Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/192

 SIZE OF LAND HOLDINGS IN THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY' THe. HONBLE I[R. G. F. KEATINGE, DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE, BOMBAY' C.I.E., LC. So PRESIDENCY The subject of this paper on the size and consti- tution of land holdings in the Bombay Presidency is usually referred to as "the slab-division of holdings, but it presents two distinct features. The first is ha with the increase of population many of the holdings tend to become very small, and the holdings, whether large or small, broken up situated at These two in their carefully the first second is that the tend to become i8 I holdings, results, and it between them. 81l-,$OL31O Of necessary to distinguish therefore propose to call and the second fragmntaffo of holdings. Sub-divin of holdings refers only to the size of the holdings. It must tend to occur in any thickly- populated country when the number of persons depen- dent directly on the land increases, but the tendency is found to bear a very direct relation to the law of inheritance in force in the country. In this Presidency This paper was red before the conference held by the Board of Agriculture in l.ndia, at PoohS, on the 10th Deeember, 1917. It was printed for ofiteial use snd oh-culated prior to tho meeting to members or the Bosrd and visitors,--[ld.] into a number of separate plots, often a considerable distance from each other. tendencies differ both in their origin and