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same amount of tax, may be taken as the area, which a ryot 

 family must cultivate by means of the labour of its members 

 to procure subsistence, and that, where the area of holding is 

 less, the ryot must supplement his earnings from cultivation 

 of his own holdings by labouring for others to procure a sub- 

 sistence. Similarly, owners of land, who hold 50 acres of 

 ordinary wet and dry land, paying to Government about Rs. 

 100 as land-tax, will be able just to maintain their families 

 on the rent of the lands obtained by letting them to tenants. 

 These are the minimum limits for obtaining a subsistence, by 

 working in the fields in the one case, and by letting the lands 

 in the other, without other resources. Ryots holding lands, 

 which are between 8 and 50 acres in extent, may be taken as 

 belonging to the class of persons who cannot afford to let 

 their lands to tenants and live solely on the rent, but will be 

 able to hire labour for cultivation, themselves doing a portion 

 of the work of cultivation, or, at all events, superintending 

 its details. Their larger holdings will, of course, enable 

 them to keep a larger number of cattle, and, provided that 

 the families are of the average size, to save some money. 

 Now, bearing these limits of area in mind, it will be seen 



the ryots under these four heads simply with reference to the average area held by each 

 class, and moreover statistics of areas are not available for this purpose. Lands are 

 of all degi'ees of fertility, and unirrigated lands differ so enormously in value from 

 irrigated lands that the revenue assessment per acre varies from 4 annas to 12 

 rupees in the case of single crop and to 18 rupees in the case of double crop 

 lands. It is for this reason that I have taken the assessment as a better test for 

 determining the status of each ryot. It is found that about 27"7 per cent, or about one- 

 third of the land revenue is paid by lyots who pay on an average Rs. 17 per head. As 

 the average assessment per acre, taking wet and dry land together, is about Ks. 2, and 

 the average assessment for dry land alone Re. 1 per acre, a man who pays Rs. 17 as 

 revenue can hold 8 acres assessed at Rs. 2 each or 17 acres assessed at Re. 1 each. The 

 income of a ryot of this class including the wages of his own labour and that of his 

 family, I calculated at Rs. 9 per mensem, when he and the members of his family culti- 

 vate the holding themselves. It has been objected that according to settlement calcula- 

 tions the income comes out as only Rs. 5 per mensem. The objection overlooks the 

 fact that the settlement calculations are based on certain assumed commutation rates 

 for valuing produce, which are much below the actual market rates, while what is 

 I'equired is the present income of the family. Moreover it has been found in connection 

 with the enquiries instituted by the Agricultui'al department as to the condition of the 

 Pariah population in the Chingleput district that a padial or land-less agricultural 

 labourer, and his wife earn more than Rs. 5 per mensem besides obtaining presents 

 on occasions of marriages, feasts, &c., from their employers, and the income of a ryot 

 cultivating 8 acres of land assessed at Rs. 1-12-0 or Rs. 2 each or 17 acres assessed at 

 1 rupee per acre is surely not over-estimated, but much under-estimated by being put 

 down at Rs. 9 per mensem when it is remembered that such income includes the wages 

 of the members of the ryot's family. Similar considerations apply to the other classes 

 of the ryots referred to in the text. The calculations are based on the assumption that 

 the agricultural income is proportional to the revenue assessment which is true only as 

 a very rough approximation ; and this is sufficient for my purpose which is to indicate 

 the manner in whicli the question shoald be regarded from the point of view of 

 general distribution of agricultural income and not to decide the exact percentage of 

 income of each class. It has been contended that the great majority of the agri- 

 culturists have very small holdings. This is true, but it is the case all the world 

 over in countries where peasant properties prevail ; and it must be remembered that 

 where large farms prevail, the vast majority of the agricultural population owns no land 

 whatever. 



