thinking Cap
So she put on her thinking cap and
went back to the provisions of the
Smith Lever Act, which backs all home
demonstration work, and found the
statement "for the advancement of the
farm people of the United States
economic, social and educational. =
Somewhere in that statement the So
luton lay. Education they had made
much of, demonstration too. but &C.
onomics +. that was what was
needed, practical application in the
terms of dollars and cents turning
over in the pockets of the farmers.
Merchandising the farm women's
products. That was the obvious an
swer. And what problem. A market