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there is the factor of the subdivision of holdings, naturally most 
pronounced in the neighbourhood of towns, where urban encroach- 
ment had swallowed up many of the small holdings previously 
existing. This factor has been particularly operative in the 
years since the war, when the changes in the ownership and dis- 
tribution of land have been abnormally great. Intermingled with 
these conflicting forces has been the difficulty of securing unifor- 
mity of returns from farmers occupying two or more holdings. 
Such farmers were asked to make separate returns for each 
holding, but as the chief object of the annual inquiry was to obtain 
accurate returns of acreage and live stock, when composite 
returns were made they were usually accepted, and in recent 
years farms in one and the same occupation, when farmed 
together, have definitely been treated as one. There are, of 
course, cases of large agricultural businesses where a number of 
scattered farms are under one management, but these farms 
would normally be returned separately. 
The changes which have taken place at different times in the 
numbers of holdings in the various size groups are indicated in 
Tables 22 and 23 in the Appendix. These tables divide the period 
over which returns have been collected into two parts, the first 
up to 1895, during which the figures included holdings of one acre 
and less, and the second from 1895 to the present day, during 
which only holdings of over one acre have been included, and 
during which also the returns are more uniform in character. 
The figures given in Table 22 relating to the years 1870-1889 
are thus not altogether comparable with those of later years, and 
as they have only an historical interest, it is not necessary to 
comment on them in detail 
Turning, then, to Table 23, which shows the figures from 
1895, it will be seen that the main changes have been in 
holdings under 20 acres. In the group from 1-5 acres, the 
reduction is from 97,800 in 1895 to 91,600 in 1914. Very great 
changes in the occupation of land took place in the war period, 
and by 1920 the number was reduced to 80,700, and by 1924 
to 76,900. Holdings from 5 to 20 acres also showed a decline, 
but not to the same extent. This reduction may not be really 
representative of actual facts. As is well known, transfers of 
land and the sale of estates were taking place on an entirely 
unusual scale during these years and some Proportion of these 
changes has no doubt failed to be recorded. On the other hand, 
there has been in many districts an absorption of small holdings 
or parcels of land owing to the extension of towns or the increased 
building of residential properties in rural or semi-rural districts. 
Looking at the changes over g number of years, it will be seen 
that any decline which may have occurred in small holdings 
was confined to those under 2¢ acres, those of 20 to 50 acres