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members of this family ; one has received an acre by way
of gift- made by one of the members of the family and
one holds a plot of land as a mortgage ;
(iii) the 14 families into which the original 5 are
divided own in all 105 acres at present;
(iv) the total number of plots as a result of this sub-
division through sale, mortgage, gift and partition of
land has increased from 80 to 258 ; and
(v) the average size of the holding owned by the mem-
bers of the original stock has dwindled from 89-4 to 7-5
acres during the last 26 years.
The piece of land given as a gift has an interesting
history of its own which shows one of the causes in
operation. This piece was given to a Dhed, still living,
at the time when all the different families belonging to
the original stock sat down to distribute their land. It
is reported that when land was equitably divided among
different members so as to secure to each, holdings of
equal fertility and assessment, a piece of land was left.
Not knowing how to dispose it of, it was given away
as a gift to the Dhed who served them as a village
policeman.
From a careful consideration of this illustration, as
well as from our personal observation, we conclude that
the following causes leading to subdivision and frag-
mentation are in operation :
(i) the Hindu Law of Inheritance which gives to each
male member of the family an equal share in the family
property from his very birth;
(ii) indebtedness leading to the sale or mortgage of
land in the repayment thereof;
(iii) a strong desire to distribute the landed property
of a family among different members so as to secure to
each, holdings of equal fertility and assessment.1
1 cf. "In addition to the Hindu Law of Inheritence, unequal fertility
and assessment, another cause which contributes to this state of affairs
is the gradual absorption of large amount of land into the hands of the
village sowkar by means of foreclosure of mortgages or sales,' etc. The
agricultural population in consequence has only a.limited area to divide