THE OBJECTIVE IN PRODUCTION 173 



Certain modifications in these powers were no doubt 

 necessary ; but unless these committees have in tact 

 the power to improve the standard of husbandry and 

 gradually to introduce changes into our system of cul- 

 tivation, in all common sense let them be abolished forth- 

 with and let our agriculture sink into its grave ! 



The chief reason why drastic measures are so necessary 

 now is that we had so lagged behind, and have much 

 leeway to make good. 



Undoubtedly some War Executives made mistakes, 

 ordering grass land to be ploughed up which would have 

 been better left down to grass. But the enemies of 

 control magnified these mistakes a thousandfold, and 

 deliberately closed their eyes to the excellent results 

 achieved by these committees in many counties. 



Through their efforts, bad and indifferent farmers 

 were tuned up, unpatriotic farmers were prevented from 

 growing crops which, while profitable, produced no 

 addition to the food of the nation. And the net result 

 of it all — one million and seven hundred thousand tons 

 of extra farinaceous food were produced in 1918 ; thus 

 bringing up our total yield, approximately, to the total 

 production obtained in 1850— the high water mark of 

 our agriculture. 



No mean achievement ! And it was rendered possible 

 by the hearty co-operation of our patriotic farmers — 

 i.e. the majority. 



It is admitted that we have many indifferent farmers 

 and that in consequence our land is not yielding the food 

 it should ; there must be guidance and control if this 

 state of things is to be improved. 



When control is talked of, it is often supposed that 

 if applied at all it would be concentrated entirely upon 

 arable land, or upon the effort to increase the area under 



