Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/196

* GKEAT BRITAIN. 170 GREAT BRITAIN. The agricultural products of the Island of Creat Britain represent about one-third the an- nual value of those of the United States. Un- ollioial estimates for the whole of the United Kingdom show that it produces only one-fourth of the wheat it consumes, eight-thirteenths of the meat it uses, three-fifths of its barley, four-fifths of its oats, one-half its beans and peas, and less than one-half of the dairy products it needs. The home production of potatoes almost satisfies the amount consumed. It should be remembered that a great deal of the stulT fed to stock is al.so im- ported. The agriculture of Great Britain is character- ized l)j' an unusual system of land-ownersliip and tenure — a system which is generally recognized as attaining a maximum of production at a minimum cost, but which is severely criticised for its social influences. The characteristics are, briefly: centralization of ownership, capitalistic tenants who pay money rent on long-time ten- ures, and a large laboring class who are on a very low economic and social plane. Each of these conditions contrasts strikingly with con- ditions in the United States. The large estates, which had resulted from the long-continued proc- ess of land inclosure in which the yeomanry were excluded, have remained intact through the operation of the law of primogeniture. In 1876 two-thirds of the entire landed property of England and Wales was owned by about 10,- 000 individuals — hence' the expression 'upper tens.' In Scotland, in 1871, 42.1 per cent, of the total area was owned by only G8 persons. The .status with regard to ownership in Great Britain has not materially changed in subsequent years. The 'gentleman' who enjoys the honor and the profits of ownership may spend a 'season' on his estates; but their cultivation is in the hands of his tenants, who are generally under the super- vision of his bailiff. Renting, therefore, is wellnigh universal, as will be seen from the following table, giving the actual acreage under crops and grass occupied bv tenants and owners (I89S): Tenants Owners 21,162.000 2,.514,000 4,279,000 3.594.000 WalPS 312 000 613 000 Great Britain 27,956,000 4,519,000 The following table shows the number of farms of various sizes in LSO.^, and the percentage of farm acreage that each class constitutes: No marked tendencies in the size of holdings have developed since 1895j but there was a slight in- crease in tile number of farms between 500 and 300 acres iu area, and a slight decrease in the numljcr of farms in the smaller and the larger sized classes. The average size of farms is less than in the United States, but the intensiveness of cultiva- tion necessitates a much greater outlay of capital and labor. The important feature is that the size of tile farm is kept suliiciently large to make possible the application of capital, machinery, etc., at an economic advantage, and thus to in- sure a profit and the perpetuation of the indus- try. The renting system contrasts again with tliat of the United States in that it is generally for a long term of years, the tenancy even of ttimes descending in the same family for generations. To the tenant is thus guaranteed the benefits of his own enterprise, and he is induced to improve the land rather than exhaust it, as is so common a practice in the United States, Moreover, the Agricultural Holdings Acts of 1875, 1882, and 1900 provide a legal method for the tenant at the end of his tenancy to secure compensation for such value as still remains in improvements which he has placed upon the land. However, the competition of foreign products and reduction of prices, together with heavy taxes, unjust rail- way freight charges, etc,, have fallen heavily upon the tenant, and the rents are tardily ad- justed to meet changed conditions. As a result, the tenant class of England, as a class, are not very optimistic. The tenant usually employs a number of hands ; these receive, in addition to the use of a. cottage, but a scanty wage, and seldom suc- ceed in bettering their economic or social condi- tion. The results of investigations made in the last years of the nineteenth century indicated that the average wage received for farm labor was about 13s. per week. It has been maintained that a system of peasant cultivation and proprie- torship would greatly strengthen the manhood, independence, and national patriotism of the farm laborer, and reestablish the yeoman class; indeed, a propaganda exists with this end in view. Laws passed in 1882, 1887. 1890, 1892, and 1894 provide that under certain conditions a demand in any locality for small holdings, either for rent or ownership, can be legally secured by compulsion if necessary. At the same time the sentiment against further inclosure has become so strong that the commoners are guaranteed their rights to the use of such forests and com- mons as yet remain uninclosed. The movement for the subdivision of the land has been partially Number of agricultural holdings in each class Percentage of acreage CLASSIFirATIOX OF HOLDINGS England Wales Scotland Eng- land Wales Scot- land Great Britain Above 1 a<*rp. not above 5 arres.. . A'o. 87.055 108.145 62.446 46.574 60.381 11.112 3.942 624 Ao. 10,763 18,569 12.400 10.217 7,8% 386 64 3 Xo. 20.150 23.104 10.817 9.834 12.968 2,070 620 76 % 1.07 4.87 8.36 13.70 42.00 16.86 10.35 2.79 % 1.25 7.44 14,93 26.40 43.64 5.04 1.16 0.14 % 1.35 5.02 7.42 14.96 45.01 15.98 8.13 2.13 % 1.13 5.12 •■ 20 •' ■' " 50 " 8.79 50 100 ■' 15.00 100 300 " 42.59 300 " •• " ,500 •■ .. 15.70 ,500 1.000 ■■ 9.21 1.000 " " " " 2.46 Total 380,179 60,288 79,639 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00