Rural Depopulation 143 



of the last census, i.e., 1891-1901, there has 

 been a diminution of 6*1 per cent, in the 

 total arable land, and an increase of 2 per 

 cent, in the permanent pasture. Taking 

 arable and permanent pasture together, 

 there has been a diminution of 1*7 per 

 cent., or nearly half a million of acres. 



It is rather remarkable that, if we take 

 the period of the whole century, according to 

 the tables given in Porter's " Progress," we 

 find that in 1827, under arable and gardens, 

 there were 1,000,000 less acres than in 

 1901 ; and if we go back to the beginning 

 of the century, the amount of arable was 

 still less, as in the first twenty years of the 

 century there were a large number of 

 enclosures, and part, at any rate, of the 

 newly - enclosed land had before been 

 uncultivated. 



We are now in a position to see that 

 the popular idea of the depopulation 



