A Glance at England
In the mild climate of England, we find that tillers of soil have had little
difficulty with soil erosion. This is true because rains come as mists, slopes are gentle,
and fields are usually farmed to close-growing crops. England is well suited to grassland
farming and to the growing of small grains. Clean-tilled crops have never been in general
use. We found fields in England that have been cultivated for more than a thousand years
where the yields of wheat have been raised to averages of 40 to 60 bushels per acre. The
maximum yield thus far is 96 bushels to the acre. The principle problems before the
farmers of England are rotations, seed selection, and farm implements. World War II
made new demands on the lands of England. Before blockading action by the enemy, the
British Isles depended on imports for two-thirds of their total food supply. One-third of
their population was fed from their own lands, requiring about 12 million acres of
cultivated land for this purpose. Fully 50 percent more land was plowed to grow food
crops. Pastureland and Grassland on slopes were cultivated. Soil erosion may become a
problem more serious than ever before in British agriculture, because of the extraordinary
demands for the growing of food.
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