Most farmers in this part of the country are not used to women as 
farm laborers; they must be persuaded to try them and be convinced 
of their value. One great diflEiculty in the way of introducing women 
into this work is the impossibility of housing and feeding them con- 
veniently in the farmer's household. 
The Unit. To meet this situation the Unit Plan is proposed, — 
i. e., the organization of groups of women workers, numbering from 
about six to fifty or more, who shall live and eat together in a centre, 
and go out from there singly or in squads to work by the day on farms 
or estates in the vicinity. 
Residence. The members of the Unit may live in a house, unused 
and loaned for the purpose, in a barn temporarily fitted up for camp- 
ing, or in tents. 
Food. The catering and cooking may be done by one or more 
dietitians or cooks, who may be members of the Unit or women hired 
for the purpose. 
Transportation. The workers may be carried to their work by 
motor-cars or other vehicles owned by the Unit or loaned by neighbors 
or employers. 
Wages. There are at least two practicable systems of arranging 
wages. The Unit may pay each member a regular weekly wage and 
board and receive from the employers all money earned by the 
workers; or the workers may themselves receive from their employers 
the pay per day or by piece work and share the expenses of the 
household. 
Supervision. A supervisor should be in charge of the Unit. She 
may be one of the workers, more mature than the others and fitted 
for leadership, or some volunteer experienced in managing young 
women. 
Careful bookkeeping is necessary in order that the wages and 
expense accounts may be properly managed. In small Units this may 
be done by the supervisor, or some interested volunteer from the 
neighborhood may undertake it. 
Capital. Some capital is generally necessary to start the Unit, 
though the money may afterwards be refunded from the earnings of 
the workers. 
Equipment may be purchased for a small sum, and often much of 
it, such as simple furniture, may be given or loaned from neighboring 
households. 
Physical Examinations. No woman should be enrolled in the 
Unit unless she has been carefully examined by a physician and pro- 
nounced physically fit. All women workers sent out by the Standing 
Committee on Agriculture have been certified in this way. 
Variations. There may be many variations of this typical Unit, 
according to the nature of the locahty, the kind of farm work needed, 
the women available and the resources at hand. 
