M.— AGRICULTURE. 231 



home-produced, and in Smithfield Market it commands prices higher 

 than some of our own home-produced and considerably higher prices than 

 any other imported beef. 



The following figures from the Statist show the prices of home and 

 Argentine beef for the year before the war, for 1926 and for 1927 :^ 



English sides, it will be observed, have actually fallen in price since 

 1914, whilst Argentine chilled beef has risen. The substantial difference 

 in favour of English beef over Argentine chilled beef which existed in 

 1914 has disappeared. The two principal factors in this revolutionary 

 change are the use of pedigree sires and marketing methods. Surely no 

 stronger argument could be put forward for the urgent necessity for the 

 improvement of the cross-bred cattle of the British Isles. 



Need for Extended Kesearch. 



Although I consider that the pedigree sire is the best foundation for 

 the improvement of live stock it is by no means the only way by which 

 improvement can be brought about. The changes and improvements 

 already mentioned are largely the results of the ability and judgment of 

 the breeder himself, but latterly he has been assisted considerably by the 

 agricultural scientist, chiefly along four distinct lines of research and 

 experiment : 



1. Animal Nutrition. 



2. Animal Diseases. 



3. Animal Breeding. 



4. Marketing. 



Animal Nutrition. — Animal nutrition is of the greatest importance 

 from three points of view — 



(a) I am sure that most stock owners will agree that the greatest 

 mortality in live stock is due either direct' y or indirectly to imperfect 

 nutrition and not to disease- — probably seven out of every ten deaths 

 occurring on farms in the British Isles (excluding those caused by 

 accidents) are due to imperfect nutrition. 



(b) Owing to early maturity and forcing young animals forward to an 

 age when they are ready to be killed, a much more thorough knowledge 

 of foods and the science of feeding is necessary than under the old system. 

 In the case of cows with high milk yields and of poultry where high egg 

 records are being produced such knowledge is specially required. 



(c) The practical farmer as a rule has little or no knowledge of how to 

 form well-balanced rations ; indeed he has a very slight knowledge of the 



