154 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND THE FARMER : 



within the scope of an Economics Research Institute, but it has 

 not been thought desirable to refer to them in detail in a publica- 

 tion of this character. A few of the more important may, 

 however, be mentioned. Considerable controversy has arisen 

 over the question of the economic possibility of small holdings, 

 and whether the small or the large farm is the most economical 

 from the point of view of the nation. To throw light on this 

 matter an intensive survey has been made of 52 farms of various 

 sizes, totalling 9,390 acres, in a district selected because of the 

 uniformity of the general conditions. The results have been 

 tabulated so as to show the production per unit of land and per 

 unit of labour from holdings of the different sizes included in 

 the area. Similar surveys of the Severn Valley, Pembroke, 

 Malvern district and Montgomery have been carried out, and the 

 results are now being tabulated. Maps have been prepared 

 showing for each county in England and Wales the density of 

 the distribution of each crop and each class of live stock. A 

 comprehensive inquiry into the position of rural industries in 

 England and Wales, such as hurdle-making, basket-making, 

 leather-dressing, &c., is in progress, and a valuable report on the 

 position in the Oxfordshire area has already been published. 

 The enquiry has been undertaken as a preliminary to considering 

 what steps might be taken to safeguard the existence of these 

 small unorganised local industries, which provide a somewhat 

 precarious means of livelihood for a considerable nmnber of people 

 in the aggregate, and play an important part in the development 

 of the countryside. 



