In the mild climate of England, we final that tillers of soil have had little difficulty with soil erosion. This is true because rains come as mists, slopes are gentle, and fields are usually farmed to close-growing crops. England is well suited to grassland farming and to the growing of small grains. Clean-tilled crops have never been in general use. We found fields in England that have been cultivated for more than a thousand years where the yields of wheat have been raised to averages of 40 to 60 bushels per acre. The maximum yield thus far is 96 bushels to the acre. The principal problems before the farmers of England are rotations, seed selection, and farm implements.

World War II made new demands on the lands of England. Before blockading action by the enemy, the British Isles depended on imports for two-thirds of their total food supply. One-third of their population was fed from their own lands, requiring about 12 million acres of cultivated land for this purpose. Fully 50 percent more land was plowed to grow food crops. Pastureland and grassland on slopes were cultivated. Soil erosion may become a problem more serious than ever before in British agriculture, because of the extraordinary demands for the growing of food.