Mr. Prothero, the new President of the Board of Agriculture,
has lost no time in inviting the county War Agricultural Com- mittees to find out how much land can be brought under cultivation this spring and how much more can be made ready for next year's harvest. If grassland may be ploughed with profit, the Board will not hesitate to constrain the owner if he prove unwilling to consent. The Board itself will take up any farm that is derelict or "inadequately cultivated." It hopes to provide motor-tractors for ploughing, and it has obtained the services of all German prisoners and interned aliens who are used to work on the land. The prisoners will be allotted according to the needs of the counties. " Do not despair of labour," telegraphed Mr. Prothero to the North- amptonshire Committee. With so vigorous a President at the Board, the farmers may well feel renewed confidence in the future.
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