IO4 Large and Small Holdings 



main principle of the geographical distribution of arable and pasture 

 was thus maintained, even though the proportionate distribution 

 within the various districts had passed through various changes since 

 the end of the eighteenth century. Further, the geographical distri- 

 bution of arable and pasture still corresponded to the geographical 

 distribution of large and small holdings observed by Robertson and 

 Caird. This is shown by the following table, giving the acreage 

 under each class of holding per 100 acres of agricultural land 1 : 



Reading from left to right, this table shows how the percentage of 

 each class of holding increases or decreases as the district changes. 

 The percentage of acres devoted to small holdings is seen to increase 

 as we pass from east to west. This result is most marked in the case 

 of holdings covering 20 50 and 50 100 acres, i.e. the small holdings 

 proper. But the area under medium-sized farms also increases 

 considerably. Large farms, on the contrary, show a decrease. In 

 District I, for instance (eastern and north-eastern counties) 21*60 per 

 cent, of the total agricultural area is occupied in holdings of 300 500 

 acres, against only 11-45 per cent, in District IV (west and north- 

 west) : and in the next class the percentages become 16-12 as against 

 4*56. Hand in hand with the increased percentage of arable in the 

 east goes therefore an increase of large holdings. Hand in hand with 

 the increased percentage of pasture in the west goes an increase of 

 small and medium holdings. 



Another table may serve to show the percentage of arable farms 

 among the farms of each class in the various districts. Per 100 acres 

 of agricultural land the percentage of arable (as opposed to permanent 

 pasture) was as follows : 



1 For the materials on which this table is based see Appendix II below. 



