104
gricultural holdings, so that there remain 360,000 separate
gricultural holdings which may provide either full or partial
ccupation for approximately the same number of occupiers.
here is some duplication owing to a number of farmers
ccupying more than one farm, and there must certainly be an
ppreciable number of persons for whom the management of
heir farm or holding is not their main occupation or source of
ivelihood and who would not describe themselves as farmers
r by any similar designation. The number of persons who
ould be classed in the Census either as employers or as working
on their own account must therefore be very appreciably less
han the 360,000 separate holdings referred to above, and it
eems fairly safe to accept the evidence of the Industry Tables
rom which it appears that the number is approximately 300,000,
made up of 264,000 ““ farmers *’ and, say, about 39,000 gardeners
nurserymen, etc
stimate of total number of persons engaged in agriculture. —
On the whole, taking the evidence of all these figures together, it
eems reasonable to suppose that the total number of poring
mployed in the agricultural and horticultural industries in 1925
was in the neighbourhood of 800,000, which, with about 300,000
mployers or persons working on their own account, gives a total
f 1,100,000 engaged in the industry.
It should be noted that this figure of 1,100,000 persons engaged
n the industry is subject to the qualifications that whereas on
he one hand the number of employers does not include certain
ccupiers of land for whom agriculture is a secondary interest,
n the other hand the number of workers includes a certain
umber, especially females, who are not full-time workers through-
ut the year.
o account is taken, however, of the large number of seasonal
orkers who are not on farms on the 4th June when the Ministry's
eturns are collected, but who receive temporary work in fruit,
op and pea picking, ete. The term ° casual worker,” as dis-
inct from regular farm hand, covers a wide range of labour,
varying from skilled hedgers and thatchers who move from farm
o farm down to young persons employed in hop gardens. Con-
equently, whereas, the figure of 800,000 workers is probably
in excess of the number of persons fully employed throughout
he year in agriculture, it is certainly deficient as a measure
f the total number of persons who labour on the land at some
ime of the year.
In relation to the cultivated area, the estimate of 800,000
orkers indicates an average employment of 3-1 persons per
00 acres, while if to these are added employers and those working
n their own account the number whose main occupation is
onnected with the land is about 4-3 persons per 100 acres.
If the figures of persons engaged in agriculture are applied
o the total value of the output as estimated in Chapter VI, it
appears that the average output per person employed was £282
in 1925, while the average output per person, including employers