162 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



On the purely commercial side, the sugar factory, 

 even a comparatively small one, is a costly affair — at 

 pre-war prices ^(^ 100,000 was a conservative estimate. 

 We have only one pre-war factory in the United Kingdom, 

 and it has not done much. The one now under con- 

 struction near Newark has already cost far more than the 

 original estimate, and will probably cost ^(^500,000 by 

 the time it is completed ; it is hard to see how it can 

 pay with the downward tendency in the price of sugar. 



(5) Poultry. The high prices for eggs and poultry 

 during the war have brought about a most astounding 

 development in this department. The value of eggs 

 and poultry last year reached ^(^ 5 8, 000, 000, while as a 

 comparison it may be stated that our wheat crop was 

 worth about ,(^30,000,000. It is to be feared that with 

 falling prices people will lose interest in poultry rearing, 

 and that there will be a decline ; yet we are nowhere near 

 the limit of what we could do with eggs and poultry, 

 rather as a subsidiary side of general farming than as an 

 occupation in itself. 



(6) Lucerne and fodder crops. After the cereals and 

 potatoes, lucerne might well be considered as potentially 

 the most valuable and important single crop that we could 

 grow and the area should be greatly increased, as also 

 the area of the annual fodder or soiling crops, reducing 

 the area under swedes and turnips to the needed extent. 



(7) Stock breeding. We are justly proud of our pedigree 

 stock ; in this we lead the world ; but when it comes 

 to our average farm stock there is room for great improve- 

 ment, both in the quality and in the way of haiidUng the 

 same. Let me recommend Mr. K. J. J. Mackenzie's 

 excellent little book Cattle for further information in 

 regard to this branch of agriculture. 



It must be remembered that our export trade in 



