REMEDIES SUGGESTED. 69 



work of the spring. Why then attempt to fly in the face 

 of Providence and force the growth of wheat where obviously 

 long neglected potatoes, green crops and beet are intended 

 to be grown as main produce, because they grow there most 

 lustily ? Last August with its rains and storms has given us 

 a reminder — which may have been intended to be providen- 

 tial — ^in view of our disposition to s^^'im against the stream — 

 that if we insist upon relying upon our own cultivation of 

 wheat, we may at times find ourselves reduced to very short 

 commons. We cannot successfully fight against climatic 

 influences. " If the experience were to become common," 

 so writes the Agricultural Correspondent of the Times, 

 " it would be necessary to devise some means of securing 

 the crops, which is not yet adopted in this country." And 

 he goes on : " Wet harvests are not rare in our climate, 

 especially in the North, where the dripping corn is some- 

 times carried into drying racks, heating being obviated by 

 the use of wires, on which the sheaves are suspended and 

 can remain to dry as the season permits." Then why 

 attempt to be unreasonable and set, in Lord Macaulay's 

 phrase, " piano makers to bake our bread and bakers to 

 make our pianos " ? The same wet seasons have no terrors 

 for green crops. In fact the wheat's poison is the green 

 crop's meat. With our climate, such as it is, are we to 

 fight the French vine growers \vith our hothouse grapes ? 

 In wheat growing we cannot compete with Manitoba or 

 Argentina, or even Hungary. 



That is not all that is to be said in favour of making 

 green and root produce our " pivot crops." Professor 

 Wood, of Cambridge, has calculated what great waste there 

 is in our production of meat and milk by feeding with corn 

 — at any rate in hard times, such as we are now proposing 

 to guard against, when corn is urgently required for human 

 food. It takes 12 lb. of dry grain to produce i lb. of dry 

 human food in the shape of pork ; 14 lb. in the shape of 

 poultry, much more in the shape of beef and mutton. " No 

 animal returns in meat anything like the food value that it 

 absorbs in the shape of corn." Meat food for man is, in- 

 deed, more valuable pound for pound than animal fodder. 



