22 EPWORTH, ISLE OF AXHOLME 



than 10 acres. That was the outside limit a man 

 could manage without employing extra labour, and 

 a larger area would probably handicap him. 



Character of Holders. 



One of the striking features of this district is that 

 the holdings are not used so much to supplement 

 other occupations as one finds in other places. 

 The greater number of the men holding 10 to 

 20 acres are actually living on the proceeds of their 

 holdings ; below that acreage they either do job 

 work or have some regular occupation, but the aim 

 of all appears to be to acquire in time sufficient land 

 to support themselves altogether. 



Soil. 



There is no doubt that the fertility of the soil 

 accounts largely for the prosperity of the small 

 cultivators its suitability for potatoes and the fact 

 that it is easily worked. 



For a mile or two on either side the Trent the 

 land has been ' warped ' i.e., it has been flooded 

 repeatedly by the tidal water of the river until 

 several feet of a silty deposit have been accumulated, 

 and this forms eminently suitable potato soil. 

 Apart from this there are stretches of good loams, 

 sometimes of a sandy, sometimes of a peaty nature, 

 which, when on a sandy subsoil, work well all the 

 year round and bring good crops. 



