INCREASED CROP PRODUCTION 



97 



The common statement that in the old days we only 

 grew half our food is therefore perfectly correct, but 

 it ought to be qualified by the further statement that 

 we grew ten times as much animal food as human 

 food. The farmer obtained his profit, but it cannot 

 be said that the nation obtained much food: the 

 1 20 million tons of animal food gave us a certain 

 amount of energy, a certain amount of pleasure, less 

 than 2 million tons of meat, and less than 5 million 

 tons of dairy produce mainly milk. But under the 

 old conditions the system worked; it gave the greatest 

 satisfaction to the greatest number, and so it survived. 



In our present circumstances it is not profit but 

 calories that have to be considered. On this basis the 

 crops come out as follows :- 



HUMAN FOOD PRODUCED PER ACRE OF 



CROP, 1909-13 



1 From Royal Society s Committee Report, Cd. 8, 421. 



2 Assuming 3400 calories needed for one day. 



3 Weights of meat and composition of fat meat, taken from Sir T. H. 

 Middleton's paper, /. Bd. Agric., September, 1915. 



( C 948 ) 8 



