ABSTRACT
Itisalsoimportanttounderlinethattheruralexoduswas associatedwithchangesinfarming,aswellasurbanindustrial employment.Itwas'push'aswellas'pull'thatledpeople toleaveruralareas.AsEnglishagriculturebrokeintoitsstride, notablyintheperiodof'HighFarming'betweenthe1850sand 1875,farmingasanactivityrequiredadifferentkindoflabour force.Duringthe1850sand1860smuchEnglishfarming graduallyconvertedfromcerealstodairyandbeefproduction,partlyundertheinfluenceofNorthAmericancompetitionincerealproduction.Fromthemiddleofthecentury onwardsfarmingbecameamoreintensiveactivity,more mechanized,usingmoreinputs(someofthemnotavailable onthefarm)andmoresensitivetothemarket.Thesechanges broughtbenefitstomostfarmers;onlyagriculturallabourers languishedintheshadowsofthistransformation.Between 1861and1881thefarmlabourerpopulationdeclinedby20per cent.Significantly,thenumberofwomenandchildren workinginagriculturedroppedmoststeeply.Asmalelabour wassubstitutedforwomenandchildren,theincreasingcosts oflabourpersuadedfarmerstosubstitutecapitalforlabour, wheretheycould.
