1 DECEMBER 1928, Page 9

.What is Wrong. with Agriculture ?

' [This is the conclusion of an article by a successful farmer in the 'Home Counties. Last week, Mr. Boving drew attention (1) to the neglected state of agricultural education in this country, pointing out, that ea-operatiye marketing on the Danish plan is impossible witLout education ; :(2)• to' the fabt that girls 'as well as boys are taught in the agricultural schools and colleges of Scandinavia, so that the whole family.sets an example of hard work to, the extra 'labour employed_ faith. :In flit; article he disbusseS peasant 1-7iioprietOrship and kuggeats: that the Government should institute country.—ED.mbdel farms throuihout the country.—ED. Spectator.] : . THIRD cause of the success of the Danish farmer (and this is ultimately the most important) is that as a rule he owns the land he is tilling. After all, .vie are generally unwilling to give of the best in us except :to that which belongs to us. - Would a creative artist _produce anything of value if his work were to be presented to the World as the product of somebody else who paid :for the effort ? So with all work, but especially work in the soil. One of the" . t forces which has shaped history is the hunger for land. A man who will slave himself to death over his own acres, often despises the chance of making an extra shilling for overtime as a Wage earner. It would, hoWever, be stupid folly to create artificially a multitude of small landowners by legislation, as haa been proposed by clever politicians. The thing must grow naturally, and, above all, no man is fit to own -land until he knows how to look after it. Here again we come back to education. Once knowledge of agri• culture has begun to permeate the countryside then it will be time enough for the State or the counties to -facilitate loans and credits on the widest possible basis.

The Danish farmer usually operates with a much larger capital than his British brother, and this applies especially to the outlay for buildings. The ramshackle sheds and barns, which constitute the ordinary British farm buildings, would not be tolerated in Denmark, where the buildings are well planned by experienced Specialists and built to last.

Now, although it is true that to-day in Denmark most farmers own their land, this was not so when modern farming started in that country. The whole of the modern Danish farming movement came from the initiative of gentlemen farmers operating on a large scale. This fact, which is of the greatest importance, is generally totally overlooked, especially (and no doubt intentionally) by our " democratic " politicians. The gentlemen farmers and yeomen were the pioneers in Denmark. The co-operative movement was started by them. Everything grew out of this beginning. The schools and colleges I mentioned in my first article ' came later, securing the foundations of Danish farming, and making it possible to extend its scope.

The yeoman is nearly non-existent in England to-day and the " gentleman farmer " is more or less a joke. Still, these are the men who must show the way, and 'everything should be done to make the man who owns a moderate amount of land realize that it is his paramount duty to cultivate that land and devote all his time and energies towards that end. These men must be the leaders from which the countryside draws inspiration.

But to preach by word or in writing to an ordinary grown-up farmer, of whatever country he may be, on how things might be improved is sheer waste of time. The only thing that will convince an adult farmer is results as demonstrated by some neighbour of his. The land cries out for the sympathy, love, and care of the educated landowner, for his personal, continuous and earnest effort.

Every father who lives in the country should aim at making an enthusiastic farmer of his son. It should be a duty and a joy to him. If we examine the boys in our public schools, how absurdly few there are who have an idea of taking up farming as a profession. Per- haps this is the fault of the masters, few of whom have any intimate connexion with the land. It should be one of the highest aims of any headmaster to get as many of his boys as possible to_ take up farming as a profession, for the gentlemen farmers of this and the next generation who work honestly and intelligently will be rendering their country a more valuable service than any other citizens. They will be forerunners and examples to a host of smaller farmers and smallholders who will come into being as soon as the standard of knowledge is high enough.

But what immediate steps can be taken, the reader will ask, in order that British farming may find its feet again ? A great number of suggestions have been made but, generally speaking, palliatives are recommended and vital issues avoided. Import duties and bounties are of dubious value. Such measures may bolster up an industry for a short time and may in certain cases provide the necessary breathing space for proper establishment. But British farming in the long run does not need such help. Legislation for political ends (i.e. "land.. reforms " and other ideas which look well on paper and are designed to catch votes) have nothing to do with farming and only serve to confuse the issue. _ Here, however, are a few suggestions for constructive measures :— 1. A complete reorganization. . of the Ministry of Agriculture, whereby the experience of Sweden should be judiciously utilized. The setting up of organizations by all rural county councils to co-operate in certain res- pects with the Ministry of Agriculture, but otherwise bent on the advancement and' help of agriculture within the county. Such organizations to have competent experts for advice and investigation of real practical value.

2. The creation of agricultural colleges and schools in every county, free to all men and women, the schools numerous enough to be readily accessible to all. The lower agricultural schools should correspond to the evening classes which are available for industrial workers in our cities. Such colleges should primarily aim at turning. out competent .mansgers, bailiffs and owner- farmers, whereas at present they tend to produce a class of theoretical quasi-experts and teachers.

3. We cannot afford to wait until the new generation from the schools makes itself felt in actual farming and must therefore try to distribute knowledge more quickly, and teach- by direct. example. For this purpose it will be necessary for the Government to acquire a couple of hundred farms of modest size, from 100-200 acres each, equip them with modern buildings and otherwise modern- ize them and then invite young competent farmers from Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark to manage them, with a right to future purchase. Such men would be under an obligation to employ a certain number of pupils and the farms would be run on model lines, thus becoming centres from which good example would radiate to all the countryside. At the same time the Government should yearly enable a certain number of the most satisfactory pupils from these model farms to pay visits to the world's progressive farming centres.

4. When the above preparation has created a nucleus of solidly instructed farmers, then and not till then the Government and the county associations would set to work to promote co-operation, create marketing boards and enforce standardization of produce.

Is it too much to expect the average reader to pay more than fleeting attention to this article.? I fear discussions on agriculture bore him. They have few thrills. Farming is all so remote ; the .average English- man has been taken far from the land in body and spirit. We are losing our " sense of the soil." But for this very reason it is all the more imperative that we educate public opinion to the vital importance of ,agriculture and, to the necessity for establishing it on a sound basis in this country.

It ought to be the privilege and the pleasure of every editor in the land, irrespective of political opinion, to organ- ize a generous and continuous campaign, to bt carried on for years, to drive home to every member of-the community how -he or she will -benefit by -agricultural development, how the nation will get new sound Mood from people raised on the land, how -food grown on home soil is equivalent to a large addition to the fleet and a host of freight vessels, and how every -shilling paid for home- produce is a- shilling- saved for the nation. . At the next General Election the women's vote--will count for- much- Woman-is-the conservative and safe element in society. If• the, pressing need of proper help-for- farming .is put before her- lucidly, she will vote for- -those who will