D ecember, 1919
THE L ~"-DSWO~lAi':
Christmas Greetings to the Land Army
Tbe President of the Board of
Agriculture and Fisheries
JHj \\olJ·eH's Lnnd .\rn1y\\ill he dt•mobi-
Ji"NJ nn1owmhcr 30th, und I cnnnot ;llkm
o:ffi~rs , nd n ml, ~to ~~·\'er thl'ir ollkinl tlu•
T
\Jl r:mk~ of the
Land • Arnw 1 can
look bal'}· \
•
•
wtth pticle to thNr Rhurc.m d(•\·c.opml-( the hnnu•
production nf Ioont•mirs, and tht• \\omen·~
L nd Army is t•mitiNl ton !'pcci:llly hmwurohle
plncc am on'..! f h£> \'~lliuu~ I orli()~ into which
women wen• orgam!-{cd. In sp1h· of lm•,'('l'
"aaes than might llM'C hr•eu obtHin<·d in olher
ntc~patiow~. nnd in spite of th(' isolation and
disromfMt~ of fnrm life. thrv came forwnrd
in lfll ~c mun bel~ ( () ta k.-. the vl.tcC':- of t }H.' lllP.ll
wJw hnd to lc:wc the land for tht• .Ann~. Jn
almost t'V<'JT kind of fam1 work they hnn•
provt'fl then;. <'I vc~ mo:>t efficu nt Rnbstit nt<>~ for
uwn, and it is cl!rrain , ho.t tJw ~rcntl) mere ~~a
production which was scrur£>d from the .l.lUo
cJuri11~ f.he \\-111' Cntt1d TIC't have bcon tldll<'Ved
,dtJwut. tlw hdp of fhP ,V.omPn'~ Land Army.
I cnnnot omit u ~pedal t ributP of nrlmiration
t(J the c1H~nrfulw~s..;; nrd spi1if nf conuadcship
wl.ic h l1n vt• l.x'cn . uch conspicuous fl•at Ul~s of
the " 'o11u•n's Land Anm. ln thrir nttractivt~
rost unws-1 lac must plca~ing and wvrkmnnl ~kc
uuifnrrn pruduc<>d clurin~ tl~e wa.r-and with
their kc ·n cnt Jnu;insm for thNr \\nrk. thP.y h'\ve
rlmw much to hrighfcn the count ry-sidc
I
look fun\ ,m l '' i th grt•tl.t hop<' to the ron tinucd
inflm•n('(' nnd work t)f women in connrcti H' " 1th
tlw impro\ •mc11t of t~r ~Or.itll un1J nmt<'~ial
comlit inn of Yillnge hf<'. and t hl· prttchca.l
••xperiCIJ('C of fUJ"Ul \\OTk \\bich Jms }IC('Jt ~d.ned
,,,. tfw mcrnbt•t ( r tlu• J,ancl Army fjUilhfie.s
t h1•m to give mo. t valunhlc n&-.i.stnncc in that
din·ctiou ,
I furtlt~r llt'l"' that many of thl' Land Army
(Yid!~ will ennl imlt' tl1eir work on t he lnnd ufter
~lt•mohiJi."'atinn. nnu that they wiJlmnkc n po~nt
SWOMA~ I am asked to sny n f<'w words of
fal't'WCJI.
The Land Army may he justly proud of i ts
record of ~Cl'\'icc. It has proved it~ g1.it. .\ t
first the Armv had to fight. agaiMt a mnss of
preJudices. it conquered. th~se pt't'judic~~. by
sheer hard wmk. stuck to m dt ffic ult condttlons
nnd circumst·mceq. Through all it~ campaign~
it ha~ hnd to cndm'C' much fatiE,rue, many discom-
forts nwl hardships and u..>t. n. few privations.
It hns hom~ them u11. not only uncomplainin:,dy,
but ch<>crftllly.
Fnrmcrs ore chnn• of praise. " l don' t say
that some nf the women have not done well,"
mcnns u. trrrnt deal more t han it snv". It mrntlB
·-
.
that farruen- rouM not have got cm without t he
Lnnd \rm.v. In that fuller scnRe the nation
says tho snnw, nnd with real gratitud e. lt will
not f'oou f01·gct that, when every pound of food
and rHt~· JMil' o{ cnpnble hnndf: were urgen tly
needed. the women of the Land .Al'mY worked
t>,uh- an