The number of farms in this group is 72,900, covering some 40 per cent. of the cultivated area occupied by farms over 20 acres, and on the whole the number of the different sizes is more evenly distributed than in the other groups.

NUMBER AND ACREAGE OF MIXED FARMS ABOVE 20 ACRES.

The distribution by counties is shown in Map XIX, and although the number of mixed farms is in the aggregate less than the number of pasture farms, they are more evenly spread, the great majority of counties having 30 per cent. or more of the cultivated area in this class, but Nottingham, Devon, Yorkshire (North Riding) and Cardigan have over 60 per cent.

7. Small holdings, fields and parcels of land under 20 acres.— This group forms numerically a very substantial portion of the returns received by the Ministry, although in point of fact the 160,000 separate occupations (excluding fruit and vegetable farms and poultry farms) only account for 1,340,000 acres, or 5 per cent. of the total. It is moreover an exceedingly diverse group because, as already explained, it includes not only small holdings farmed for business, but also accommodation fields and summer grazings, land exceeding 1 acre attached to residential properties and other miscellaneous land separately returned. In order to get some idea of the extent of these holdings, the crop reporters were asked to separate as far as possible these returns, and although this division can obviously only be of a very approximate nature the result is of value as helping to some extent to indicate the true nature of these small holdings. From this, it appeared that out of 59,000 holdings of 1 to 5 acres, excluding fruit, vegetable and poultry farms, some 26,000 were classed as miscellaneous and not purely agricultural holdings. In the same way out of the 100,000 holdings between 5 and 20 acres 19,000 were also put into that category.

These 45,000 miscellaneous holdings are mostly pasture and carry less stock than the average holding of the same size, but at the same time it is evident that they are used for agricultural purposes, although they are not agricultural holdings in the proper sense of the word.

In this connection, it may be mentioned that about 5,000 holdings scattered about in the larger groups (chiefly 20-50 acres) were also classified by the crop reporters as being only partly or incidentally used for agriculture. In some cases, these included recreation grounds and parks used for grazing, but they were neither sufficient in number nor sufficiently definite in type to make it possible to separate them from the other holdings of the same size.

Accommodation fields and summer grazings are naturally found largely in the dairying and grazing districts, though they occur pretty regularly throughout the country. Land attached to residential properties occurs to an appreciable extent in the south and south-east of the country. This is very largely due to the residential holdings of Berkshire and Surrey, which have 22 per cent. of their total number of holdings in this category, while Kent, Sussex and the Isle of Wight each have over 10 per cent. Over 20 per cent. of the holdings in Hertford and Middlesex and over 10 per cent. of those in Buckingham, Gloucester, Warwick and Cheshire are in this category.

The presence of this type of land makes the average figures of the distribution of crops and live stock on holdings under 20 acres less likely to be typical or characteristic of a purely agricultural holding. Nevertheless they compare fairly well with the larger holdings.

DISTRIBUTION OF CROPS AND LIVE STOCK ON HOLDINGS ABOVE 1 AND NOT ABOVE 20 ACRES PER 100 ACRES OF CROPS AND GRASS.

The proportion of permanent pasture is high, and is partly accounted for by the fact that many of these so-called "holdings consist of a single field. The average stocking is good, the number of pigs and poultry kept being, as would be expected, proportionately much higher than on holdings of any other size.

8. Fruit and vegetable farms.-The number of holdings grouped under this heading is 28,400 with a total area of 379,000 acres. There are in addition many other holdings where fruit or vegetables are largely grown, but the holdings in this group are those in which half the area or more appeared to be devoted to these crops. The average size is small, being only 131 acres.

The cropping and live stock of these farms is shown in the following table :

The cropping varies considerably in different counties according to the proportion of fruit and vegetable farms respectively in the counties. For example, in every 100 acres on this type of holding, Kent has 47 acres devoted to fruit, Worcester 32 acres, Isle of Ely 30 acres, Lincoln (Holland) 22 acres, Essex 12 acres and Bedford little over 1 acre. So far as vegetables are concerned, these holdings in the Isle of Ely and Lincoln (Holland) devote more than twice as much land to potatoes as to other vegetables, whereas in Worcester they have about five times as much land under other vegetables as under potatoes, and in Bedford and Essex other vegetables are grown much more extensively than potatoes. As is to be expected, apart from pigs the livestock on this type of holding is very much smaller than on other holdings of about the same size. Quite 80 per cent. of the sheep on this type of holding are in Kent where it is a general practice to run sheep in the grass orchards.

Of the holdings of this type, the largest numbers are found in Worcester and Kent, with 2,871 and 2,792 respectively, or 35 and 25 per cent. respectively of the total holdings returned in these counties. An even higher proportion is found in Bedford which with 1,840 fruit or vegetable holdings has 40 per cent.; Isle of Ely has 1,736 such holdings or 35 per cent.; while other counties with over 1,000 fruit or vegetable holdings are Norfolk, Lincoln (Holland), Hampshire, Gloucester and Somerset.

In regard to total acreage, however, Kent is easily first with 74,770 acres classified as cultivated in fruit or vegetable holdings or nearly 11 per cent. of the total cultivated area in the county. After Kent comes Worcester with 33,253 acres, Bedford with 28,956 acres, Essex with 25,250 acres, Isle of Ely with 24,325

* Includes 6 14 acres of small fruit in orchards which is included under both small fruit and orchards.

acres, while Lincoln (Holland), Norfolk and Middlesex have rather under 20,000 acres apiece.

The size of holdings devoted mainly to fruit or vegetable production varies in different parts of the country. Middlesex with over 30 per cent. of its holdings in this category shows the high average of 31 acres per holding, and Kent, which is second only to Worcester in the number of holdings of this type, averages 27 acres per holding, an average which is exceeded slightly by Essex. As compared with these averages that of Worcester, 11 acres, is small, while the strawberry gardens of Hampshire average only about 7 acres each.

9. Poultry holdings.-The number of holdings specifically classified as poultry holdings is 4,500, but in view of the fact that the fowls on these holdings only account for about 12 per cent. of the total number on agricultural holdings in the country, it is clear that poultry play an important, though possibly not an allimportant part on a great many other small holdings. The particulars relating to this group are of some value in indicating the character of holdings of this type. The average size is 7 acres and practically all of them are under 20 acres. The average number of fowls kept runs to 118 per acre as compared with an average of less than 10 on crdinary small holdings of 1-5 acres. It is interesting to note that although these are almost purely poultry farms they still have a certain number of other livestock in addition, a cow and a few pigs being not

uncommon.

The cropping and livestock of these farms is as follows:DISTRIBUTION OF CROPS AND LIVE STOCK ON POULTRY FARMS. (Per 100 Acres of Crops and Grass.)

These holdings are most numerous in Lancashire, with 870, and the three adjoining counties, Lancashire, Yorkshire (West Riding) and Cheshire account for just over 1,400 or over 30 per cent., while Essex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire together have 1,100 or 24 per cent. of the total number classified under this heading.

10. Ownership of holdings.-The question of the area of agricultural land and the number of holdings farmed by their owners is one of considerable interest. Information on this point