Life on the farm, since 1847
It provides detailed information, tables and graphs across a wide range of topics. These include the population, labour force, education, justice, the economy, agriculture, industry, services, prices, housing and the environment. The chapter on agriculture provides a fascinating insight into the changes that have and are taking place in what is still an important industry.
It includes a review of farm activity since 1847 which shows a huge decrease in the area under crops particularly oats and potatoes. This reflects the change from horse-drawn transport and a more varied diet especially increased consumption of meat. But the yearbook also records that the number of farm holdings has declined dramatically from 419,500 in 1855 to 135,300 in 2003, due to a number of factors.
