CULTIVATION OF WASTE LAND 93 



merit undertook to adopt in regard to the food supply of the working class- 

 es, for ensuring public health and increasing agricultural production. 



However, towards the end of the year, the Government instituted a 

 Commission, called " The Butchers' Meat Commission ". for the reorganiz- 

 ation of the trade in horned cattle and butchers' meat, in the interest both of 

 consumers and producers. The "Central Belgian Agricultural vSociety, " 

 for its part, began studying the subject of the rise in price of food stuffs gen- 

 erally and instituted a diligent enquiry. 



Now the reader will remember that one of the principal conclusions 

 arrived at by this society, in view of the general increase of consumption, 

 was the necessity of intensifying production to the greatest extent and by 

 every means possible. And the Butchers' Meat Commission also arrived 

 at a similar conclusion, proposing to increase the area of the country iinder 

 cultivation by means of the transformation of the moors and heaths into 

 arable land and meadows, and also proposing the grant of subsidies to stimul- 

 ate undertakings for the purpose on the part of public or private instit- 

 utions, as. for example, the foundation of a society like the Heideontginnings- 

 maatschappij of Holland, "capable of undertaking on a large scale the clear- 

 ing and cultivation of moors and heaths for the account of the communes 

 and of individuals, under the supervision of the State and guaranteed by it ". 



Precisely to accelerate the cultivation of this land and to harmonize 

 public and private action for the purpose, b3^ Decree of September 5th., 

 T912, the Government instituted a special commission to study measures 

 that ma}'' contribute to the solution of the above problem and to propose 

 their realization to the competent authorities. 



Twenty five persons were appointed to form part of this Commission, 

 chosen from among various classes, public officials, professors of economics, 

 landed proprietors etc. Amongst others, let us mention M. De Vuyst, 

 General Manager of the Rural Bureau ; M. Schreiber, General Manager of 

 Agriculture; M. De Marnelfe, General Inspector of Waters and Forests; 

 M. Maertens, General Manager of Conmiunal Roads; and M. Tibbaut, pre- 

 sident of the Superior Council of Agriculture, who was appointed President 

 of the Commission. 



Numerous and interesting preparatory reports were drafted by the 

 various members and submitted for discussion; finally, a recently published 

 general report summarises the work of the Commission and its conclusions. 

 From these documents we have derived the facts and figures for the present 

 article. 



§ 2. The area uncultivated in belgium. 



The general agricultural census of 1895 (the work in connection with 

 that of 1910 is not yet terminated) showed that at that date there 

 were in the whole kingdom 169,329 hectares of uncultivated land, 104,365 

 ha.of it belonging to private owners and 64,964 ha. to the State, the Com- 

 munes and other pirblic institutions. 



