(1) British Grasses and their Employment in Agriculture (2) Manuring for Higher Crop Production

Abstract

(1) THE task of increasing home-grown food supplies has steadily forced itself to the front as one of the key-problems upon the solution of which the issue of the war primarily depends. The essential features of the problem are by this time familiar even to the lay public, in so far, at any rate, as they involve the ploughing up of grassland and the planting of corn or potatoes. It is not sufficiently realised, however, even by the farmer himself, that this represents only one part of the contribution which can be effectively made to the desired increase of food production. The total agricultural area of the United Kingdom is roughly forty-seven million acres, of which some twenty-seven million acres are under permanent grass, whilst of the remaining area about six and a half million acres rank temporarily as grassland, being occupied at the moment by rotation grasses and clovers, forming a transition crop in the arable rotation. It is obvious that the utmost efforts in bringing land under the plough can make only relatively small inroads upon this immense acreage of grassland, so that we must continue to depend upon grassland for a very substantial contribution to national food supplies. Moreover, in proportion as the area of arable land increases and that of grassland shrinks, the greater becomes the necessity for devoting attention to the improvement of the latter, in order that adequate grazing for livestock may be provided by the reduced area.

(1) British Grasses and their Employment in Agriculture.

By S. F. Armstrong. Pp. vii + 199. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1917.) Price 6s. net.

(2) Manuring for Higher Crop Production.

By Dr. E. J. Russell. Second edition. Pp. vi + 94. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1917.) Price 3s. 6d. net.