THE OBJECTIVE IN PRODUCTION 168 



pedigree live stock is ver\^ small, compared with the 

 turnover of the agricultural industry ; it does not 

 represent more than 4 per cent on this turnover. 



There are some progressive agriculturists who advocate 

 the retention of our present grass area for this reason : 

 the soil while under grass gradually stores up fertility, 

 so that on account of our predominating proportion of 

 grass land, we had in 1914 a greater amount of " storcd-up 

 fertility " than any other nation in Europe. 



This contention embodies a certain amount of truth, 

 and should be weighed and answered. 



The reply to it is : 



(a) That poor grass land, apart from putting a certain 

 amount of humus into the soil, stores up very little 

 fertilitv. It is onlv pasture rich in clovers that does 

 this. 



(6) That crops like lucerne store up more fertility 

 thiin grass ; and that, even where fodder crops under 

 the Harper Adams system are grown, the land is still 

 storing up fertility if the proper amount of farm-yard 

 manure and artificials have been used. 



(c) In a time of crisis it is nmch safer to grow corn 

 after the crops mentioned in (A), than it is on newly 

 broken-up grass land ; for this land often has so many 

 wire worms that the first, and even second, corn crop is 

 a failure. 



(d) Finally this point of stored-up fertility is not really 

 of importance, if there is a good supply of artificial manure 

 in the countr}-. During the Great War the " storcd-up 

 fertility " stood us in good stead just because there was a 

 shortage of artificials, but this shortage should not be 

 allowed to occur again. 



I have shown already that a larger liead of stock can 



