The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-10

London, August 10.-"England has
too many farms too big for men pre-
pared to use their hands and too small
for men prepared to use their heads"
This is one of the many pregnant
statements in a report by T. II. Mid
dleton. assistant secretary of the board
of agriculture on 1.-The Recent Deve1-
opment of German Agriculture" which
has just been issued. It points out to
the English farmer how he has been
allowing the German farmer to get
ahead of him and it contains much
information too that the American
farmer should take to heart.
The change in the relative condi-
ton of agriculture in England and
Germany within the last 40 years is
sufficiently startling. Forty years ago
the English farmer was easily the best
farmer in the world. Today he is still
a good farmer and he breeds the best
stock in the world but if the test is
to be the production of food from his
land he must take second place to
the farmer of Germany. The present
comparative position is set out by Mr..
Middleton as follows:
On each 100 acres of cultivated land:
The British farmer feeds from As to
from 70 to rs persons.
The British farmer grows ID tons
of corn the German farmer grows 80
tons.
The British farmer grows II tons of
potatoes; the German farmer grows 90
tons.
The British farmer produced four
tons of meat; the German farmer pro-
duces four and a quarter tons.
The British farmer produces lIa
tons of milk; the German farmer pro-
duces % tons.
The British farmer produces neg
ligible quantity of sugar; the German
farmer produces two and three quarter
tons.
NO BETTER SOIL
n This is not accounted for by any SUI
periority of the soil. AS a matter OF
fact the soil of Germany is poorer than
that of England taken as whole, and
the climate is not as favorable for
agriculture Mr.. Middleton comes to
the conclusion that it is due to high
er standard of agricultureral educa-
ton, a better system of state aid for
agriculture and the growth of cooper
alton and particularly of cooperative
credit societies among the German
farmers One of the principal rea-
sons, too. is summed up in the quota
stion at the beginning of this article.
The system of land holding in Ger
many Is much superior to that which
obtains in England. Mr. Middleton
makes a rough classification under
which all holdings of less than 125
acres are suitable for the man who
uses his hands and all over $50 acres
for the man who uses his head. He
finds then that in Germany 20 per cent
of the soil is held by the first class
and 90 by the second, leaving only
per cent between the two. In England
only so per cent of the soil Is held in
holdings of less than 100 acres while
A3 per cent is in holdings of from 100
TO 800 acres Moreover, the small Ger
man farmer is generally a proprietor,
while in England he is almost inyar-
iably a tenant.
FORESTRY SYSTEM HELPS
The German system of state forestry
also helps the German farmer in pro-
viding winter labor. 1t thus enables him
to secure cheaper labor during the seed
and harvest times, and the result is that
he is able to employ more of it and Sc
cure better cultivation. 1t is estimated
Z that during harvest time five times as
many persons are employed per 100 acres
In Germany as in England. A great pro-
portion of these are women, for the pres
ent woman in Germany works on the
land while in England she does not
The cooperative credit system is also
exceedingly interesting. In England a
farmer who owns his land can borrow
money from the bank if he he needs it by
pledging his land. If he does not own
the land he cannot borrow the money
unless he has some equally tangible se-