COMMON RIGHTS 295 



Special Agricultural Conditions of the 

 District. 



Taking the New Forest district as a whole, we 

 find it differing from the ordinary rural districts of 

 England, in that the existence of forest and 

 common rights make a larger number of small 

 holdings possible than is usually the case. Hence 

 the demand for them has always been high enough 

 to maintain, if not increase, the value of land in 

 small lots during a time when the value of large 

 farms was steadily decreasing and their proper 

 cultivation was appreciably declining. 



Description of Forest Rights in Connec- 

 tion with Small Holdings. 



The rights are those of pasture, fuel, and 

 pannage, and are attached to the holdings, going 

 either with the house or land. Anyone acquiring 

 a holding acquires also the common rights attached 

 to it. 



There are 43,000 acres in the New Forest of 

 open heath land over which the commoners have 

 the right of turning out ponies, cattle, sheep, and 

 pigs. This enables them to live on a smaller acre- 

 age than would otherwise be possible. 



Size of Holdings. 



The ordinary cottage holdings average about 6 

 acres. On these the men earn extra wages, as a 

 rule by carting, higgling, etc. 



