The Farmer 



In time it should be possible to work the 

 yield up to 4.5 or even 5 quarters (which is the 

 Danish average) per acre. 



I contend that we could go back to the area 

 under wheat in 1850, when the whole nation was 

 practically fed on home-grown stuff. The area 

 then was 5,000,000 acres; this at 4 quarters to 

 the acre would give us 20,000,000 quarters, or, 

 if more than one white crop were grown in suc- 

 cession, over 24,000,000 quarters : in either case 

 the danger of starvation in time of war would 

 be removed. 



As a practical man I am well aware that it is 

 impossible to make the farmers view the matter 

 in this light so long as the present conditions 

 exist ; it is therefore necessary to alter these 

 conditions sufficiently to induce the farmers to 

 return to arable land. 



It is very easy to see how this belief in the 

 unprofitableness of wheat arose. It was only 

 natural that a class of men who so little 

 utilise the guide that good book-keeping affords 

 should at once jump to the conclusion that it 

 could not possibly pay to raise a product whose 

 selling price had dropped suddenly from 50s. to 

 30s. per quarter. 



In connection with wheat-growing. Professors 

 Wood & Biffin of the agricultural department 

 at Cambridge are doing most important work. 

 They are producing a new wheat by crossing 



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