The Representatives and Registrars organized the meetings to which the farmers and the women were invited, and the whole scheme was explained.  These were very frequently held in the market towns on market day and the farmer and his wife came in to hear after the sales.  We had to assail the prejudices of some of our farmers pretty vigorously and of the women, too.  We found the women who volunteered best for land work were in the class above the industrial worker, and that the comfortable and well educated woman stood its work admirably.

The farmers were stiff to move in some cases and especially disliked the idea of having to train the women.  “They weren’t going to run after women all day—­they had too much to do to go messing round with girls!” This objection was met by the Board of Agriculture arranging training centres in every county.  Some of the training was done at the Women’s Agricultural Colleges and among places that arranged training very early were the Harper Adam’s College in Shropshire (Swanley); Garford (Leeds); Sparsholt (Winchester); The Midland Agricultural Training College (Kingston), and Aberystwith.

The Women’s Agricultural Committee have arranged a great many training centres at big farms and on the Home farms of some of our estates.

The girls volunteering for training must be eighteen years of age.  They are interviewed as to suitability and references by the Selection Committee.  They must have a medical certificate filled in by their own doctor or by one of the committee’s doctors.

[Illustration:  BACK TO THE LAND

WOMEN TACKLE A STRONG MAN’S PROBLEM]

On being passed, they go to the training centre, the travelling expenses being paid by the Board.  Outfit is free and the uniform is a very sensible one of breeches, tunic, boots and gaiters or puttees, and soft hat, breeches, etc., cut to measure for each girl.  Training and maintenance are free and there is always an instructor on the farm in addition to the farmer and his workers.  The travelling to the post found, is again paid by the Government, and if work is not found at once, on completion of training, maintenance is paid till it is.

The training is generally of four to six weeks’ duration and in some cases longer, and over 7,000 women have been trained in this way and placed.

Appeals for land recruits were made in February, 1916, and in January and April, 1917, when the Women’s National Service Department asked for 100,000 women.

The Land Army women after three months’ service receive an official armlet—­a green band with lion rampant in red and a certificate of honour.  The Land women are the only women who receive an armlet—­the munition girl wears a triangular brass brooch with “On war service.”

To induce the conservative farmer to try the women, exhibitions of farm work were arranged in different part of the country with great success, and the girls showed they could plough, and weed and hoe and milk and care for stock, and do all the farm work, except the heaviest, extremely well.