In a paper called "The Farmer's Task," read at the
Board of Agriculture on Monday, Mr. T. H. Middleton said that our food production was far from satisfactory. Germany bad two-thirds of her land under the plough, while we had only one-third. We must have a system of rural economy which would provide regular employment and a sufficient wage without burdening the culti- vation of arable crops with the cost of maintaining half-employed labour- during the winter. It was to be hoped that after the war farmer would encourage women to undertake occasional labour. With increased labour there must be more rural industries and more small-holdings. Agriculture must be a progressive industry ; and each new generation of farmers must be trained for the work that lay ahead of them. As Lord Selborne said, the farmer of the future, under the conditions revealed by the war, will carry a part of the security and welfare of the country on his shoulders. We agree. It is clear that agriculture must be organized. Even if the organization costs something, so much depends on it that we cannot afford to neglect it.
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