head of population dependent on agriculture, The po-
sition is dangerous.
Even as things are there is no occupational equi-
librium. And this lack of balance is growing worse:
Year 1901 1911 1931 1941
Acreage per head engaged 1.28 1.24 1,21 1.0
Variation Per
in period, cent
increase
1881 1921 1931 1941 1881-1941
Total popula-
tion (Millions) 250.2 305.5 338.2 388.8 Plus 138.6 55.a
Urban „ 23.0 31.3 37.5 49.0 „ 26.6 117
Rural „ 227.2 274.2 300,7 339.2 „ 112,0 49.8
Between 1881 and 1941, therefore, there has been
55.8 per cent increase in the total population and only
50 per cent in the rural population. The acreage
per person engaged in agriculture, therefore, has come
down from 1.28 to 1. It is easy to lay the blame on
increasing population. But would any government in
these days of scientific treatment of agriculture be
forgiven if it did not provide new sources of satisfy-
ing the needs of the increasing population?
Agriculture and animal husbandry all the world
over are the inseverable parts of a single industry.
The situation as regards the country's cattle is still
worse.
Out of a total world stock of 700 million cattle,
India possesses about 190 million. Of the world stock,
about 125 million are superfluous and uneconomical.
Taking the provincial figures of cattle per 100
acres the figures for the different provinces are as
follows:
43