4 Productiveness of the " New " Arable. [april, 



in this country is already well and highly farmed, and although 



the Committee do not doubt that further efforts may be made 



in this direction, they consider that greater possibilities lie 



in increasing the efficiency of the worker by the extended 



and instructed use of labour-aiding machinery. Apart from 



the value of machinery as a means of reducing the cost of 



farming operations they emphasise the possibility of securing, 



by the application of improved machinery, an actual increase 



in production. The Committee received conclusive evidence 



of the great increase in power which machinery gave a farmer 



to carry on work whenever he found, it most advantageous, 



or, in other words, when he would get the maximum production 



for the minimum of expense. To take the tractor as an example : 



this machine gives better opportunities for bastard fallows, 



early sowings and rapid harvestings, than horses do. In the 



past the farmer has often been compelled to sow at a time 



when he knew conditions were not really favourable ; the 



tractor enables him to take full advantage of brief spells of 



favourable weather, to 'get his ploughing done in the late 



summer and early autumn, and to sow whenever he desires. 



On the farm attached to the Rothamsted Experimental Station 



it has been possible by using a tractor to reduce the amount 



of fallow cropping, to reduce the necessity for dead fallows, 



and to get winter oats in early and do away with the necessity 



for spring oats, which on the heavy land at the farm were 



almost invariably a bad crop. Further, wheat can be got in 



earlier, needing less seed for sowing and giving a better plant ; 



and instead of being compelled sometimes to have rather too 



large an area under roots, it has been possible to have as much 



winter corn as was considered desirable. The introduction 



of machinery, moreover, makes possible certain operations, 



such as land drainage, which would otherwise be almost 



impracticable in many districts on account of the high price 



of manual labour. 



****** 



The extensive breaking up of grass land during the War 

 raised keen speculation as to the results of cropping and yield 

 on the land so broken. To this question 

 The Productiveness the Ministry has given close attention, 

 of the "New" ~ J A . 



Arable second year in succession cropping 



reports on the land originally broken up 

 for the cereal year 1917-18 have been called for, and forty-nine 

 reports for forty- two geographical counties have been received. 

 Unfortunately they omit three such large areas as Cornwall, 



