ABSTRACT
Rural England in the early summer of 1914 had an atmosphere of modest prosperity. In general, farming had adapted well to the new patterns of demand and supply created by the depression and continuing urban growth. In 1872 the United Kingdom had 24 million acres under crops, or 51.3% of the cultivated area. By 1913 this had shrunk to 19 1/2 million, or 41.6%. The most serious declines were in cereal production for, by the outbreak of war, imported wheat accounted for over 70 per cent of British consumption. At local level significant changes occurred earlier with the creation, in the summer of 1915, of the War Agricultural Committees. These were attached to the County Councils to organize the supply of labour, examine food production in their localities and report on shortages of supplies. The county elite had fewer objections to the army than the rural poor.
