New Britain herald., 1916-08-03

l Is the difficulty of obtaining Sufflclen | supplies of fertilizers and mOderr | machinery that are so necessary 1T
 farming to the greatest advantage now | Then there is the shortage in shippins l tonnage, restricting at many turns oul | requirements in the matter of sup. plies from overseas.
 | We have asked the farmer tc | maintain the tull cultivation of the | soil and the upkeep of his 1ocks and herds duri lg the course of the war | and to increase them whenever possi- ble. Under the uuparalled difficulties
 encountered ke has responded won
 derfully. The difficulties of this par ticular season W.ll be understood, in view of our efforts to replace with
 women the men absent frcn the sail
 Owing 10 the custom being against
 women wor'lins; on the iand in Eng-
 land. the problem las been particular
 Iy difficult. The English type of farm
 laborer is highly skilled and a fine
 fellow. He would rather have his
 women folk looking after the home
 and maintaining the chr'u:en and
 working less ano1t the farm.
 ''The only English counties in which
 exception $ found to th1s attitude, or
 where women work habitually on the
 land are Northumberland, Cumber-
 land and Westmorcland and parts of
 Durham.
 "Of course there is a distinction be- tween what countries with highly
 centralized governments, like those of France and Germany, can accomplish in such charge in national life as we are attempting here in England and in what we can accomplish. I refer to their facilities for quick or 5anizatiOn. In France for instance, there is a pre- rect in every department and a may or in every commune, while practical ly the whole of Germany's population IS at the order of the government. What those countries can do by com pulh1on we must accomplish by VOL untary and spontaneous effort. And the machine here, therefore, is neces- sarily slower.
 But the spirit of the people here is aroused, and, as usual when that is so, the desired result is bound to fol- low.
 While we are not as we'll equipped In this respect of agricultural colleges as a country of larger rural popula- ton like the United States, we are paying state grants to insti- tutlons scattered over the en- tire country that are directing their energies into this vital channel Of 1nstructing the people in the art Of agriculture. When they are further along in their task, our goal of &C., the re-population of the agricultural distrists will be simpli- fled, if not solved. Likewise a splen- did impetus will be given the work of aftorestation, so badly needed throughout the country"
 "Cambridge university and schools and colleges at Leeds, Bristol and Reading are among the institutions that are aiding in this work of train ing our future farmers.
 But perhaps the condition to which has dropped in the United Kingdom may be better understood by l reference to it's history It must be remembered first that up to the time 'f the passing of the great reform bill n 1882, land in this country was a :curce of great political power.
 The bills effect in transferring the oasis of power from land ownership was manifested gradually, and that depression which was the greatest a tastrophe in the history of agricul- ture did not begin until the end of the seventies. That was with the fall In the price of wheat to 24 shillings a quarter, and of corn and other farm produce in proportion. Farming, of course, ceased to be business 
 Millions of pounds were lost, and thousands of farmers were absolutely ruined. Conditions remained very bad for farming for thirty five years.
 lowing to a variety of causes an occurred between 1900 and 1905. This improvement was being maintained and was increasing when the war broke out. Althoueh t had placed the farmer so he was making a good commercial profit ten years before the war, every year saw ess land under cultivation and more acres devoted to grass. The increase n the areas going to grass was due 70 the fact that farmers could make ] good living in that way With less fisk, and the memory of the terrible experience of the depression"
 Lord Selborne will have something to do with the revival of agriculture even now that he has resigned his place as president of the board of agriculture, as the prime minister has invited him to cooperate with him in the task of reconstruction of agri- culture after the war.
 Speaking before the Agricultural Organization society, Lord Shelborne said:
 'Tncreased food production during the war is sacred national duty. The man on a Hampshire farm can strike ] blow for England equally with his son in Flanders. The manner in which women have responded to the call of duty in this war should make it impossible for any man to think them ess patriotic, less capable of com great Issue, less firm in purpose or less prone to sacrifice