GAIN OF CATTLE FOOD WITH ARABLE 93 



obtained by borrowing from the grass both temporary 

 and permanent, though in Scotland the permanent grass 

 is not to be touched, because in that country the addi- 

 tions to the grass land have in the main been obtained 

 by leaving down the temporary pastures for a longer 

 period. If we assume that all the crops except the wheat 

 and potatoes are used in the main for cattle food, the 

 net result of these changes would be to produce at 

 home, instead of importing, wheat to the value of 24 

 millions per annum (wheat at 355. per qr.) and potatoes 

 to the value of two million pounds per annum. The 

 effect upon the production of cattle food is calculated 

 out in the following table, which is based upon the 

 average production for the ten years 1903-12 and upon 

 the accepted ratios for the conversion of the crops grown 

 into food units for the production of meat and milk on 

 the one hand or work on the other. 



Instead of a loss the replacement of three and a 

 half million acres of grass land by arable crops would 

 result in a gain in the total number of units of cattle 

 food produced, over and above the wheat and potatoes 

 added to the supply of human food. The gain is 

 even greater than the figures indicate, because much 

 of the food grown on the arable can be used for 

 fattening and rapid increase, whereas the grass and 

 hay replaced are only available for the maintenance 

 and slow growth of the animal. The only change re- 

 quired in the feeding would be the greater utilization of 

 the straw in many parts of England ; in Scotland it is 

 already for the main part consumed as food. Could the 

 straw be subjected to some partly mechanical and 

 partly chemical process of predigestion, its feeding 

 value would be greatly increased. Short of this 



