Economic Aspects 



105 





The horizontal lines in this table show how in each class of holding 

 the percentage of arable land decreases as we pass from east to west. 

 It is therefore one more illustration of the fact that the agriculture of 

 the east of England is much more dependent on the plough than 

 that of the west. Reading down the lines vertically, the table shows 

 that in all four districts the percentage of arable is least on the 

 smallest holdings. On holdings of five acres and less, pasture pre- 

 dominates all over England, even in the arable districts. On holdings 

 f 5 5O> SO 100 and 100 300 acres, arable land predominates over 

 pasture only in District I. In each district the proportion of arable 

 land rises almost regularly with the size of holding. The larger the 

 holding, the more arable land ; the smaller the holding, the more 

 pasture. The figures for the whole country show the same thing. 

 Only holdings of over 1000 acres deviate from the rule. On them, 

 in two districts, the proportion of arable land is less than in the class 

 next below them ; but this, as will be seen below, is easily explained. 

 In the eastern and north-eastern counties arable already predominates 

 in the second class of holdings (5 50 acres) ; in the south-east and 

 east-midlands not till class 5 (300 500 acres) is reached ; in the west- 

 midlands and south-west not till the area is over 500 acres. In the 

 west and north-west there is no class of holding on which arable 

 land predominates over pasture. In England, taken as a whole, it 

 predominates only in those classes into which the large farms fall. 

 Thus arable land is most in evidence where large farms predominate, 

 while stock-farming, so far as it is based on pasture, is commonest 

 where small and medium-sized farms most abound. Further, whether 

 the district in question is predominantly plough-land or pasture, the 

 small farms are always mainly devoted to pasture, and everywhere 

 stock-farming based on pasture is more developed on small and 

 medium than on large holdings. 



These figures are striking evidence of the fact that stock-farming 

 is a branch of agriculture which mainly belongs to the small and 

 medium holdings. But it must be remembered that stock-farming 

 is not only carried out on pasture lands. Where stall-feeding is 



