§ 32. Mr. ALDENasked whether there is no corn that can be sown on some land in the spring that will produce so much good human food as barley; whether he is aware that thousands of acres of land that in the usual course would produce good crops of barley will not be sown, because the farmers are declaring they will not sow barley if they are not allowed to use the crop to the best advantage so as to provide the much needed food; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Board have no information which would lead them to suppose that thousands of acres of barley land will not be sown with that crop this year. A few farmers may refrain from sowing barley because they are not allowed to use it for stock feeding, but, in general, farmers are growing the crops most suitable to the soils they cultivate. A proposal is under consideration to allow farmers to reserve for stock feeding any extra acreage of corn they may grow over and above the requirements of the Agricultural Executive Com- 1356 mittee, but this could not be done if it would endanger the sale of the main barley crop for human food.
§ Sir R. WINFREYWhen he actually grows an extra acreage of corn over and above what he has grown in previous years.