Therankingofvegetablecropsintermsofpercentageincreasesincropareaallowsustodetecttwopatternsofchoiceimpliedbythehypothesisofincreasedfarmingintensity.First,wefindthemorefrequentchoiceofacrop(higherpercentageincreaseincroparea)whichtakesashortertimetogrow.Thispatternisparticularlyclearinparingitems1,9,13,and14.Ingeneral,stem(item1)andleaf(item9)vegetablesgrowfasterthanfruit(item13)androot(item14)vegetables.Withafewexceptionswhichmaybeexplainedbyanotherdetectedpattern,thegrowingtimeasacriterionofchoiceisalsoclearlyshownbyparingvegetablesofthesametype:forexample,amongthelistedrootvegetablesthehighestranked,radish(item4),isnotedasthefastestgrowing,whereasginger(item19)anddasheen(item20)are"notoriously"slow;amongfruitvegetablesthehighestranked,tomato(item6),perhapsgrowsthefastest;andamongstemvegetablesthelowestranked,waterconvolvulus(item17),isnotablyslowgrowing.[20]
Second,wefindthemorefrequentchoiceofacropwhichcostsmoretocultivate.TakeChinesecabbageandcabbage,forexample;bothcropsrequireroughlythesamegrowingtime(about95days).ButitisestimatedthatChinesecabbage(item2)requires354labordaysforthecultivationofoneacre,paredwith256labordaysforcabbage(item5).[21]
The"time"and"cost"criteriaofvegetablecropchoicecanberesolvedintoone:themaximizationofinefromlandsubjecttoahighertenantcostconstraintunderthesharerestriction.
Underapetitivemarket,andprovidedthatacropisgrown,ahighercostofproductionisassociatedwithahighervalue.Giventhesamegrowingtimefordifferentcrops,thoseaddedmorefrequentlyatthemarginunderthesharerestrictionwerethosewhichhadahigherplantingcost.Ontheotherhand,giventhesamecostrequirementofcultivation,themarginalcropsmorefrequentlyaddedwerethosewhichrequiredashortertime,sothatthegivenlandcouldbereleasedsoonerforothercrops.Bothchoicesareimpliedbymytheory,theresultsofatendencytowardthemaximizationofgrosscropvalueratherthanthecropvaluenetofnonlandcosts.
[1].See,forexample,ChengChen,RecordofTaiwanLandReform,chaps.1and2;JCRR,"JCRRAnnualReports,"chaps.1and2.Notethatwithinpaddyfieldsordryland,thelandpricesvaryaccordingtosoilgradesandlocations.Ingeneral,prefectureswithhigherrentalpercentageswereassociatedwithhigherlandprices.Aswasdiscernedinchap.2,however,themarketrentalpercentagedependsnotonlyonthefertilityoflandandthecostoffarming,butalsoontheinputmitmentssharedbythecontractingparties.Althoughthepriceoflandisthemoreappropriatemeasureforlandfertility,forourpresentpurposetheinitialrentalpercentageistherelevantmeasure.
[2].SeePeterson,"EconomicStudyofLandUse."
[3].Themarketrentalsreportedforthesethreeprefecturesusuallyrangefrom50to70percentoftheannualyield,thoughonsometenantfarmsa90percentrentalsharewasobserved.SeeChen,RecordsofTaiwanLandReform,chaps.1and2;andJCRR,"AnnualReports,"chaps.1and2.
[4].Seethefootnoteattachedtotable4forprefecturedelineation,
[5].In1948,thenumberofworkerspertenanthouseholdwasasfollows:Sinchu,7.28;Taipei,6.97;Taichung,6.21;Kaoshiung,6.03;Tainan,6.05;Hwalien,6.32;Taitung,5.21;andPenghu,3.28.SeeDAF,Yearbook1949,sec.2.
[6].Theoretically,themaximizationofyieldvalueperacreoflandimpliesthatthemarginalproductoftenantinputhasfallentozero.Hereweareonlyconcernedwiththetendencytowardthiscondition.
[7].Itisreportedthatsometenantsgrewcitronellaillegallyontheexternallandmarginownedbythestate.Thecropareaforcitronellahasdeclinedsince1951,andparticularlyaftertheLand-to-the-Tillerprogramin1953,somuchsothattheJCRRconsideredsubsidizingitscultivationin1960.SeeDAF,Yearbook1958,sec.3.1.18;andShen,AgriculturalDevelopmentonTaiwan,p.108.
[8].Thatis,duringthesharerestrictiontheincreaseincropareaofcitronellaplanting(fasterrate)wasproportionatelygreaterthanthedecreaseincroparea(hectare)yield,whichledtoahighertotaloutputonthegivenland.
[9].SeeLu,AnalysisofFarmFamilyEconomy,p.124;Shen,AgriculturalDevelopmentonTaiwan,chap.8andparticularlypp.155-64;DAF,Yearbook1948-52,sec.3,2;andYoung-chiTsui,AStudyofPeanutsinTaiwan(Taipei:JCRR,1954).
[10].SeeShen,AgriculturalDevelopmentonTaiwan.
[11].Tsung-hanShen,AgriculturalResourcesofChina(NewYork:CornellUniversityPress,1951),p.220.ThisparticularparagraphreferstopeasantsinCanton,China.
[12].Unlikecitronella,thehectareyieldforthemarginalcropslistedintables6and7usuallystartedtodeclinein1949,withthelowesthectareyieldrealizedeitherin1950orin1951.SeeDAF,Yearbook1952,Sec.3.4.B.Bothforclarityofpresentationandforironingoutoccasionally"erratic"outputchangesinherentinagriculture,theaveragesofathree-yearperiod(1949-51)areused.SincethesharerestrictionwasimposedinApril-June1949,theconfirmationofmyhypothesiswouldbemorecriticallydisplayediftheseaveragesweretakenfor1950-51.
[13].Shen,AgriculturalResourcesofChina,chap.24.
[14].Ontheaverage,thelaborrequiredtoplantonecrophectareofvegetablesisaboutseventimesgreaterthanforamoncrop,andaboutfivetimesgreaterthanforaspecialcrop.SeeLu,AnalysisofFarmFamilyEconomy,p.142,table121.
[15].Ibid.AccordingtoLu,thelaborrequiredtocultivategreenmanureisaboutone-fiftiethofthatrequiredforvegetables.
[16].Aconditionimpliedbyapetitivemarket.Forthemarketvaluesofvegetablesandothercrops,seeDAF,Yearbook1952,sec.3.B.