382 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION M. 



2. On. Increased Food Production in Scotland. 

 By J. M. Caie, M.A., B.Sc, B.L. 



An essential difference in the agricultural conditions under which the schemes 

 for increased food production were undertaken in Scotland, as compared with 

 those prevailing in England, is exemplified by the following figures relating to 

 the year 1917 : 



The increased cropping was therefore to be secured much less by ploughing 

 up old grass land and more by a shortening of the rotations on arable farms 

 than was the case in England. 



A certain increase was obtained in 1917, but the most active campaign was 

 in respect of the 1918 crop. 



The Board of Agriculture for Scotland acted through sixty-five District 

 Agricultural Executive Committees, who were asked to arrange for a total 

 increase of 350,000 acres, the area for 1918 being 317,450 acres. This repre- 

 sented approximately 7^ per cent, of the area under permanent grass and 17^ per 

 cent, of that under rotation grass. 



In 1918 an actual increase of 241,000 acres was obtained in the area under 

 grain (wheat, barley, and oats), beans, and potatoes, amounting approximately 

 to 75 per cent, of the extension aimed at. The increase consisted chiefly of 

 18,300 acres of wheat, 198,600 acres of oats, and 21,600 acres of potatoes. The 

 area under barley was diminished by 5,800 acres, and that under turnips and 

 swedes by 17,800. The decrease in permanent grass was 107,000 acres, or 

 7^ per cent., and in rotation grass 136,000 acres, or 9 per cent. 



It is a notable fact that the increased cropping was obtained without any 

 appreciable reduction in the numbers of horses, cattle, and sheep, while the 

 decrease of 4 per cent, in the nmnber of pigs was probably due mainly to other 

 causes, such as the increased cost of feeding stuffs. 



The method of administration of the food -production scheme differed, to 

 some extent, in Scotland from that in England, as the general principle adopted 

 was that the increased cultivation should be undertaken as far as possible on a 

 voluntary ba.sis, compulsory orders under the Defence of the Realm Eegulations 

 being resorted to only where occupiers were unable or imwilling to do what the 

 Board, acting in consultation with the Committees, thought might be reasonably 

 required of them. The Board accordingly did not delegate their powers under 

 these Regulations to the Committees, whose function, very successfully fulfilled, 

 was to obtain definite promises from occupiers, and, failing these, to report 

 cases to the Board for further negotiation and, if necessary, the issue of orders. 

 In the vast majority of cases so reported, these further negotiations achieved 

 the desired results. In the two years 1917 and 1918 less than 200 orders were 

 issued for the whole of Scotland ; under fifty-seven of these land was entered 

 on and taken possession of, under 113 the occupiers were required to cultivate 

 in accordance with stated requirements, while in only nine cases was it necessar\" 

 to terminate tenancies. Prosecutions for failure to cultivate as required — all 

 followed by conviction — numbered eleven. 



It is believed that a noteworthy feature of the schemes for increased food 

 production in Scotland will be their relatively low cost to the State. No special 

 Food Production Department of the Board was set up ; the number of officials 

 attached to the Committees was kept down to a minimum (usually one, or at 

 most two, to each Committee, many of them being officers of the Agricultural 

 Colleges) ; tjie small number of compulsory orders will correspondingly limit 

 the total claims for compensation thereunder ; and already a large proportion of 

 thfi Board's tractors and implements have been disposed of at satisfactory 

 prices. 



