BRITAIN’S LAND ARMY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20860, 12 August 1942, Page 3

BRITAIN’S LAND ARMY

VOLUNTEER HARVESTERS RECORD ACREAGE , LONDON, Aug. 3. Britain’s volunteer “pitchfork army,” estimated at more than 500,000 men, women and children, went into action this week-end to help bring in the greatest harvest the United Kingdom has ever yielded —provided .the weather is kind. Harvesting will continue for 10 weeks; less if the weather is exceptionally favourable. Grain, garden produce, and fruit will be gathered from 18,000,000 acres, the greatest area that has been cultivated since 1870. Much of this land was covered with scrub for years. Some of it was formerly racecourses, golf links, and parklands. Practically every county shares the credit. For instance, Leicestershire is harvesting 200,000 acres, compared with 07,000 acres before the war. Gloucestershire is reaping 85,000 acres of wheat, compared with 37,000 acres. Twenty thousand older schoolboys are about to occupy 5000 camps from which they will assist neighbouring farmers. Former cycling clubs have been converted to volunteer land clubs. Their members at night and at week-ends cycle out to farms arranged on a roster by the secretaries. Berkshire has formed the first Home Guard land corps, an example which is likely to be followed throughout Britain. Hertfordshire, on July 30, joined with Middlesex and Worcester as the first counties to open harvest holiday camps, where 500 volunteers work under canvas v/ith proper labour conditions. The Middlesex and Worcester camps were filled immediately. Organised and keen workers are able to make 48s a week profit after paying board. One of the knottiest problems is to ensure that the machinery is working to the utmost capacity. The Ministry of Agriculture recently conducted a census to facilitate a lastminute redistribution of tractors, reapers, and so on, to meet variations in local weather and availability of labour, __