SIR,—The writer of the article entitled " Agriculture : Liability
or Asset ? " is too rash : he ignores the British housewife, and she with a toss of her head can make nonsense of the best-marshalled statistics. If he doubts this, let him try to persuade her that chilled meat, preserved eggs and condensed milk are better for her family. Moreover, she could with ease explode his ungracious paradox about the uselessness of British agriculture, by explaining to him that the stock farmer's function in this country is, with the aid of his pasture, to convert imported feeding-stuffs into wholesome,- appetising fresh food. She might add that it is very misleading to compare tonnage statistics without consideration of the nutritive nature of that tor. nage ; as well might her butcher come along one morning and announce : " Sorry, ma'am, no mutton chops today ; but I have some very nice decorti- cated ground-nut cake ! "
It may be true that agriculture is depending too much on Imported feeding-stuffs. But this error is not wholly to the d:triment of national security, since employment is given in peace-time to a large proportion of the merchant fleet, thus helping to maintain the instrument of our preservation in time
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