212 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



DEVELOPMENT 



The abundance of grass produced in this country, together 

 with the tendency towards an extensive system of farming, 

 which was one of the chief characteristics of British farming 

 during the second half of the nineteenth century, is no doubt 

 largely responsible for the neglect of this branch of husbandry ; 

 for while Denmark was making rapid progress in the develop- 

 ment of this department of farming, and the dairying districts 

 of America were more and more turning to forage crops as a 

 means of feeding dairy cattle, the subject was almost entirely 

 neglected in this country. An examination of the agricultural 

 literature of the nineteenth century reveals surprisingly little 

 information on the subject. The success of the Danes, 

 however, invites the attention of farmers in this country, 

 especially as in Denmark an increase in the yield per acre of 

 cereals has accompanied the growth of arable stock farming. 



POSSIBILITIES 



In spite of the excellent climatic conditions for the produc- 

 tion of grass existing in this country, the grassland is the 

 weakest link in the farming system, and it is generally admitted 

 that large tracts are making only a small contribution to the 

 national food supply ; especially is the average yield of hay 

 per acre from the permanent grass small. It has been proved 

 beyond question that on average land a much larger head of 

 stock can be maintained when it is under the plough than 

 when it is in grass, the debatable question being whether an 

 equal profit can be obtained from the capital involved, in view 

 of the greater expenditure on labour involved and the greater 

 risk attendant on arable farming operations. If it be possible 

 to secure a reasonable return on the capital outlay, it would 

 obviously be a great national advantage to increase the stock- 

 earrying capacity of the country, and, at the same time, make 

 possible an increase in the average yield per acre of the 



