DIMINISHING CULTIVATION 37 



This table brings out the following points : 

 (i) The total area under cultivation increased 

 down to 1891 by 3I million acres, but it has 

 since diminished by | million acres. (2) The 

 area under corn crops has been shrinking con- 

 tinuously since 1871 to the extent of 2| 

 million acres. (3) Wheat is the principal item 

 in this change ; between 1871 and 1901 it fell 

 if million acres, or more than 50 per cent. 

 Between 1901 and 191 1 a small recovery took 

 place, which was, however, more than coun- 

 terbalanced by the progressive decline of 

 barley. This crop is not given separately in 

 the table, but it declined by about f million 

 acres, or one-third of the whole, between 1881 

 and 191 1. Oats, on the other hand, have not 

 fallen since 1871, but have slowly increased 

 from about if million to 2 million acres. (4) 

 Green crops, which means roots and vege- 

 tables, have also declined continuously since 

 1871 to the total extent of 600,345 acres, or 

 about 20 per cent. (5) The total decrease of 

 arable land, made up of corn and green crops 

 and fallow, since 1871 was over 3 million acres. 

 (6) Grassland, including pasture and meadow 

 but not heath and mountain grazings, in- 

 creased continuously from io|^ million acres 

 in 1866 to 16 million acres in 1911, or 55.5 

 per cent. 



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