CATSHILL 355 



Cultivation of Holdings. 



The holdings are all cultivated much in the same 

 way, with a mixture of agricultural and market- 

 gardening crops. Strawberries are the main crop 

 on most of the holdings as regards fruit. One man 

 only has gone in for extensive planting of other 

 kinds, and has a good show of currants, gooseberries, 

 and young apple-trees. The stock kept are pigs, 

 poultry, and the horse which takes the produce by 

 road into Birmingham and brings back the manure. 

 The land is light, and in most cases is clean and 

 well cultivated ; but the market-gardening is not 

 of a very high order, and is of a kind which can be 

 done without much hand cultivation, the crops 

 being chiefly cabbage, beans, peas, carrots, etc., 

 for which the land is mainly worked with ordinary 

 farm implements. Potatoes and corn are to be 

 found on most of the holdings, chiefly for home 

 consumption. 



1 was told that from 8 to 12 acres were necessary 

 for an entire living. The holdings vary in size 

 from 2j to 8 acres, but seven of the men have now 

 more than one lot, which brings their total acreage 

 up to the necessary amount. The others either 

 hold more land independently of the County 

 Council, or supplement their earnings by doing 

 horse-work for others, carting manure from 

 Birmingham, or buying up stuff to retail with 

 their own produce. 



Individual Cases. (1) One of the most pros- 



232 



