OCTOBEE 8, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



483 



some small quantities of wheat or flour and 

 of eggs from Germany, Hungary and Tur- 

 key, some poultry from Austria-Hungary, 

 and some fruit from Germany and Turkey, 

 but the whole amount was insignificant. 

 The practical cessation of supplies from 

 Russia was the most serious loss, as we drew 

 from thence on an average 9 per cent, of 

 our wheat, 9 per cent, of our butter and 

 16 per cent, of our eggs. 



The rather humiliating panic which took 

 possession during the first few days of the 

 war of a certain section of the population, 

 who rushed to accumulate stores of provi- 

 sions, arose not only from selfishness but 

 from insufficient appreciation of the main 

 facts about food supplies. Our. large im- 

 ports of food are constantly dinned into 

 the ears of the people, but the extent and 

 possibilities of our native resources are 

 practically unknown. It is very natural, 

 therefore, that the man in the street should 

 assume that even a temporary interruption 

 of oversea supplies would bring us face to 

 face with famine. 



Within the first few days of the war, the 

 government, through the board of agricul- 

 ture, obtained returns not only of the stocks 

 of all kinds of food-stuffs in the country but 

 also of the stocks of feeding-stuffs for ani- 

 mals and of fertilizers for the land. Powers 

 were taken under the articles of commerce 

 (returns, etc.) act to compel holders of 



stocks to make returns, but it is due to the 

 trading community to say that in only two 

 instances, so far as the board of agriculture 

 was concerned, was it necessary to have re- 

 course to compulsion. The returns of stocks 

 of food-stuffs, feeding-stuffs and fertilizers 

 have been made regularly to the board of 

 agriculture" every month since the out- 

 break of war, and the loyal cooperation of 

 the traders concerned deserves cordial re- 

 cognition by those whose official duty has 

 been rendered comparatively easy by their 

 assistance. I may be allowed to add that 

 the readiness with which traders communi- 

 cated information which was, of course, of 

 a very confidential nature, displayed a con- 

 fidence in government departments which 

 they may regard with some satisfaction. 



A very casual glance at the national 

 dietary suffices to show that John Bull is 

 an omnivorous feeder, and as the whole 

 world has eagerly catered for his table his 

 demands are exigent. But, for various rea- 

 sons, our daily bread, reluctant though 

 most of us would be to be restricted to it, 

 is regarded as the measure and index of our 

 food supplies. On the 4th of August the 

 board of agriculture published an announce- 

 ment that they estimated the wheat-crop 

 then on the verge of harvest at 7,000,000 

 quarters, and that, including other stocks 

 in hand, there was at that time sufficient 

 wheat in the country to feed the whole 

 population for four months; and a few 

 days later, having then obtained further 

 information from about 160 of the prin- 

 cipal millers, they stated that the supplies 

 in the country were sufficient for five 

 months' consumption. The board also an- 

 nounced, on August 5, that the potato crop 

 would furnish a full supply for a whole 



3 Returns in Scotland and Ireland are made to 

 the Agricultural Departments of those countries 

 and the results transmitted to the Board of Agri- 

 culture and Fisheries. 



