Pen Picture of British Farmer

Chronicle (Levin), 14 February 1948, Page 5

Pen Picture of British Farmer

Received Fridav, .7.0 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 13. Accounts kept by Wye Oolloge, which is part oi' the Fjnversity of London, of liiiiuicinl rcsults of 17!) mixed farms and :ii) genoral L'arms in England, slmw that thvro is little to support the view that the English farmer is inaking jnite a lot of money todav. Of the 17!) mixed l'arms, allowing nqthing for im'crest on eapital or for maiiagerial salary, the averago prolit in 10-10 was oniy £72 per hundred acres eompared w i t li £-71 per 100 acres for 1S3 x'arms in 1945. The average si/.e of the fanns was 221 acres with an average eapital of £1S56 per 100 acres. The return on eapital averaged only 3.s per cent, No f-ewer than 5! ) of the farms showed a loss. In 19 lo the aver;u;c retnrn on eapital was 14.S per cent aml .14 farms showed losses. ("ommentiag on these ligures, Mr. I. F. Kasterbrook, the Xvws t'hronicle's ugricult ural corresyiondent, reinarks: "The success of ii farin deponds opou the individual skill of the farmer. Ile mnst coinbine good management with tm-hnical knowledge and experience. Ile mnst know not only what is the right thing to do 1 >nt also when is the right time to do it and this may be (piit e different froni the right thing and light time over the v-ery next liedge. For v\ erv f:irm dill'ers in some degree froin every othei fann and its conditions are inllnenced not only by geography and geology but iilso bv everything t-hat iuijipcned on that farm for years baek. inchiding the cro|>s grown, animals kept and fertilisers us-ed. The soil is a Hving, ciianging thing made up of thousands of millions of bacteria to the sponnful. A farm mnst be learnt and umlerU-ood as if it were a person.. Tliere are prim-iples but no rule oi tliumb. "Farming, in fact, is botli an art aml a science. Tt refuses to vield itse! f up to mathematics or .ehemistry or cosi aecount ancy, useful as these scieiu-es mav he in helyiing to make tln farm a sa'-cess. The su'*cecsful farmer I is nsnallv :i pretty good all-round nmn I dev ited, to his calling. Also he is usnally happv and this is not because of ihe money he Imikes but because he imvgr (|uite knovvs Vvhere the division is l.etween his life and his work. "