2^4 Increasing Basic Slag Supplies. [June, 



has been made for these circumstances, it is not possible to 

 resist the conclusion that we over-estimated out meat production 

 in the period before the War. 



Even if we knew the total output of meat, it would be 

 necessary before estimating the production of our grass land to 

 ascertain (i) the production from hill grazings, (2) the yield 

 from the products of arable land, and (3) the amount due to 

 imported feeding stuf s. Though it is possible to make more or 

 less satisfactory guesses at the yield from each of these sources, 

 it will be evident that no great accuracy can be claimed for the 

 final result of an estimate that has in view so many uncertain 

 factors. On the basis of the estimated pre-war production of 

 meat, my former view was that the pastures of the United 

 Kingdom produce on the average 100 to 110 lb. of lean meat 

 per acre per annum, but at present I am disposed to think 

 that 90 to 100 lb. would be nearer the mark. 



Moreover, the meat of the " average " pasture is very 

 different in quality from that produced on the finest pasture 

 The nutritive value of the lean meat of our " average " 

 grazings is probably less than two-thirds of that of the fat 

 meat produced on feeding pastures. Taking both the 

 quantity and quality of the meat produced into account, it 

 follows that our best pastures have about three times the 

 value of our " average " pastures as sources of human food, 

 while they may be 10 or 12 times more productive than 

 the poor pastures that replace the former corn lands of 

 many parts of the country. Anyone who has investigated the 

 subject must agree that our pastures offer great scope for 

 improvement. Let me illustrate the extent to which improve- 

 ment may occur. In 1902 I laid out four 10- acre fields on the 

 unimproved pastures at Cockle Park, Northumberland; basic 

 slag and other manures were applied. This land in its un- 

 improved state produces about 20 lb. of lean meat per acre 

 per annum. Records have been kept ever since, and it is shown 

 that on the average of two of the fields, and during the 11 years, 

 1904-14, the live increase made by cattle and sheep on these 

 20 acres was equal to about 105 lb. of meat per acre, or more 

 than five times the yield of the untreated land. The special 

 interest of this experiment is that the improvement was due 

 to basic slag. The results of many other experiments might 

 be cited to prove that on thousands of acres of this country the 

 yield might be equally increased by the proper use of basic slag. 



The efiect of the appKcation of basic slag to some types of 

 pastures is so striking that the results have been described as 



