40 THE GREAT WAR 



to the present time. The area of arable land 

 declined in a corresponding degree. 



With the dawn of the present century agricul- 

 tural prosperity again set in. Since the year 

 1900 farmers have been doing fairly well, yet 

 still the process of laying down land to grass has 

 continued unchecked. This grass is generally 

 described as " permanent pasture " ; but it is 

 poor stuff, much of it almost worthless for 

 feeding purposes. Seeding down land to grass 

 costs at least from 50s. to 60s. an acre ; but 

 most of the 12 million acres referred to have not 

 been seeded, but allowed to "tumble down" 

 into grass. 



Very little permanent pasture is seen in Bel- 

 gium, Denmark and other Continental countries ; 

 and yet, as we have shown, there is more live 

 stock per square mile produced there than in 

 England. The Continental farmer cannot afford 

 to feed his stock with grass. He finds it too 

 expensive and wasteful. He relies on arable 

 land for feeding purposes, while the English 

 farmer relies largely on grass. The difference 

 between the two methods causes an immense 

 reduction in our food supply, and an enormous 

 money loss to the nation. 



