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The 1921 Wheat Crop. 



[Aug., 



THE 1921 WHEAT CROP: 



BKITAIN MUST GKOW MOEE. 

 Sir Thomas Middleton, K.B.E., G.B. 



With the arrival of harvest the time has come for 

 deciding on next year's wheat fields, and in this article reasons 

 are given for urging every farmer who can grow wheat to sow 

 as much as possible next autumn. 



In most parts of the country the soil produces more food 

 when growing wheat than when used for raising any other 

 ordinary farm product except potatoes ; and there is a limit to the 

 demand for potatoes, w^hile there is practically no limit to the 

 demand for home-grown wheat. 



Since a very small proportion (about 4 per cent.) of the 46 

 million cultivated acres of the United Kingdom grew wheat in 

 the years before the War; since sales of wheat accounted for 

 about Is. 6d. in the pound only of the farmers' receipts; and 

 since w^e imported four-fifths of our breadstuff s, there is a 

 widespread impression, not only that the British wheat growler 

 contributes a trifling amount to our total food supply, but that 

 any effort w^hich he might make to increase our wheat crop 

 would have negligible results. 



This impression is quite wrong, for in fact, w4th the excep- 

 tions of milk and potatoes, home-grown wheat contributes more 

 to the food supply of the United Kingdom than any other farm 

 product. 



Th9 Importance of Home-grown Wheat. — During the War 

 a committee of experts prepared a careful estimate of the 

 sources of the nation's food supply. It was then discovered 

 that about 42 per cent, of our food w^as home-produced, and 

 that the chief items in this percentage were: dairy produce 8-3, 

 potatoes 7-4, wheaten bread 6, and beef 4. Meat of all kinds 

 accounted for 10-5; but it must be pointed out that in the case 

 of meat and also of milk the whole amount which came 

 from our farms did not come from our own soils. 



About 5 million tons of imported feeding stuffs were used in 

 stock feerlincr, and if the amount of meat and milk made from 

 these feeding stuffs is subtracted, the total percentage of the 

 food supply derived through meat and milk from our soils 

 would be reduced to 16. 



The great importance of wheat to the nation may be stated 

 in another way. Seventy-eight per cent, of our cultivated land 



