90 LAND FOR FOOD PRODUCTION 



In order to obtain a more precise idea of what may 

 be obtained in the way of food production both for 

 men and cattle by an extension of the arable area, the 

 following table has been drawn up on the supposition 

 that the acreage under the plough can be restored to the 

 position it occupied in 1872, and that a maximum 

 area of wheat is grown. It is not suggested that the 

 cropping indicated is the best possible or that which 

 would probably be adopted if farmers increased their 

 arable land to such an extent ; the table is merely an 

 illustration which reduces the results of the change to 

 figures. Taking the distribution of crops in Great 

 Britain in 1914 as a starting-point for comparison, and 

 increasing the arable to its area in 1872, Table VII shows 

 the proposed distribution of crops and Table VIII the 

 amount of cattle food produced on both plans. Ireland 

 has been left out of the account because the manner in 

 which the land is mainly held in Ireland renders any 

 rapid extension of tillage difficult of attainment. On 

 the large grazing holdings there are neither men, imple- 

 ments, nor knowledge of arable cultivation. On the 

 other hand, the small proprietors who have just enough 

 land to earn some sort of a living by grazing, with two 

 or three acres under little better than spade cultivation, 

 will always be slow to move in the direction of arable 

 farming and can hardly be subjected to legislative pres- 

 sure to ensure a more intensive utilization of the land. 



In the example given, the area under wheat is in- 

 creased by 3,340,000 acres, which, on an average yield 

 of 4 qr. per acre, would raise the home production of 

 wheat from about 20 to about 57 per cent, of our 

 requirements, or rather to 59 per cent, of our require- 

 ments if the average production of the five years 



