PLOUGHS BUSY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1940, Page 3

PLOUGHS BUSY

BRITISH FARMING EFFORT. Impressions of Ihe English countryside in wartime were given by Mr A. G. Street, farmer and writer, in a recent broadcast. “Home farming, instead of being considered the Cinderella of the industries," he said, “is now the fairy queen, and the magic wand which she has been asked to wave is that ancient implement, the plough. Underneath the turf of our rich, wellstocked pastures lies a huge store of potential fertility, which countryfolk are now busy tapping with ploughs of all sorts —single furrow, double furrow and multi-furrow —ancient and modern. The amazing thing about all this extra farm work demanded by war conditions is that it is all being done voluntarily. Landlords have waived cropping restrictions; farmers have scrapped cherished livestock plans; farm workers have worked long hours, and the number of volunteer workers is so large as to be almost embarrassing. Girls have joined the Women's Land Army in thousands —and* the worst of it is that just now it is difficult to find jobs for all of them. For harvesting of any kind, unskilled labour is a great help; but for the winter production work of farming skilled hands are needed.’’