Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 8.djvu/237

Rh AGRICULTURE.] ENGLAND 225 Wales. Thus there were 8,278,364 acres, or about one- fourth of the total, not accounted for in the Agricultural Returns for England, and 1,643,327 acres, or about one- third of the total, in those for Wales. The subjoined tables exhibit the distribution of the acreage, and the numbers of live stock, both for England and for Wales in the year 1877. Crops. England. Wales. Corn crops : Wheat Acres. 2,987,129 Acres. 100,226 Barley or bere. . 2,000,531 147,212 Oats 1,489,999 239,298 Rve .. 48,604 1,455 Beans 470,153 2,979 Pease 306,356 3,508 Total of com crops .. ., 7,302,772 494,678 Green crops : Potatoes 303,964 42,942 Turnips and swedes 1,495,885 70,813 Mangold 348,289 7,713 Carrots 14,445 376 Cabbage, kohl-rabi, and rape 176,218 1,305 Vetches and other green crops, except clover or grass. . 420,373 6,386 Total of green crops 2,759,174 129 535 Clover, sanfoiu, and grasses under rotation : For hay 1,609,357 207 012 Not for hav. 1,128,030 144,785 Total of clover, &c 2,737,387 351,797 Permanent pasture or grass not broken up iii rotation (exclusive of heath or mountain laud) : For hay 3,239,365 399 194 Not for hay... 7,618,651 1,333,089 Total of permanent pasture, &c. Flax 10,858,016 7,210 1,732,283 28 Hops 71 239 Bare fallow or uiicropped arable land. 576,235 22,838 Total acreage under crops, bare fallow, and grass .... 24,312,033 2,731,159 Live Stock. England. Wales. Horses, including ponies : Used for purposes of agriculture ... Unbroken horses and mares kept ) solely for breeding ) Number. 761,089 309,119 Number. 71,043 58,595 Total of horses 1,070,208 129,638 Cattle : Cows and heifers in milk or in calf Other cattle : 2 years of age and above Under 2 vears of age 1,557,574 1,072,407 1,349 669 254,392 120,355 241 462 Total of cattle. .. 3 979 650 616 09 Sheep : 1 year old and al &amp;gt;ove 11,481 945 1 974 313 Under 1 year old. 6 848 43? 887 700 Total of sheep 18 330 377 2 862 013 Pio-g 2 114 751 230 7^0 It appears from the last annual Agricultural Returns that the extent of arable land in England and Wales is on the decrease, as is also the produce of live stock, while, on the other hand, the area of pasture land is on the increase. The decline in the acreage of arable land, very marked in the five years from 1872 to 1877, was greater in Wales than in England, and embraced all the principal crops. The land under wheat fell from 3,336,888 acres in 1872 to 2,987,129 in 1877, iu England; and from 126.367 acres in 1872 to 100,226 in 1877, in Wales. During the same period, the acreage under potatoes fell in England from 339,056 to 303,964, and in Wales from 48,417 to 42,942 ; and that under clover in England from 2,822,392 to 2737,387, and in Wales from 370,850 to 351,797. Iu the acreage under barley and oats there was a slight increase in England, but a decrease in Wales ; while in the acreage under turnips and swedes there was a trifling increase in England and a decrease iu Wales during the period. Taken alto gether, the extent of arable land in England fell from 13,839,000 ac-res in 1872 to 13,454,000 acres in 1877, being a decrease of 385,000 acres. In- Wales, the extent of arable land sank from 1,104,000 acres to 999,000 acres in the same period, the decrease amounting to 105,000 acres. The decrease of arable land during the five years was very steady, and so likewise was the increase in the acreage of pasture land. There were in England under pasture exclusive of heath and mountain land 9,991,000 acres in 1872, and 10,858,000 acres in 1877, the increase in the five years amounting to 867,000 acres, being more than double the extent of decrease of arable land. In Wales there were under pasture 1,532,000 acres in 1872, and 1,732,000 acres in 1877, making the increase amount to 200,000 acres, this also being not far from double that of the decrease in arable land. The decrease in the extent of arable land, and simultaneous increase of pastures, may be explained by the fact of England being supplied, more and more, with corn from foreign countries, where it can be grown cheaper than at home. Naturally, the produce of pasture lands cannot be brought in the same way into the country. If the decrease of arable land and increase of pastures can be thus explained, it is not so easy to account for the decline of live stock which also took place during the same period, more especially from 1874. It might have been expected that the widening of the pastural area would have led to au increase of live stock, but the contrary was the case, more especially as regards horned cattle and sheep. In England there were 4,305,440 head of cattle in June 1874, and 3,979,650 head in June 1877, so that there was a decrease of 325,790 head in three years. During the same period, the number of cattle in Wales fell from 665,105 to 616,209, being a decline of 48,896. The decrease in numbers was even greater in sheep. There were 19,859,758 sheep in England in June 1874, and 18,330,377 in June 1877, being a decrease of 1,529,381. In Wales, during the same period, the number of sheep fell from 3,064,696 to 2,862,013, being a decrease of 202,683. Thus the total decline in the number of sheep in England and Wales was no less than 1,732,064 in the short space of three years. The great diminution of live stock during the triennial period from 1874 to 1877 was not confined to England and Wales, but occurred simultaneously in Scot land, as well as in Ireland, being greatest in the latter country, where the decline iu sheep alone amounted to 10| per cent. In the census returns of 1871, the number of persons entered as &quot;agriculturists&quot; in England and Wales was^ 1,447,481, comprising 1,264,031 men and 183,450 women. At the preceding census (1861) the number of &quot; agricul turists &quot; was given at 1,833,652, showing a diminution of 386,171 within the decennial period, due probably to the augmented use of machinery for the cultivation of the soil. I V. Min es and Min era Is. Next to agriculture, first foundation of the wealth of all countries, the material resources of England lie in its VIII. 2Q Deer ofth. ^h ] aiu i and ; Dimi&amp;lt; ou c