206 



of 30 bushels to the acre, (at 64 Ibs per bushel, equal 

 to 20 fanegas per hectarea at 77 kilos per hectolitre) 

 estimated a total yield of 77 million bushels, or 2,000,000 

 tons; approximately one quarter of the total annual 

 consumption. 



Previous to the war England grew one-fifth of her 

 total wheat consumption, so that at the same rate of 

 consumption she was now growing one quarcer which, 

 although a splendid achievement under war conditions, 

 nevertheless leaves her far from self -supporting. 



ITS RESULTS. 



Of the 300 millions bushels she consumes annually 

 she is now producing 75 millions; the remainder she 

 still has to import. 



It would not be fair to jump to the conclusion that 

 because home production has not attained economic in- 

 dependence in England, nothing has been achieved by 

 the measures adopted. The object of the measures 

 were not to make England self -sustaining. Their es- 

 sential object was to reduce importation of foodstuffs, 

 and this was attained; most remarkable of all, it was 

 done despite the absence of over 5 million men from 

 England. Allowing for foreign importations for these 

 and enforced reduced consumption at home it was not 

 bluff when the statement was made that England could 

 maintain her population for 40 weeks of the year 



CAN ENGLAND BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING 1 



Adequate scientific farming undoubtedly could 

 place England beyond the need of importations, but 

 only a slightly different system of diet would have to 

 ,be tne custom, but here lies the difficulty. 



An eminent authority on agriculture, Dr. Hunter 

 'Of the University of Edinburgh; in a remarkable study 

 on England and Food supplies published some years 

 .ago, demonstrated that not alone can England main- 

 tain the 40 millions of inhabitants of to-day but that 

 double that number can live in abundance on the pro 

 ducts of England's soil. / 



England, then, by the measures favouring the cul 

 tivation of her soil, was able to reduce the importation 

 of cereals by nearly 3 million tons or by nearly 25 per 



