AGRICULTURE AND THE WAR 83 



should consist of two ineiubers of the Executive Conuuittee together with 

 representativer of the principal dealers, merchants and agricultural co-ope- 

 rative trading societies in the county... The sub-committee should use their 

 influence to ensure that all land in the county is adequately and })roperly 

 manured, and should undertake any purchases needed for land on which 

 the Kxecutive Conunittee enter utider the Cultivation of Lands Order. The 

 Food Production Department will be prepared to give the sub-connnittee 

 any advice and assistance in theii power as to the supplies, prices, etc. of 

 requirements ". 



It is suggested finally that " Executive conmiittees may find it desi- 

 rable to appoint other sub-committees to deal with such matters as finance, 

 the survey (on which the District Value of the Land Valuation Depart- 

 ment should be appointed), and other branches of the work ". 



d) The Application of the Cultivation of Lands Order by the Agricultimd 

 Executive Committees. 



The administration of the Cultivation of Lands Order is the most 

 important and most delicate dut}-- of the County Executive Committes. 



It is of course essential that they should obtain accurate and unbiased 

 opinions on which to found their action, and here their difficulties begin. 

 In some cases the district committees are not sufficiently manned by far- 

 mers, and considerable time is therefore wasted in dealing with tlieir reports 

 which have to be referred back to a special panel of practical farmers and 

 a valuer. In other cases, where district committees are composed chiefly of 

 farmers, these are not always willing to give information as to the state of 

 the lands of their brother farmers, and are inclined to think nothing im- 

 portant except the facilitating of their task by the provision of labour, ma- 

 chinery' and other necessaries. 



An Executive Committee can in the first place send a mere recommen- 

 dation to a farmer. " In the majority of cases ", writes a commissioner, 

 " th.e fanners agree to carry' out the suggestions of the Executives ", and 

 most other commissioners report to the same effect. One County Execu- 

 tive sends to the farmer concerned a form which has on its face a polite re- 

 commendation and on its back a list of its own summary compulsory re- 

 serve powers. The results are said to be satisfactory. When the existing 

 occupier agrees to carry out the recommendations of the Executive, it is 

 necessary to see that his promises are performed. Here especially the Dis- 

 trict Sub-Committees can be useful. 



If a farmer is unable to fulfil the requirements of the Executive it be- 

 comes necessary to supplement his efforts or to replace him. This can often 

 be done by agreement. The committee can help him by carrying out spe- 

 cified acts of cultivation, or by taking over and transferring to a neighbour 

 some of his land» for instance the arable part of his farm. When a tenant 

 is thoroughly incompetent or refractory his tenancy must b'e determined 

 summarily. Before invoking the powers of the Board of Agriculture it 

 is often possible to carry through this matter by agreement between owner 

 and tenant under the advice and pressure of the committee. A satisfactory 



