The Agricultural Returns q/"1866 and 1867. 
217 
At the census of" liSGl tlu; Coinmissionors, reckoninfi: upon tlu; 
anticipated adoption of a system of agricultural statistics, did not 
think it necessary to make full use of the information supplied to 
them by the farmers ; but they selected a county from each of 
the divisional groups into which England and Wales is classified 
for registration purposes, and gave the numiier oi farmers therein, 
which is subjoined for comparison with the number of occu- 
piers making Returns in 18(57 : — 
NiimbPi- Numbui- 
of " Farmers " iu of " Occupiers " in 
1861. 1867. 
Sussex 3,797 .... 7,903 
Bucks 1,8GG .... 3,831 
Cambridge 3,500 .... 4,770 
Norfolk 6,373 .... 10,839 
Wilts 2,074 .... 5,732 
Salop 5,424 .... 10,102 
Lincohi 9,971 .... 20,201 
Cheshire 6,834 .... 11,493 
North Hiding 7,099 .... 12,631 
Cumberland 4,953 .... 6,539 
52,791 .... 94,041 
The number of farmers in these ten counties varied little 
between 1851 and 18G1 ; but if the Returns just published under 
the authority of the Board of Trade be (as in the absence of any 
warning to the contrary it must be assumed they are) intended 
for literal acceptance, then in the six years since 1861 the farmers 
in those counties have nearly doubled in number. It is, however, 
generally believed that the tendency of late years has been to 
amalgamate farms, consequently to diminish the number of sepa- 
rate occupiers ; and it is very desirable that the extent to which 
that amalgamation is going: on should be determined with some- 
thing like an approach to accuracy. If the Board of Trade will 
accept a suggestion which has for its object the increased value of 
the Returns, not only the number of distinct and separate occupiers, 
but the number and sizes of their holdings will be introduced into 
the series for 1868. In 1851 the Census Commissioners ascertained 
that to every 1000 farmers in Great Britain the acreage of their 
farms was distributed according to the following proportions : — 
England and ^Valcs. 
Scotland. 
638 
792 
125 
82 
39 
36 
17 
16 
8 
9 
5 
11 
8 
1000 acres and upwards 
6 
1000 
1000 
