SECONDARY RESULTS 107 



It will be noted that the conditions under which the 

 farming is carried on in the various groups show no material 

 differences as between one group and another, except in the 

 matter of area. There is a tendency for rerft to fall as 

 the size of the holdings increases, but it is not pronounced, 

 and in one case (Group IV) the percentage of grass -land to 

 arable land is considerably higher than in the rest ; but 

 considering the variations which must be expected in the 

 conditions prevailing over any area of fifteen square miles 

 in extent, it may be claimed that in respect of altitude, 

 quality of land and proportion of arable to grass the holdings 

 in these five groups are fairly comparable. 



In general the results show very clearly that employment 

 and production vary inversely with the size of the holding, 

 but that the production per man employed varies directly 

 with the size of the holding. In the absence of the further 

 statistical data required the results cannot be taken as 

 conclusive, but it is probable that the fuller examination 

 of the farms would confirm these results. If so, they sum- 

 marize the whole case both for and against the large farm 

 as opposed to the small holding, for whereas the former 

 makes possible a bigger reward to the workers in the 

 industry, the latter provides a larger volume of employment 

 and produces a greater value in products. Obviously no 

 such generalization can be made from this example, which 

 is introduced only to show a method by which to apply 

 agricultural costings to the study of an important problem 

 in agricultural economics. 



3. THE RELATION OF LABOUR COST TO EARNINGS 

 AND TO THE COST OF LIVING 



The data which only accounts can furnish would throw 

 much light upon labour problems, and much controversy 

 would have been obviated during the past few years if 

 farmers could have brought evidence of this nature to bear 

 upon their discussions with the representatives of labour. 

 The question here is less one of method than of the utiliza- 



