§ 66. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether it is the desire of his Department that all newly broken-up grass land should be seeded with corn, and, if not, whether the instructions of the Food Production Committee have been so interpreted by any of the county war agricultural committees; if so, whether he will issue instructions to these committees to give full liberty to farmers to utilise the increased arable area within certain limits as they think best to suit the particular form of food production in which they are engaged, and particularly that leguminous crops, lucerne, etc., may be sown upon a suitable urea in order to increase the supply of food for cows and to economise in the consumption of concentrated feeding-stuffs where dairying is the principal industry of the farm; and whether he will take steps to give the widest possible publicity to any decision arrived at by his Department in this direction?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe Board have never suggested that all the newly broken grass should be devoted to corn crops. The original programme of the Department stated that the area of grass to be broken was intended to provide not only for an increased area of corn, which includes beans and peas, but also for an increase in the potato crop and in the fodders required for the production of winter milk. Some agricultural executive committees did not realise this and specified that corn only should be grown on the grass land ordered for ploughing, but their attention has been called to the matter, and they have been asked to make it known that they are prepared to authorise other crops. Instructions have also been sent to all committees that any 2105 farmers desiring to grow potatoes should be encouraged to do so, and also that dairy farmers who are prepared to develop the production of winter milk should be allowed a free choice as to the crops to be grown on any grass land broken up on their farms, so that, if they so desire, they may be able to grow roots or forage crops for the feeding of their cows during the winter.
§ Mr. PETOMay I call the hon. Gentleman's attention to the last part of my question, which he has not answered, and which asks what steps the Department are going to take, in view of the importance of the question to farmers at this season of the year, to make widely known to farmers generally their decision, apart from any instructions issued to the agricultural war committees?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThere will be the reply to this question, which will, no doubt, get a considerable amount of publicity, and if that is not sufficient we will consider other means.
§ Colonel MEYSEY-THOMPSONHas the hon. Gentleman considered the advisability of growing certain crops, such as hay?