Distribution of Wheatland 29 



their land areas is only 11 or 12 per cent, of the whole 

 island. 



Considerably more than half the rest of the wheat 

 area, i.e. about 33 per cent, of the whole, is found in the 

 eastern midland, the western midland and the south- 

 eastern groups of counties, whose total land areas make 

 up between 19 and 20 per cent, of the land area of the 

 island. Here again the average area under wheat in 

 a given year is about one-sixth or one-fifth of the total 

 area tmder arable crops, but, as already pointed out, the 

 total arable area is very much smaller proportionally than 

 in the eastern counties. A great deal more wheat used to 

 be grown in the midland and south-eastern counties, but 

 with the great decline in prices which occurred between 

 1875 and 1895 this region suffered a more severe reduction 

 in its wheat area, as in its total arable area, than the eastern 

 counties' Though not perhaps quite so favourable for 

 wheat, the climate of much of this region does not differ 

 very markedly from that of the eastern counties. The 

 midlands, however, contain a large proportion of heavy 

 clay land, and this "strong soil" though quite good for 

 wheat, and at one time considered as typical wheatland, 

 requires a great deal of labour and does not pay to plough 

 when the price of wheat is low. Consequently much of 

 this land has been gradQally laid down to permanent 

 pasture. 



Of the 25 per cent, of wheatland remaining to be 

 accounted for the bulk occurs ia the north and south- 

 west of England, while the west and north of Scotland 

 show areas which are practically negUgible, the Orkneys, 

 and Shetlands, Caithness and Sutherland (extreme north), 



'■ The decrease in the area under wheat between 1S75 and 1895, which 

 was 42-75 per cent, in the eastern and -52 56 per cent, in the north-eastern 

 counties, was nearly 60 per cent, in the south-east and over 60 per cent. 

 in the midlands, though the wheat area was much smaUei in the latter 

 regions than in the former at the beginning of this period. 



