y, 
CHAPTER VIIL.-NUMBER AND SIZE OF HOLDINGS. 
1. Definition of a holding.—The foregoing chapters of the 
Report have dealt with the production and output of crops and 
live stock in England and Wales both in the aggregate and to 
some extent in relation to their geographical distribution by 
counties or groups of counties. The geographical distribution of 
crops and live stock is probably in the main a reflection of soil 
and climate, though it is not possible in a general report of this 
description to attempt to establish any direct or precise relation 
between the two. Those interested in the subject will find in 
the Agricultural Atlas* maps showing the distribution of the 
various crops and live stock in relation to the soil and rainfall. 
Another aspect of production in regard to which some infor- 
mation can be extracted from the agricultural returns is the 
distribution of erops and live stock on holdings of different sizes 
and the number of holdings of different types. 
Little has been done in the past in the direction of classifying 
holdings except by size, but any classification by size alone tends 
to combine under one heading farms which are, it is true, of the 
same area, but which differ very considerably in the character 
of their farming; for example, farms that are mainly arable 
and devoted to the growing of corn and other crops become 
mixed with farms of the same area which are mainly pasture 
and entirely different in type. A division by the nature of the 
business—e.g., sheep farming, dairy farming, &c.—is not, un- 
fortunately, practicable owing to the fact that no clear-cut line 
of demarcation exists. On the present occasion an attempt 
has been made to meet this difficulty to some extent by dividing 
the agricultural holdings of this country, excluding small holdings 
under 20 acres and excluding fruit and vegetable farms and 
poultry farms, into three groups which afford a rough indication 
of the nature of the farming carried on, viz. (1) arable farms with 
70 per cent. and over arable land, (2) pasture farms with 70 per 
cent. and over pasture land, and (3) mixed farms—i.e., the re- 
maining farms lying between these two extremes, By an ex- 
amination of the extent of the crops and the number of live stock 
on the holdings in these three groups, it is possible to get a clearer 
idea of the average character of the farms in the country than 
would be obtained if they were merged together and classified 
merely by size. It is necessary, however, to remember that there 
are many instances included in the returns where the word 
“ holding ” is misleading. The agricultural returns are obtained 
* An Agricultural Atlas of England and 1 ; 
Ordnance Survey, price 10s. net. Wales published by the