FARMING IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 215, 30 May 1918, Page 8

FARMING IN WAR TIME

I ■ HOW PRODUCTION HAS BEEN AFHECTED. ' • 'i'ho report of tho Board of Agriculj tuie for 1917 gives a comparison between ' that year and 1914, tlio last peaco year ! for the purpose of tho -returns, which ' avo collected in June. The acreage un- '• tier cereals in tho United Kingdom in !• 19M. and 1917, with fluctuations, wa3 as ? ■ follows :— ! ■ Inc. i 1914. 1917. or dec. ; "Wheat .... 1,006,000 2,108,000 +200,000 i Barley .... 1,873,000 1.797,000 - 76,000 . Oats 3,899,000 '4,789,000 +890,000 : Totals 7,678,000 8,692,000 1,014,000 ■j A notable change of cropping since I IM4 has been an increase* of the area ' under potatoes by 170,000 acres, mainly i in Ireland. (The figures apply only to ; agricultural holdings abovo one acre, and : tlierofoTe exclude private gardens and allotments.) ! As regards live stock, the numbers for ; 19)1 and 1917 for the United Kingdom 1 have been" as follow: j '' Inc. 1914. 1917. or dec. i Horses ... 1,851,000 1,880,000 + 29,000 '< Cattle 12,185,000 12,382,000 +197,000 i Sheep 27.954.000 27,867,000 —97,000 ; Pigs 3,953,000 3,008,000 -945,000 In regard to tho fluctuations it is pointi cd out that although tho total of sheep ; fell by nearly 100,000 in IHI7 there, was an increase of 190,000 in tho numbeij of ■ breeding ewes. "In the case of pigs, j however, there was in tho loss of Dearly i 1,000,000 no redeeming feature, aDd the ! number returned in June, 1917, was the ' smallest sinco 1880."