Occupying Ownership.

"A time there was, ere England's griefs began,
 When every rood of ground maintained its man,"
 Behold a change; where'er her flag unfurled,
 It presaged forth—goods-maker to the world.
 Then wealth from trade, pure farming handicapped
 While glittering towns the youthful swain entrapped.
 In trade, no longer, England stands alone,
 Indeed, too oft, John Bull gets "beaten on his own."
 Dependent on the world for nearly every crumb,
 Is this a time when patriots should be dumb?
 For England needs to guard 'gainst future strife
 That backing up which comes from rural life.
 Though all indeed may use both book and pen,
 The nation's weal depends on robust men
 Inured to toil—a hardy, virile band.
 And these are bred where owners till the land.

Supply of Wheat.
Strides in the Scale of Living.

Earl Carrington, President of the Board of Agriculture, presided at a meeting of the Society of Arts, when a paper upon the production of wheat was read by Mr. A. E. Humphries. His lordship gave some very interesting jottings from family history, showing the great advance that had taken place in the scale of living. The subject of the lecture, he said, reminded him that over 100 years ago his grandfather, who was President of the Board of Agriculture, made a speech in which he said that one of the most important subjects with which the Board had to deal was the scarcity of wheat. It was curious that they were discussing the same subject to-day. His father, who was born 103 years ago, had often told him that in the early part of last century they did not have white bread at every meal, as it was so scarce. If that happened at the table of old Robert Smith, the banker, at Whitehall, what must the bread of the working classes have been like!

In the five years from 1878 to 1882, said Mr. Humphries in his lecture, we produced 117 lb. of wheat per head per annum, and imported 238 lb., while in the years from 1903 to 1907 we produced only 68 lb. per head, and imported 284 lb. For many years British wheat had been sold at substantially lower prices than the best foreign, and in the capacity of making large, shapely, well-aerated and digestible loaves the home-grown grain was notably deficient. It was commonly attributed to our climate, and people said that Great Britain was not a wheat producing country. The real reason was that farmer did not grow the right kind of wheat. It was not a matter of climate or of soil, but of catering for the particular kind of soil in which the grain was to be grown. The crux of the whole question was to obtain a variety of seed that would suit the environment. Farmers, instead of aiming at quality, had striven to get as large a yield per acre as possible.

The Hon. J. W. Taverner, Agent-General for Victoria, said that he had heard a lot of talk about the efficiency of the Territorial Army and the safety of the country. If only the men were fed on bread baked from Australian wheat England had nothing to fear, for the men would be equal to anything.

FOOTNOTES

A From an article by the late John Just, M.A., of Bury.

B Knott is also used for the name of a mountain or hill, as in Arnside Knott, in Westmoreland, but near the Lancashire border.

C From Darvel—death and öl—feast.

D The ancestors of the poet were, however, more likely "Chaussiers," makers of long hose.

E From "Free Trader," issued by the Liberal Free Traders, Dec., 1904.

F From "The Hungry Forties," written by Mr. Cobden's daughter.

G From Report of Agricultural Committee of the Tariff Commission.

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