M.— AGRICULTURE ^47 



downward trend, which, for the time being at least, has been arrested, 

 but I fail to see anything which would suggest the existence of regular 

 movements similar to the well-known cycles in the case of pigs. In fact, 

 it seems absurd to expect anj^hing of the kind when during the last thirty 

 years we have had such conflicting changes as those shown in Table VII, 

 with great increases in some parts of the country and great decreases in 

 others. 



The other two curves show how the general downward trend has been 

 caused. The number of lambs, and presumably, therefore, the number 

 of ewes, has remained remarkably steady throughout the fifty years, with 

 the exception of the two periods already mentioned. If we allow for the 

 greater number of lambs now sold off the farms before June 4, and therefore 

 not included in the returns, there has probably been a slight upward 

 tendency. The downward trend of the figures for total sheep is mainly 

 due to the steady reduction in the number of ' other sheep one year and 

 above.' This class consists almost entirely of animals to be fattened as 

 yearlings or older sheep kept for fattening. These have dropped by at 

 least 50 per cent, in the last forty years, and this decrease has rather masked 

 the position of ewes and lambs. 



Desirability of Sheep Farming. 



Before considering possible developments, we may perhaps put the 

 question whether we consider our large sheep population to be a desirable 

 feature of British agriculture. 



The keeping of sheep on a large scale is usually associated with extensive 

 farming in zones beyond the areas in which cultivation or dairying is 

 economically possible. Yet in this densely populated country we find 

 to-day sheep grazing over large areas of land which formerly grew good 

 corn and appears to be not unlike that used to-day in other countries for 

 corn growing, dairying or some other form of more intensive cultivation. 

 Some idea of the effect of a large sheep population can be obtained 

 from a study of Table II, where it will be seen that per unit area we 

 have the largest sheep population of any European country, and the 

 smallest human population employed in agriculture. We cannot 

 attempt to make an exact correlation, but no one is likely to question 

 the effect of grass sheep farming. At different periods in British history 

 it has caused hardship and bitterness, and has even led to legislative 

 action. 



The high price of wool about the beginning of the sixteenth century led 

 to the conversion of arable land to pasture in order to provide for increased 

 flocks. At that time the welfare of agriculture and the maintenance of 

 the rural population was a matter of prime concern to both Church and 

 State, so that preachers and writers declaimed against the sheep ' that were 

 wont to be so myke and tame, and so smal eaters, now, as I hear saie, be 

 become so great devowerers, and so wylde, that they eat up and swallow 

 down the very men themselfes,' while legislation was framed to try to keep 

 the land in cultivation. 



