with difficulty by the farmer in the first year of the war. The farmer
secured all the labor he could, old men returned to help, and the army
released skilled men temporarily, from training, to help. Soldiers
were used in groups for seasonal work, the farmer paying a good rate
for them. Groups of women were also organized for seasonal work by
various voluntary organizations, two of these being the Land Council
and the Women's National Land Service Corps. The Women's Farm and
Garden Union also did good work. The Land Service Corps made one of
its most important objects the organization of village women into
working gangs under leaders. One interesting piece of work undertaken
by the Corps last year was finding a large number of women for
flax-pulling in Somerset. This the Flax-Growers' Association asked
them to do as sufficient local labor could not be raised. The War
Agricultural Committee made all the local arrangements. This was
pioneer work of great value and importance as flax is essential in the
making of aeroplane wings.

The Corps sent a group of 100 women under competent gang leaders.
The workers were housed in an empty country house and the War Office
provided bedding. The Y.W.C.A. undertook the catering at the request
of the Corps. The work, which was a great success, consisted in
pulling, gating, wind mowing, stocking and tying flax.

The Corps has already been asked to undertake this again next year.
Owing to the Russian troubles and the closing of the Port of Riga, it
will be necessary to put many more hundreds of acres under cultivation
and it is probable four or five times as many women will be needed
next year.

Some of the Corps members are doing good work in Army Remount Depots,