SUCCESSIVE CORK-CROPS. 19 



of our corn-land, and without any greater change 

 in the demand for nitrate of soda than has already 

 been met by the advancing supplies of recent 

 years. It is unnecessary to consider the posi- 

 tion of this country were even a heavier calamity 

 to befall us, obtaining as we do from the foreigner 

 so large a proportion of our food, for it is not 

 conceivable that the producers of corn in any 

 country would desire to see the best market in 

 the world long closed to them. But it is clear 

 that we possess in this power of taking a second 

 crop of wheat a latent reserve force which might, 

 on very short notice, be brought into action, and 

 which should dispel all fear of our being starved 

 into submission in case of war ; and this without 

 reckoning anything on the immense reserve 

 power of cereal production which is stored up 

 in the pasture-lands, ready in case of need. 



It is a power, moreover, that, independent Likely to 



check a 



of foreign supply, will check any considerable permanent 



rise in the 



permanent rise in the price of wheat. A de- price of 



wheat. 



cline in the acreage under wheat, when not 

 caused by a bad seed-time, is the natural 

 result of low price ; but when the price rises, 

 C 2 



