The Agricultural Returns of 1866 and 1867. 
225 
by 48,808 acres ; clover and other grasses being increased 57,028 
acres. 
Deferring for the present any analysis of the facts relating to 
the distribution of the acreage under different crops in each 
county, it may be remarked that in twenty-one English counties 
the wheat area was larger in 18G7 than in 1866, the increase 
being very marked in Devon, the East Riding, and Sussex ; in 
the remaining counties the wheat acreage had decreased in 1S()7, 
the largest reduction occurring in Essex, Durham, and North- 
umberland. 
To what extent the variations in different counties, some of 
which are very striking, in the acreage returned for the two 
periods under the several crops are due to an improvement in the 
Returns, to the alteration of the limit of holding, or to an actual 
change of cultivation, time will not now admit of discussion. 
Passing now to comment briefly on the distribution of the 
Live Stock of the United Kingdom, the first noticeable point is 
that no account is given in the Returns of the number of horses 
in Great Britain. The cause of this omission although not 
explained mav be surmised ; but it may be hoped that an 
endeavour will be made, as objections diminish, to repair the 
defect. In Ireland Mr. Donnelly enumerates the number of 
horses, and classifies them according to age, distinguishing those 
employed (1) for agricultural purposes, (2) for traffic and manu- 
factures, and (3) for amusement or recreation. The horses in 
Ireland so returned in 1867 numbered 522,348, including 3-1,1811 
under one year of age, 34,797 one and under two years of age, 
453,362 two years old and upwards ; and of these latter 396,816 
were employed in agriculture, 26,966 in traffic and manufactures, 
and 29,580 for amusement or recreation. 
It should be remembered that in the propositions submitted 
by Mr. Caird to, and which were adopted by, the Statistical 
Congress of London in 1860, horses were specially included as 
a necessary item in the returns of live stock. 
According to the Returns the stock of cattle, sheep, and pigs, 
in the United Kingdom, were distributed in 18G6 and 1867 
as exhibited in the Table on p. 226. 
In Great Britain there was an increase of 207,198 cattle, 
^3,870,820 sheep, and 483,344 pigs in 1867 as compared with 
1866 ; and this is explained partly by the difference in the 
period at which the Returns of the two years were collected, and 
partly, as regards pigs and sheep, by their exceptionally high 
prices in 1866, which had the effect of increasing their number 
in 1867. The heading of the column for "cows" in the 
Schedules of 1867 v.'as altered to "cows and heifers in milk or 
VOL. IV.— S. S. Q in 
