CHAPTER II 



THE DECLINE OF BRITISH AGRICULTURE 



It is necessary to elaborate this latter proposition — 

 that the land of the British Isles is capable of much 

 greater production than is at present obtained, and 

 that, too, at a cost which is profitable to the community 

 as a whole. The history of British agriculture for the 

 last forty years has been one of continuous decline from 

 the point of view of the gross production from British 

 soil, and without considering the advances made by 

 individual farmers or the progress in particular direc- 

 tions, such as fruit-growing and market-gardening. 

 The changes are perhaps most easily followed when 

 expressed graphically, accordingly Fig. I has been 

 drawn to show for England, Wales and Scotland, the 

 total cultivated area and the area under arable farming 

 for the period 1870 to 1914. In Fig. 2 the numbers of 

 milch cows, other cattle, and sheep are shown for the 

 same peiiod, together with a curve indicating the aver- 

 age price of beef and mutton. Finally, in Fig. 3, the 

 various carves provide a comparison of the arable area 

 in England and Wales with the population engaged in 

 agriculture, and the rate of wages with the estimated 

 average cash return from an acre of arable land for the 

 same period, 1870-1914. 



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