Browning chief., 1944-10-06
Joke Is on Hitler
As He Unwittingly
Aids Food Program

Whatever insane plans were
behind the Nazi robot bombing,
certainly helping the English
farmer was not one of them.
Yet that is what has happened.
AS the harvest season of 1914
approached, it seemed certain
that there would be an acute
shortage of farm laborers. In
other years the army had been
able to assist with the harvest,
but the army is now busy in
France and elsewhere. There
are few young men left in Eng
land. The Women's Land army
has helped all through the war
years, but this year it was al
ready fully employed.
The situation looked pretty bad
with the richest harvest since the
war and not enough help to bring
it in. Then along came the robot
bomb, or "doodlebug," striking at
London and the surrounding coun-
ties. The doodlebug does not have
the penetrating qualities of earlier
blitz bombs, but it has blast effect
that covers a lot more territory.
During attacks houses are damaged
at the rate of 700 an hour.
So the evacuation of London was
begun all over again. One million
women, children and older men have
already left the city, and the second
million has started. Where are they
going? Straight to the farms where
they are helping to reap the wheat,
gather the corn, fax and other
crops.
Evacuation is an old story to most
of these people. They are the ones
who left during the blitz attacks of
1910 and Al and who returned to
their homes in 1912 and 49, This
time many of them do not have
homes to which to return. Even
with the crews of plasterers, plumb
ers, tilers, etc., who follow along
after an attack to make first aid'
repairs, the great majority of homes
are beyond repair. 1t is not surpris-
ing then that many former towns
people plan to stay on farms after
the war.
Intend to Stay on Farm.
In fact, ever since the war began,
quite a number of people have been
going on farms with the intention
of staying. They spend a period of
apprenticeship with a farmer first,
and usually make good farmers.
Even before the war the motor bus
had fairly revolutionized farm life
and took away some of its terrors
for townspeople. There have never
been many automobiles in England
because of their high cost, and prac-
tically none in farming communi-
ties. Bicycles have always been the
chief means of transportation.
The British equivalent to the
American county fair is the walk
over an annual fall event. Be-
cause of the shorter distances in
England, the farmers 60 in groups
from one farm to another comparing
crops and produce. They gather for
tea in the afternoon and discuss the
methods of cultivation and argue
over breeds of cattle, etc. There is
quite bit of interest in different
types of fertilizer and many have
been tried.
The farms are as rule much
smaller than those in the U. Sin
fact, all distances in England are
shorter than in this country since
the whole of Britain is about as
large as Illinois and Indiana put to-
gether.
The English people are in good
spirits, notwithstanding the dread
full bombings, and are looking for
ward to enjoying the fruits of peace.
Oddly enough, the farm animals
around London were more upset
than the people The doodlebugs
often fall or are shot down over
open country in the counties of Kent.
Sussex, Essex and Middlesex, all
on the channel coast. The cows par
ticularly were upset by the crazy
contraption and didn't produce as
well as they had However, it didn't
take long for them to become ad-
justed, as animals-especially COWS
usually do, and they are now up
to their previous records.
The way city people have adapted
themselves to farm life is remark
able. Town girls who had never
been near a farm before are now
doing dairy work with zest They
are happy and look wonderful. They
are housed in brick buildings of
semi-permanent nature where they
eat in communal dining rooms that
are nicely furnished.
More Machinery in Use.
There has been a decided in
crease in the use of farm machinery
since the outbreak of war. Today
ENGLAND is the most highlv mech