MANAGEMENT NOTES No. 9

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AGRICULTURAL LAND 1881 - 1986

By William M. Glen, 1995

Introduction

The following Table and associated graphs are based on the 'improved land' category as found in the Census from 1881 to 1986. 'Improved land' includes area that was under crops, pasture, summer fallow, orchards etc. (it excluded woodland areas on farms). The 1901 and 1981 censuses reports did not include breakdowns at the Lot or level. The full references for the information are provided.

Discussion

The general trend of the 100+ year time frame has been of increasing area of improved land until 1911/21 and then a decrease in the area farmed. This pattern is consistent for all but on a Lot basis there are significant variations. For example in the prime potato producing areas (i.e. Lot 26) the pattern is one of increasing acreage. Other Lots such as Lot 45 show an increase followed by a decrease followed by another increase.

Note: The 1980/82 Forest Biomass Inventory mapped 571,900 acres of farmland in use in 1980 (excluding hedgerows). This compared with 500,853 acres reported in the 1981 Census of Canada. This would indicate that at least in that year farmland was underestimated by 12.5%.

Conclusion

The area of land used for agriculture in is not static but has changed over time and it is logical to expect the same in the future. This is a publication of the P.E.I. Forestry Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Sources

Notes: The 1901 Census does not provide a breakdown of land by Lot. The 1981 Census does not provide a breakdown of land by Lot.

1881- Census of Canada 1880-81, Volume II, page 20-22, Table XXII, Occupiers of Lands and Lands Occupied.

1891- Census of Canada 1891, Volume II, page 308-311, Table XVI, Occupiers of Lands and Lands Occupied.

1911- 5th Census of Canada 1911, Volume IV Agriculture, page 92-95, Table II, Land Occupied According to Tenure and Condition.

1921- 6th Census of Canada 1921, Volume V Agriculture, page 175 -176, Table 81, Land Occupied by Tenure and Condition for Subdivision 1921.

1931- 7th Census of Canada 1931, Volume VIII Agriculture, page 66 -67, Table 37, Population, Tenure and Condition of Farmland by Township, Prince Edward Island, 1931.

1941- 8th Census of Canada 1941, Volume VIII Agriculture, part 1, page 94-95, Table 52, Areas and Condition of Occupied Farmland, 1941 by Subdivision, Prince Edward Island.

1951- 9th Census of Canada 1951, Volume VI Agriculture, part 1, page 29.1-2, Table 29, Farm Population, Farm Operators, Tenure, Area and Condition of Occupied Farmland, 1951 by Subdivision.

1961- 1961 Census of Canada, Prince Edward Island Agriculture Bulletin 5.1-3, page 28.1-3, Table 28, All Census Farms, Population, Operators, Tenure, Area and Use of Farmland, 1961 by Subdivision.

1966- 1966 Census of Canada, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, page 27.1-4, Table 27, Census Farms - Population, Number of Operators, Tenure, Area and Use of land, 1966 by Subdivision.

1971- 1971 Census of Canada, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, page 50.1-4, Table 50, Census Farms - Farm Capital and Use of Land; Farm Population and Machinery by Subdivision.

1976- 1976 Census of Canada, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, page 23.1-4, Table 23, Population, Capital, Use of Land and Machinery on Census Farms 1976 by Subdivision.

1981- 1981 Census of Canada, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, page 12-1 Table 12, Farms Classified by Size; Area and Use of land, 1981 by Agriculture Region and Census Subdivision.

1982- 1980/82 Forest and Biomasss Inventory Executive Summary, Prince Edward Island, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Forest Service, Dendon Resource Surveys Ltd., Ottawa, .

1986- Census of Canada 1986, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, page 4.1-2 Table 34,1 Total Farm Area, Total Area and Unimproved Area by Census Division and Census Consolidated Subdivision.