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W. Earl Hall World War II stories, 1944

Letter #45

slug-British and -4
By W. EARL HALL
Globe-Gazette Managing Editor
Letter No. 45
London, England--(By Air Special)--The business of food production on this little island is something quite different from the agriculture of middle United States--Iowa to be specific.
The soil, generally speaking, appears to be not nearly so fertile as the land to which I have been accustomed.  Certainly it isn't the black loam which I associate with fertility.
While the growing season is much longer, extending from March or April into late November, there is no hot weather, judged from the Iowa standard.  A temperature of 85 is rare indeed.
Because of this lack of heat, corn--even sweetcorn--is all but unknown here.  Wheat, rye, barley and oats (the last-named in Scotland) do extremely well.
I shouldn't be surprised if these small grains (they're called "corn" by the Britishers) produce a greater per acre yield than we know in the United States, due to a more intensive cultivation and the usual adequacy of moisture.
Fields are small, from 3 to 10 acres, and they're separated one from another by picturesque but rather expensive hedgerows instead of fences.  Usually of hawthorn, they're a most interesting phenomenon in British agriculture.
They go back into antiquity, of course.  Setting them out, directing their growth by bending the branches and keeping them trimmed is a job for specialists of whom there has been a great shortage during the war.
When a tenant moves on to a farm, an obligation to maintain these hedgerows is written into his lease.  If on leaving the premises for another tract it is discovered that he has fallen down on the job, there's a penalty to be paid.
Ever since I came here I have tried to learn what percentage of the arable land of England is lost to cultivation by these hedgerows.  I have had no luck in this quest but my best guess is that it is somewhere between 5 and 10 per cent.
The hedgerows themselves are about 8 feet across and 10 feet high.  Then, of course, as with trees on our land, they sap the fertility of the soil for 15 to 20 feet on either side.  Their beauty has much more to recommend them than their utility.
While many pastures have been put under the plow, there's still a very considerably part of the country's arable land in grazing use.  This is because of the importance of dairying.  Perhaps it's because I haven't looked closely enough, but I haven't seen a single hog here.
To supplement grass and hay for their cattle, the English and Scot dairymen grow either beans or peas in large quantities.  These are ground up and mixed with certain commercial concentrates designed to give a balanced diet.
Root crops, particularly Swede turnips and mangos, are another stock feed supplement.  The size of these is absolutely amazing to me.  On one 300 acre farm in the south Midlands of England, on soil that wouldn't have been regarded as good back in Iowa, I saw mangos weighing as much as 15 pounds.
Governmental controls over farming on the British isles are infinitely more rigid than in America.  Local committees tell the individual farmer what land he shall cultivate and what crops he shall grow.
This regimentation extends to the household too as I discovered when I talked to one housewife about her turkeys and chickens.  She was barred by law from using any small grain grown by her husband for feeding her poultry.
Most of the vegetables known to us in Iowa are grown in the English gardens.  Due to the lack of sun and warm weather, tomatoes have to be pulled up on the vine and ripened either on the side of a building or under glass shelters in the yard.  Nearly every farm has its apple, pear and plum orchard.
In the sections of France I visited, farming took two farms--apple orchards for cider and cattle-raising for milk and beef.

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slug-British and -4 By W. EARL HALL Globe-Gazette Managing Editor Letter No. 45 London, England--(By Air Special)--The business of food production on this little island is something quite different from the agriculture of middle United States--Iowa to be specific. The soil, generally speaking, appears to be not nearly so fertile as the land to which I have been accustomed. Certainly it isn't the black loam which I associate with fertility. While the growing season is much longer, extending from March or April into late November, there is no hot weather, judged from the Iowa standard. A temperature of 85 is rare indeed. Because of this lack of heat, corn--even sweetcorn--is all but unknown here. Wheat, rye, barley and oats (the last-named in Scotland) do extremely well. I shouldn't be surprised if these small grains (they're called "corn" by the Britishers) produce a greater per acre yield than we know in the United States, due to a more intensive cultivation and the usual adequacy of moisture. Fields are small, from 3 to 10 acres, and they're separated one from another by picturesque but rather expensive hedgerows instead of fences. Usually of hawthorn, they're a most interesting phenomenon in British agriculture. They go back into antiquity, of course. Setting them out, directing their growth by bending the branches and keeping them trimmed is a job for specialists of whom there has been a great shortage during the war. When a tenant moves on to a farm, an obligation to maintain these hedgerows is written into his lease. If on leaving the premises for another tract it is discovered that he has fallen down on the job, there's a penalty to be paid. Ever since I came here I have tried to learn what percentage of the arable land of England is lost to cultivation by these hedgerows. I have had no luck in this quest but my best guess is that it is somewhere between 5 and 10 per cent. The hedgerows themselves are about 8 feet across and 10 feet high. Then, of course, as with trees on our land, they sap the fertility of the soil for 15 to 20 feet on either side. Their beauty has much more to recommend them than their utility. While many pastures have been put under the plow, there's still a very considerably part of the country's arable land in grazing use. This is because of the importance of dairying. Perhaps it's because I haven't looked closely enough, but I haven't seen a single hog here. To supplement grass and hay for their cattle, the English and Scot dairymen grow either beans or peas in large quantities. These are ground up and mixed with certain commercial concentrates designed to give a balanced diet. Root crops, particularly Swede turnips and mangos, are another stock feed supplement. The size of these is absolutely amazing to me. On one 300 acre farm in the south Midlands of England, on soil that wouldn't have been regarded as good back in Iowa, I saw mangos weighing as much as 15 pounds. Governmental controls over farming on the British isles are infinitely more rigid than in America. Local committees tell the individual farmer what land he shall cultivate and what crops he shall grow. This regimentation extends to the household too as I discovered when I talked to one housewife about her turkeys and chickens. She was barred by law from using any small grain grown by her husband for feeding her poultry. Most of the vegetables known to us in Iowa are grown in the English gardens. Due to the lack of sun and warm weather, tomatoes have to be pulled up on the vine and ripened either on the side of a building or under glass shelters in the yard. Nearly every farm has its apple, pear and plum orchard. In the sections of France I visited, farming took two farms--apple orchards for cider and cattle-raising for milk and beef.