OF AGRICULTURE. 87 



alone, we see that in 1885 the area under all 

 corn crops was 8,392,006 acres ; that is very 

 small, indeed, in comparison to the area which 

 could have been cultivated ; but even that 

 little was further reduced to 7,400,227 acres in 

 1895. The area under wheat was 2,478,318 

 acres hi 1885 (as against 3,630,300 in 1874) ; but 

 it dwindled away to 1,417,641 acres in 1895, 

 while the area under the other cereals increased 

 by a trifle only from 5,198,026 acres to 

 5,462,184 the total loss on all cereals being 

 nearly 1,000,000 acres in ten years ! Another 

 5,000,000 people were thus compelled to get 

 their food from abroad. 



Did the area under green crops increase cor- 

 respondingly, as it would have done if it were 

 only the character of agriculture that had 

 changed ? Not in the least ! This area was 

 further reduced by nearly 500,000 acres 

 (3,521,602 in 1885, 3,225,762 in 1895, and 

 3,006,000 in 1909-1911). Or was the area under 

 clover and grasses in rotation increased in 

 proportion to all these reductions ? Alas no ! 

 It also was reduced (4,654,173 acres in 1885, 

 4,729,801 in 1895, and 4,164,000 acres in 1909- 

 1911). In short, taking all the land that is 

 under crops in rotation (17,201,490 acres in 

 1885, 16,166,950 acres in 1895, 14,795,570 only 

 in 1905, and 14,682,550 in 1909-1911), we see 



