THIRD VILLAGE
| (a) Children | (b) Number of Members in Family | (c) Weekly Wage of the Men | (d) Weekly Wage of the Children | (e) Weekly Income of the Whole Family | (f) Weekly Rent | (g) Total weekly wage after deduction of Rent | (h) Weekly Income per head | |||||
| s. | d. | s. | d. | s. | d. | s. | d. | s. | d. | |||
| 4 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 -, 2 -, | 11 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 1½ |
| 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 -, 2 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0[1] |
The repeal of the Corn Laws gave a marvellous impulse to English agriculture.[2] Drainage on the most extensive scale, new methods of stall-feeding, and of the artificial cultivation of green crops, introduction of mechanical manuring apparatus, new treatment of clay soils, increased use of mineral manures, employment of the steam-engine, and of all kinds of new machinery, more intensive cultivation generally, characterised this epoch. Mr. Pusey, Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Society, declares that the (relative) expenses of farming have been reduced nearly one-half by the introduction of new machinery. On the other hand, the actual return of the soil rose rapidly. Greater outlay of capital per acre, and, as a consequence, more rapid concentration of farms, were essential conditions of the new method.[3] At the same
- ↑ London Economist, March 29th, 1845, p. 290.
- ↑ The landed aristocracy advanced themselves to this end, of course per Parliament, funds from the State Treasury, at a very low rate of interest, which the farmers have to make good at a much higher rate.
- ↑ The decrease of the middle-class farmers can be seen especially in the census category: “Farmer’s son, grandson, brother, nephew, daughter, grand-daughter, sister, niece”; in a word, the members of his own family, employed by the farmer. This category numbered, in 1851, 216,851 persons; in 1861, only 176,151. From 1851 to 1871, the farms under 20 acres fell by more than 900 in number; those between 50 and 75 acres fell from 8,253 to 6,370; the same thing occurred with all other farms under 100 acres. On the other hand, during the same twenty years, the number of large farms increased; those of 300-500 acres rose from 7,771 to 8,410, those of more than 500 acres from 2,755 to 3,914, those of more than 1,000 acres from 492 to 582.
