52 



Agriculture arid the Community. 



But even if the difficulties could be overcome, all that the 

 most enthusiastic advocate of co-operation will claim is 

 that the small holder by co-operation may lessen his 

 handicap ag-ainst the large farmer working with ample 

 capital. 



The advocates of small holdings do not rest their case, 

 however, on the productive advantages of the smaller unit. 

 If they did so it would be very difficult for them to explain 

 why it is that in spite of the efforts of Parliament small 

 holdings do not increase. Two tables from the Agricul- 

 tural Statistics, 1919 (Cmd. 680) are instructive : — 



Number of Holdings in England and Wales, 1919. 



