Missouri Women Farmers' Club. 453 



During these sessions I urge that we consider the vital 

 problem of farm labor. Perhaps some one may offer a solution, 

 for it confronts us as a constantly growing obstacle. 



Are we doing our part toward building or encouraging good 

 roads? We have wide opportunities in this line, for women are 

 wont to carry through what they undertake. Let us insist 

 upon properly graded roads and frequent use of the road drag, 

 though we should, like one woman farmer in Callaway county, 

 set the example by doing the work ourselves. 



More and more am I convinced that we do not watch 

 carefully enough the by-products of the farm — how many of 

 us let the wheat straw rot instead of baling it, or leave the 

 windfallen apples decaying on the ground — our gardens should 

 give some surplus to the markets while the house and poultry 

 products should help keep up the household expenses. Our 

 repeated drouths force us to think of the conservation of mois- 

 ture. The destruction of the forest has removed one great 

 means of retaining moisture preserved by leaves. The intro- 

 duction of deep wells instead of ponds has eliminated the 

 opportunity for evaporation afforded by the big body of water 

 which returned to us in showers. We are consequently forced 

 more and more into the practice of "dry farming," experiences 

 which I hope we will be able to discuss during this meeting. 



One most important subject for our consideration is organ- 

 ized co-operation among farmers. There is yearly increasing 

 necessity for it, forced upon us largely by the increasing lack 

 of business integrity. It is my belief that not until the con- 

 sumer and producer meet as buyer and seller, or operate through 

 a farmers' market, will the cost of living be reduced. The 

 farmer gets no better prices than the expense of producing the 

 foodstuffs demands. Hence one must look to the much hand- 

 ling of the same for the reason of its increased cost to the con- 

 sumer, unless perhaps we except eggs, when the hens go on a 

 prolonged strike, as has been the case this winter. However, 

 even then these hens were eating corn at 80 cents a bushel, 

 wheat at 95 cents a bushel and other things in proportion — 

 so eggs had to be high to pay their keep. 



These are all problems for the women farmers. They are 

 part of our business. We are here to take council together, 

 to help each other, and to lay upon each of you the responsibility 

 of co-operation and fraternity as represented by the Missouri 

 Women Farmers' Club. 



