Outlook on Agriculture

From this study of trends in fertilizer consumption the author concludes that “if fertilizers can be supplied in adequate amounts to cultivators in the low-consumption countries, especially in the East, and are properly used, the production of food-crops can be profitably increased more than sufficiently to feed the world's population for many generations to come.” But great concomitant developments must take place if this is to be achieved.

Grassland in the drier parts of England frequently suffers from drought in the summer months, but it is rarely irrigated and there has been little experimental evidence to show either when to irrigate or how much water to apply. Technical data on both points and on the effects of irrigation and nitrogen treatments on the yield and composition of leys are provided by the trials described here, though the practical aspects are not considered.

A great deal of research work is now being done in the hope of finding better or cheaper methods of calf rearing, and this paper briefly reviews some of the results that have been obtained in studies of the fundamental problems involved. It is concerned essentially with factors that affect the nutrition and development of the calf from birth to weaning, considered in relation to early-weaning systems of feeding now being adopted on many farms.

Spoilage of fruit during transport and storage presents many complex problems. So varied are the conditions under which the fruits have to be kept and so numerous the organisms responsible for decays that several different methods are needed to ensure successful preservation. Among these the use of organic chemicals in dips, skin coatings and wraps is proving to be of great value in reducing losses between the orchard and the market.

Bovine infertility is a major cause of trouble and loss to farmers in Britain and other lands. Under this term come a number of conditions leading to failure to breed, thereby shortening the working life of the average dairy cow. They comprise physiological derangements of different kinds as well as infection by bacteria and other organisms, and such factors as heredity, management and nutrition may all contribute to producing a problem.