BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES. 

 Food Production Department. 



REPORT 



ON 



THE BREAKING UP OF GRASS LAND. 



The accumulated experience of British farmers is expressed 

 in the agricultural proverb '* To break a pasture will make a 

 mao," but the public comments which have been made on 

 the question since the Department's programme of tillage for 

 1918 was announced, suggest either that the experiences of 

 our forefathers have been forgotten or that the other part of 

 the proverb ' k To make a pasture will break a man " has sapped 

 the courage of those agriculturists who have recently endeav- 

 oured to prove that the breaking up of grass land is the food 

 producer's short road to ruin, and that the only prudent 

 plan is to increase production on existing arable land. That 

 the existing arable land may be made to yield more food is 

 admitted, and that in many cases it will yield more is 

 expected ; but in view of 'the urgent necessity of adding to 

 the food supply of the country, a policy which neglected the 

 fertility stored up in our grass lands would clearly be inde- 

 fensible. We cannot rely on the chance that a favourable 

 season and concentration of available resources on existing 

 tillage land may enable the farmer to produce more food in 

 1918 than, with all the resources of Peace, he produced 

 before the War. Again, although it is admitted that modi- 

 fications in the rotation will enable much more corn to be 

 produced on existing arable land than formerly, we cannot 

 assume that the war will end in 1918 ; or that our land can 

 retain its condition if we largely reduce the area under 

 clover ; or that we can maintain a full milk supply, support 

 through the winter months our valuable nocks and herds, 

 prepare the manure on which successful tillage depends, and 

 keep our soils free from weeds, if we largely reduce the area 

 under roots. 



More arable land is necessary, and therefore grass land 

 must be broken up. This policy has been approved, and the 

 question of immediate importance is not whether grass land 

 shall be ploughed, but how the grass which must be broken 

 up should be dealt with. 



Mush useful experience has been gained by farmers who 

 have broken up grass land during the past winter and spring, 



(128339.) Wt. P 2066 G 203. 25,000. 8/17. D & S. G. 3. A 2 



M221664 



