CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1917, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

. GERMANY'S (PRODUCTION. It is onlv by the skilful use of manurea that Germany has pushed her average production to such a high point as made her peace-time agriculture famous; and as the manuring system has been severely checked, the output must fall rapidly, and with increasing rapidity, year by year. Professor A. R. Marsh, editor of the Economic World, and a leading economist, recently produced a careful study of the German agricultural problem. He pointed out that in times of peace, and with the agricultural system running at its best, Germany could only produce about 80 per cent, of the foodstuffs she needed. (The grain produced was somewhat higher than tills proportion). And the cause of her normal hiige production, says Professor March, is the size of the manure pile." The soil is not itself too fertile; and Germany has been the most extensive importer of manures, actual and potential, on earth. But during the war, practically every form of imported manure and manure stuff has been cut off, Tn addition, the number of live stock in the country has been severely reduced, by reason of tho need for conserving fodder, especially of the kinds that make German dairying highly dlieient, and the available quantity of farm manure is therefore greatly cut down. Professor Marsh argues that if Germany at her best could only produce SO "per cent, of the normal food consumption, she might be able to live quite comfortably as long as the farmers kept up their record, because a deprivation of one-fifth would not do any noticeable harm. But since the farming productivity depended upon a great supply of manures, which has been largely cut off, the food output must be very seriously [reduced. "Tile German answer, to any intimation that tho agricultural production of Germany during the past two years—and particularly in 191G—must have suffered seriously from the lack of fertilisers is to assert that the marvels of German chemistry have now succeeded in filling the gaps made by the cutting of the importations. The real question, however," says 'Professor Marsh, "is not what will happen in 1917, but what did happen in 1916, in respect of the manures of all kinds by which the quantity of food produced in Germany has been determined. . . . The only conclusion possible for the disinterested student outside of Germany is that the supply of food which Germany has at her command is far below the minimum requirements of the population from now till the next day. If this is not the case, it can only be said that the agricultural miracle of all time lias been achieved."