THE WAR AND AGRICULTURE 403 



farmer would have known that the reasons which lay behind the 

 advice given were : ( 1 ) That either of the three crops named 

 should produce a greater bulk of food per acre than wheat ; 

 (2) that an increase in the area of these crops could be effected 

 with less disturbance to the rotation than a sudden increase in 

 wheat ; (3) that there was less risk of a loss on these crops than 

 on wheat ; and (4) that either of the four crops would be har- 

 vested about the same time, but \vheat needed to be drilled within 

 a month or six weeks of the date when this speech was delivered, 

 whereas the other three would not be planted for six months, 

 and farmers might be in a better position to judge of the country's 

 need in March and April than in October and November. 



Ignorance on these points may perhaps be excused, but there 

 is no excuse for those and, of course, they had the most to say 

 who complained of " this selfish advice," of " interested advice," 

 or of " the unpatriotic and wicked advice of one who did not 

 care to what extremity he might bring the country," because 

 they are the same people who in times of peace have constantly 

 said " What does it matter about the farmer ? He is always 

 grumbling ! If the English farmer cannot compete with the 

 foreigner he must go ! We can get all the wheat we want from 

 abroad." These, and similar statements, have been made in the 

 hearing of the writer scores of times. They are made by the type 

 of man who is the first to whine when he begins to fear, and if 

 one may judge from their vapourings, some of them have been 

 greatly fearing during the past few months. They have seen 

 " the writing on the wall," but have scoffed at the warnings so 

 often given. The unfortunate part of it is that the punishment 

 for their scoffings falls upon the poorer classes of consumers. 

 Perhaps the penalty that has to be paid by this generation for 

 relying on foreign food supply may be a warning to those who 

 follow after. 



FARM PRODUCE FOR THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES. 



During September the Board of Agriculture appointed an 

 Organising Committee, after consultation with the War Office, with 

 the object of facilitating the purchase by the military authorities 

 of farm produce, such as forage and vegetables direct from the 

 farmer. The Secretary of the Central Chamber was appointed 

 to serve on this Committee. Its first duty was to organise Farm 

 Produce Committees in each county, or in certain cases for groups 

 of counties. Purchasing officers were also appointed wherever 

 a County Committee was se"t up, and it was the function of these 

 officers, in consultation with their Committees, to supply the 

 needs of His Majesty's forces with the commodities named. 

 This organisation was completed during January, and the work 

 which it is carrying out must be deemed eminently satisfactory, 

 as well from the point of view of the taxpayer as from that of 

 the producer. 



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