New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-04
Campaign Under Way to
Increase Output of
Farm Products.
AFRICAN LABOR
MAY BE UTILIZED
Soldiers and Sailors Get Grants
of Land After the
War.

London, Aug. 3.-One OF the effects
of the war will be seen in a great re-
vival of agricultural life in England
and the United Kingdom. The out
break of the conflict caught the British
Isles dependent on foreign commerce
for four-fifths of their food supply,
barring meat, of which between 90 and
70 per cent is produced at home.
The motto of few years ago, Back
to the land" thus has given way to the
slogan, England must feed herself"
Lord Selborne, the leader of the cru
SADIE, declares that the attainment of
this object is the country's sacred duty,
and he emphasizes the point that the
farmer can do as much for the country
as the soldier in the trenches.
Plans Laid Out.
Plans for the great reform include
number Of important measures that are
70 be put into effect at the earliest pos
sible moment They include the follow
ing:
1. The repopulation Of the rural dis
tricts and afforestation. The War Office
has just consented to the exchange OF
many Of the older men, who in the
earlier days Of the war left farm work
for the firing line, for men between
nineteen and thirty, to take their
places at the front.
2 The setting aside of thousands Of
acres for the settlement on the coop
erative plan of England's soldiers and
sailors after the war. This expediency
is provided for by the small holding
colonies act, now half way through Par
Lament. The scheme will provide for
model villages, better housing, with
garden to every cottage, reading rooms,
libraries and good schools. Conceived
by Lord Selborne, the idea has aroused
so much enthusiasm that wide de-
mand has been made for increasing the
land to be devoted to it by almost as
much again as is specified in the bill.
8. The importation Of natives from
South Africa for agricultural labor dur
ing the remainder Of the war, though
so many objections have been raised to
this that there is little likelihood VI
its being adopted.
To Bring Soldiers TO Farms.
II is believed that the plan for bring
ing back soldiers from the front will
have the effect Of providing sufficient
farm labor practically Immediately.
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 quaint
ties, though the barley crops were much
smaller. There were 5,4s9,939 ecres
devoted TO the three cereals in England
and Wales in 1915, an increase of 24S,-
044 acres as compared with 1914. The
greatest increase in acreage was de-
voted to wheat, or 2,170,170 acres in all,
the figure representing an increase IF
362,67? acres go per cent? greater than
in 1914. and 25 per cent greater than
during any of the years between 1905
and 1915. Every country returned in
creased areas, the total for Wales IF
11.23 acres 81 per cent? being the
greatest.
Speaking Of the movement, Lord Sell
borne said recently:
Il have made my plea for the cult
walton Of the soil on the grounds of
patriotism. The farmers and laborers
came forward first TO meet the emer-
gency, and then the girls and women
from the villages and even cities, some
of the best type Of women, including
many Of independent means, answering
my call out Of pure, unaduterated pa
triotism.