Abstract
EVERYONE must have been aware that all was not well with farming in the years between the Wars, but while the complaints of farmers were widely heard, there were few even in agricultural circles who had access to the full facts of the situation. The main problem is to be found among those who are committed to the poorer soils. With this in view, Dr. Makings has made a special study of the economics of certain poor land areas in the East Midland Province of England. In his work in the Economics Department at the Midland Agricultural College, he had access to the records and, so far as they existed, the accounts of a large number of farms in depressed areas. This material forms the basis of the book; it has been sifted and tabulated to give a clear picture of the business aspect of a cross-section of poor land arable farming, and the picture is none too bright. The conclusion is that under the conditions prevailing before the War, and in spite of a measure of government assistance, many farmers in these chosen areas, and particularly those handling the smaller units, were losing money.
The Economics of Poor Land Arable Farming
Based on Eurveys of Difficult Farming Areas in the East Midlands. By Dr. S. M. Makings. Pp. viii + 280. (London: Edward Arnold & Co., 1944.) 18s. net.
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The Economics of Poor Land Arable Farming. Nature 153, 757 (1944). https://doi.org/10.1038/153757a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/153757a0