FOOD PRODUCTION.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] 532, I thank you for your admirable article in the Spectator of January 2Ath on " Food Production." There is one more sugges- tion that might be worth consideration. This is that an appeal should be made by the Government through notices in the post offices to the cottagers in the villages of England to grow more potatoes. In most cases the cottagers have good gardens and grow a sufficiency of vegetables for their own use, but as there is no outside demand they do not grow more than this; but if it were put to them that any spare potatoes would be bought at a pre- arranged price and collected from them in the autumn, there is little doubt that they would be willing and wishful to do their bit to help by growing more than they might want themselves. It is essential that they must be certain of a market for their extra produce, and as they often are far from a station it is essential that village collections should be made. The spare potatoes could be bought by the Government or by the local War Agricultural Committee, and it would be a simple thing for the same authority to arrange for village collections twice in the autumn at pre- arranged dates. This plan, if adopted, would largely increase the amount of potatoes grown, and this without any additional labour being retuired.—I am, Sir, &c., H. M.
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