14 



A The Land Question 



Land Tenure: There are supposed to be not less than 50 

 million farm holdings in China. The holdings of the peasant 

 owners vary widely in size. In the best tea and rice regions 

 they run as low as two mow to perhaps ten mow; in areas of 

 less intensive farming, from 20 mow to 60 or even 100. Holdings 

 vary with the size of families as well as with types of farming. 

 A large percentage of farmers rent land in addition to what 

 they own. Tenantry is wide-spread. Landlords are sometimes 

 local gentry, sometimes absentees. Few large landholders 

 manage their lands. Rent is usually in kind, the most common 

 arrangement being for the owner to furnish the land and one- 

 half the seed and fertilizer, and to receive half the produce. It 

 is believed that tenantry is increasing. Methods of acquiring 

 ownership by peasants, fair terms of permanent rental by 

 tenants, and greater interest in both the land and the tenant 

 on the part of the landlord, are, therefore, problems of prime 

 importance. 



Land not used for agriculture. In view of the enormous 

 population of China and its density in some regions, the amount 

 of land unused for strictly agricultural purposes is nothing short 

 of amazing. It consists of several types: 



(a) Grave lands. Burials occur on the land owned by the 

 family, wherever possible. Often the best farming land is used 

 in this way and thus good fields are broken up; the graves 

 take far more room than is really needed for the purpose. The 

 amount of land thus used is more than incidental; it doubtless 

 amounts to millions of acres as a total. 



(b) Large areas of land are used to grow fuel instead of 

 food, especially such fuel as grass. 



(c) Thousands of lower hillsides are bare that should be 

 growing wood fuel. 



(d) Vast tracts of mountain country that could grow trees 

 for timber or for oil and nuts, are not being used for any 

 purpose. 



(e) There are immense amounts of good grazing land, 

 both on the hills and on the mountains, that are practically 

 unused. 



(f ) Wide areas of natural grazing land are not fully used, 

 especially in the northwest. Lack of transportation accounts 

 for this in part. 



