THE CALL FOR RURAL RECONSTRUCTION 9 



ing course. There are bo many to whom old ways have grown 

 dear ! In clearing a forest area fallen into bad condition — such as 

 the recent Forest Inquiry has shown most of our so-called " forests " 

 to be in, valueless underwood covering the ground, with rotten 

 stumps peeping out here and there, and only an occasional good 

 trunk rising up — there is needs a mass of rubbish that has absolutely 

 to be cut down, probably with many a picturesque old tree among 

 it, which, on artistic grounds, and grounds of cherished associations, 

 old people are loth to see removed. Nevertheless, if utilitarianism, 

 which now necessarily governs all things, is to be allowed its sway, 

 go it must. It is about these picturesque, loved but useless cumber- 

 ground trunks that the battle in respect of agriculture is now being 

 waged. In a changing world, in which new wants pronounce and 

 assert themselves as population grows and spreads, and as it pene- 

 trates into new ground — because multiplying men require more 

 elbow-room — we shall, as Ovid insists, have " to change with it." 

 Agriculture is not exempt from such necessity of change. It is 

 not the master, but the servant of the people. If the nation is to 

 thrive, it will have to be made a profitable servant, a servant yielding 

 all the work that the nation has a right to look for from it, multiply- 

 ing the talent entrusted to it, if possible, to ten. And the question, 

 a serious one to settle, is how that maximum of profitableness is to 

 be attained. That will have to be the governing issue. It is idle 

 to shed tears over the disappearance of a number of those splendid- 

 looking large farms, with large, symmetrical breaks, all rectangular 

 and shipshape, and neatly trimmed, when the population around, 

 for whom the land was made, becomes eager to claim its part for 

 living on, for forming happy homes and prosperous communities. 

 It is idle to lament over the disappearing wheat, when the nation 

 sorely wants other food, as not living by bread alone. We have 

 had our turn of strenuous wheat growing. Of course, it was abso- 

 lutely necessary, whatever the consequences might be, so long as 

 the War lasted, and for a little time after. But we have come to see 

 also the seamy side of that enforced, but otherwise faulty, farming. 

 Milk, butter, cheese, meat — where are they ? The human palate 

 does not much relish margarine ; and sugarless existence — since 

 we grow no sugar beet to speak of — proved a " weariness of the flesh." 

 We used to have cream. That is now, at the time of writing, a 

 delicacy reserved for modern Vitelliuses. Nevertheless, our praisers 

 of past times go on insistingly harping upon wheat as our stock 

 crop, in the production of which we are not a patch upon such 

 countries as Hungary, Argentina and Canada. We have grown it, 



