6 



Cultivation of Land. 



[APRIL, 



land by chalking (chalk occurs near the surface at convenient 

 points) and by the addition of organic matter. The latter 

 will be supplied by folding sheep and ploughing in green 

 manure. As the soil is notably deficient in potash, liberal 

 dressings of this manure will be applied. 



The scheme of demonstration also includes pig breeding 

 and rearing on the open-air system, stock rearing, and poultry 

 keeping. A feature of the cultivation of this land will be the 

 growth of tobacco on a comparatively large scale. During the 

 present season, the area under this crop is not likely to exceed 

 10 acres, but later this will be raised to 30 acres. Arrangements 

 are being made to provide the plant necessary for the 

 propagating and rehandling of the tobacco crop on an area of 

 35 to 50 acres. The objects which the Ministry has in view 

 are: — (1) to supplement the experimental work carried out 

 by the British Tobacco Growers' Society, Ltd., during the past 

 six years, which has been aided by the Development Com- 

 missioners, and (2) to assist those small holders in the neigh- 

 bourhood who may wish to grow tobacco on a small scale by 

 providing a central station for the after-treatment of their 

 crops. The character of the soil in the Methwold district 

 is suited to the production of bright tobacco, and the crop 

 may prove profitable to the local small holders who, while able 

 to grow tobacco, are unwilling or unable to raise the plants 

 or to devote the care necessary to the crop, without advice 

 and supervision. 



The treatment of the estate as a whole will probably elicit 

 valuable information as to the possibilities both of large-scale 

 farming and of small holdings — large-scale farming because 

 the fields are large and well adapted to the use of modern 

 implements and machinery, and small holdings because, if 

 the conditions of the soil can be improved, the light and early 

 character of the land would render it specially suitable for 

 small arable dairy holdings, more or less on the lines of Danish 

 farming. 



****** 



During the War wide powers were given to the Ministry 

 to take over and cultivate land which, it was thought, was not 

 being farmed to the best advantage. 

 Cultivation of Land These powers were delegated to County 



n . k y Agricultural Executive Committees, and 



County Executive 6 . , . A . ' 



Committees. were exercised m practically every county 

 in England and Wales. Possession of badly- 

 farmed land was taken in over 1,000 instances, covering a 



