A Desired Crime
However long the list of civic crimes there is one that should be added,
The encouragement of bracken. In the hilly districts of Scotland, of Cumberland and of Wales wherever a farmer or landowner grows slack and lax, good grassland is at once consumed with bracken, which both destroys the use of the land and harbours the worst foes of the sheep that are the chief fauna of such districts. Bracken is easily killed by frequent cut- ting or bruising, and grass at once takes its place, usually very good grass. Since Mr. Hudson tells us that more beef and mutton and milk is to be the aim of national farming, the cutting, of bracken should either be compulsory on farmers or, if they tannot`finnhe labour (as often occurs), should be a national duty. Cut bracken makes, of course, excellent litter and might perhaps, if properly_.: treated, make gposLmanure. It is an odd thing that potatoes seem to do particularly well on bracken land. I have this year seen good crops flourishing on land seemed to carry almost.as much fern as 'potato lops.
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