The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-03
REVIVAL
 ef AGRICULTURE ! TO FOLLOW W AR
enIency to Regard Capacity
 of Soil More Seriously Is E Result of Conflict.

Of Soil More Seriously Is !
 Result of Conflict.
 ELondon, Aug. -Correspondence of ( he Associated Press)-One of the q ects of the war will be seen in a C eat revival of agricultural life in Hhsland and the United Kingdom. The o1ntbreak of the conflict caught the Hfitish Isles dependent on foreign dommerce for four-fifths of their food supply, barring meat of which be- tween 60 and 70 per cent. is produced q home.
 sThe motto of a few years ago. Rack to the Land." thus has given way to the slogan. England must feed herself." Lord Selborne, the leader of the crusade, declares that the att thinment of this object is the coun- ltky's sacred duty. and he emphasizes the point that the farmer can do as much for the country as the soldier ih the trenches.
 Plans for the great reform include I d mum Der of. important measures that are to be put into effect at the earliest possible moment They include the Following:
 < 1. The repopulation of the rural dtstricts and afforestation. The War odice has just consented to the ex- change of many of the older men who lin the earlier days of the war left farm work for the firing line for men between 19 and 30 to take their ] places at the front. This exchange Ntli begin immediately.
 9Z The setting aside of thousands Of acres for the settlement on the co-operative plan of England's sol diers and sailors after the war. This ISxpediency is provided for by t'>e Smallholding Colonies Act. now half way through Parliament. The scheme will provide for model villages. better housing. with a garden to every cot tage, reading rooms, libraries and good schools Conceived by Lord 6elborne, the idea has aroused so much enthusiasm that wide demand has been made for increasing the { land to be devoted to 1t by almost as much again as is specified in the b1il.
 8. The importation of natives from South Africa for agricultural labor during the remainder of the war. though so many objections have been raised to this that there is little like 1ihood of It's being adopted.
 < | It is believed that the plan for bringing back soldiers from the front will have the effect of providing suf- fcient farm labor practically imme- diately. In announcing the War I Oflcess consent to the transfers, an expert told the Agricultural Society that in England and Scotland. as well ] ks in Ireland. the farms in many dis tricts had fallen far below their min iimum needs in the matter of la Dor.
 The tendency to regard more seri- ously the country's capacity for grow ing larger crops is illustrated by the figures of the wheat. barley and oats crops in England and Wales. Wheat and oats were grown in larger quan- titles, though the barley crops were much smaller. There were 5.489,93 acres devoted to the three cereals in England and Wales in 1915. an in- crease of 24s,044 acres as compared with 1914. The greatest increase in acreage was devoted to wheat, or D. r 170,170 acres in all, the figure repre- senting an increase of 362.672 acres 90. per cent.). greater than in 1914, and 25 per cent. greater than during any of the years between 4905 and 1915 Every country returned in- creased areas, the total for Wales of 11,33 acres (31 per cent.). being the greatest
 { The returns for 1915 give 2,088,047 acres under oats, an increase of 15S,- 42l acres as compared with 1914, but only 24,s69 acres above the average for the past ten years. The whole oi this increase was in England. The reduction of the areas under barley amounted to 15S,421 acres the totaI acreage of 1,231.722 being the lowest yet recorded.
 Perhaps to no individual as muct as to the Earl ef selborne is due the credit of bringing home to the peo. ple of all classes the importance oi taking prompt means of making tho country more nearly self-supportine in food-stuffs. In all of his ad. dresses In recent years he has lait stress on the point. A practical farm CT and enthusiast on his large and fer tie tract in Hampshire. he has beer able to meet the objections of op. ponents of expert knowledge to tht great adva 1tage of his crusade.
 As Under Secretary for the Colonie! between 1895 and 1900, as well a. during his term of office as Higf Commissioner of South Africa imme diately after the war he had further opportunity of enlarging his knowl edge as to agriculture.
 J"st before resigning as Presiden of tho Board of Agriculture the othel day as matter of principle due tt his views on the Irish question, Lord eelborne consented to review briefly the situation as to agriculture in ar Interview with a representative of Int Associated Press.
 I have been highly gratified by ths ready response of the people general 1y#to the idea of making the country more nearly se1f-supporting from tn, soil," he said. T have made m, plea for the cultivation of the soil or the grounds of patriotism; the farm CTS and laborers came forward first t meet the emergency, and then tn, girls and women from the villages ant even cities-some of the best type O women, including many of indepen dent means, answering my call out O pure unadulturated patriotism.