562 



Small Holdings in Lancashire. [nov., 



Two main types may be recognised amongst the methods 

 adopted in the management of the small holdings, the extent 

 to which each prevails being determined apparently by the 

 distance from a market. 



Holdings for market gardening. — Within 10 miles of Liverpool 

 along the route mentioned, market gardening is extensively 

 practised. No cattle or sheep are kept, even on the larger farms, 

 beyond a cow or two for the supply of the farmer's family. 

 The whole of the holder's energy is devoted to the production 

 of crops which he can market without the aid of cattle or sheep. 

 The crops cultivated include the whole range of garden crops 

 with the exception of those which require to be raised in glass- 

 houses. Even on the smallest holdings there is rarely any 

 glass beyond what is necessary for raising early plants for 

 transplanting out of doors. All the produce is disposed of in 

 the market at Liverpool and the wagons haul dung from the 

 town on the return journey. Small holdings on this area range 

 from about 6 to 40 acres, the latter being quite a usual size. 

 On the smaller holdings cases of failure or even of partial failure 

 have been by no means common ; at the same time instances 

 of the occupiers increasing their capital and moving on to 

 larger holdings, which are reported to have been frequent 

 thirty or more years ago, have been rare in recent times. 

 Holdings of 30 or 40 acres, however, appear to be a useful and 

 convenient size, and there are numerous cases of men doing 

 extremely well on small farms of this size. Rents average 

 about £3 10s. to £4 10s. per acre for the latter class of holdings ; 

 for the smaller ones they range as high as £5 per acre. 



Ten miles is evidently the maximum distance which it 

 is considered convenient to haul farm or garden produce 

 to market, for beyond the tenth mile or so from Liverpool a 

 different system is practised in the management of the holdings 

 and the disposal of 'the produce. 



In the district lying midway between Liverpool and Preston 

 there are few very small holdings, though farms of 40 acres 

 or so are numerous. The tendency of late years has been to 

 add farms much smaller than this to larger ones, as they 

 become vacant. Previous to the development of the Jersey 

 early potato trade, about 30 years ago, there were many 

 holdings of 3 to 6 acres in this district and their occupiers were 



