. 324 
Agricultural Notes on the Census of 1861. 
This decrease of small holdings agrees very much with the 
conclusions which we drew from the Tables of the occupation of 
the people, that slowly, but steadily, the tendency is for large 
farms to absorb the small ones. Indeed, the change that is coming 
over modern agriculture will fully account for this. Men who 
freely embark their capital in the cultivation of the soil are 
anxious to have a wide field for their operations. As the increased 
production of forage-crops, together with the large purchase of 
corn and cake for feeding purposes, requires improved buildings 
for the accommodation of stock, the landlord perceives that a 
considerable outlay on his part must be necessary ; and he natu- 
rally is constrained to have his farms increased and consolidated 
that this outlay may be remunerative, and as little burdensome as 
possible. 
Even though the decrease of small holdings is proceeding upon 
rather an extensive scale, if we are to take the ten counties as a 
general index of the state of the country, nevertheless the great 
proportion of land in England is still so held. 
Referring to Table 100, we find in these counties that 571 out 
of every 1000 holdings are under 100 acres ; 215'4 are between 
100 and 200 ; and 100-29 between 200 and 300 ; leaving out of 
every 1000 farms but 113'30 which are 300 acres and upwards. 
Whilst I find that, of farms more than 500 acres, there are but 
about 31 in every 1000 in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, 49 , 
in Norfolk, 46 in Sussex, 93 in Wiltshire, 14 in Cumberland, 
15 in Bucks, and 8 in the North Riding; and in Cheshire and 
Shropshire they scarcely exist.* 
I am not much surprised to find that the farms which vary 
from 50 to 200 acres are being absorbed, because they were 
generally occupied by men of small capital, who were very much 
dependent upon corn crops for their living, and, at the present 
prices of grain, such men, not having stock to back them up, 
cannot make farming remunerative ; but I am rather surprised at 
the very jrreat decrease of holdings of the smaller size, up to 20 
acres. The great demand there is for such occupations, not 
merely by the industrious labourer but by the rural tradesmen 
and artisans, would have made me imagine that the decrease 
might not have been so rapid ; and I feel inclined to regret the 
fact that no less than 1632 small holdings under 10 acres have 
disappeared, for I should fear it is a sign that fewer agricultural 
labourers have their paddock and their cow than was the case ten 
years ago. In my own neighbourhood I know how eagerly the 
small cow-paddocks are taken, and how valuable is the milk to 
the family ; and I have seen so much good in many cases arise 
* These figures are calculated from Tables 89 to 98, pp. 140 to 14-3, vol; iii. 
Census R -porti 
