68 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



first, the effect of a withdrawal of, say, 1,000,000 acres 

 of the better portion of the hill pasture from the farmer 

 or grazier upon the agricultural or rural economy of the 

 country ; and, second, the comparative value to the nation 

 of the normal yields of these million acres in meat and 

 timber respectively. 



As regards the rural economy of the country, it has 

 been a fairly well-established fact for years that live-stock, 

 in the form of cattle, constitute the most important and 

 profitable proportion of the farmer's capital. Wheat, 

 which at one time formed one, if not the most important, 

 objective of British agriculture, has declined both in 

 acreage and price, while cattle have increased in numbers, 

 if not in value, during the last thirty years. The following 

 table, derived from the Agricultural Statistics of Great 

 Britain, shows the changes which took place between 

 1877 and 1906 :— 



England. Wales. Scotland. 



Acreage under wheat, 1877, 2,987,000 100,000 81,000 Acres 

 1906, 1,661,000 44,000 50,000 „ 



Decrease, 1,326,000 56,000 31,000 „ 



Number of cattle, . 1877, 3,979,000 616,000 1,102,000 

 „ „ . 1906, 5,060,000 747,000 1,202,000 



Increase, 1,081,000 131,000 100,000 



Number of sheep, . 1877, 18,330,000 2,862,000 6,968,000 

 „ „ . 1906, 14,839,000 3,586,000 6,994,000 



Increase, ... 724,000 26,000 



Decrease, 3,491,00 ... ... 



Area under cultivation, 1877, 24,312,000 2,731,000 4,669,000 

 (Crops and grass), . 1906, 24,600,000 2,793,000 4,873,000 



Increase, 288.000 62,000 204,000 



From the above figures it is evident that the decrease 

 in wheat cultivation and the stock of sheep, and the in- 



