x.

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,
working in the stables and exercising the horses. One of the latest
interesting developments of women's work is in the care of sick
horses, carried out in the Horse Hospital in London.

Within nine months of the outbreak of war, it was clear we must secure
help for the farmers, in order to enable them to do their work. As the
submarine menace developed, and the supply of grain in the world was
affected by the numbers of men taken away from production, it was
clear we must try to grow more food.

Our grain production at the best was only twelve weeks of our supply,
and even to keep up to that seemed to be a problem.

It was clear that in agriculture, as in so many other things, women
must fill up the ranks, and in the first official appeal of the
Government for additional woman labor, the land had an important
place.

Lord Selborne, President of the Board of Agriculture, drew up a
scheme for the organization of agriculture throughout the country.
It consisted of War Agricultural Committee set up in each county who
look after production, use of land, procuring use of motor machinery,
etc., and of Women's Agricultural Committees. The latter undertake the
organization of securing women workers for the land, choosing them,
and arranging for training and placing out.

The voluntary groups of women who have been working at the problem in
the war are now practically all merged in the Board of Agriculture's
organization. The Women's Branch of the Food Production Department
now controls and arranged the whole work and Miss Meriel Talbot is the
able chief.

The Women's Land Corps, like the other organizations, was prepared to
be merged in the new Land Army of the Board and to cease to exist as a
separate organization. Its members were willing to become part of the
new Land Army.

The Board found there was a distinct need for a voluntary association
which would continue to enroll women, who could not sign on for the
duration of the war, and who were able to forego the benefits of free
training, outfit and travelling given under the Government scheme.
Over 100 memb