NOTES AND QUERIES
199
a small family, 1 shing (about 760 sq. ft.) for a large one.
Basic family requirements
Assume a family of 2 adults and 3 children and assume each child eats 0.75 as much as an adult. Such a family would require 4.25 adult requirements. Assuming all food and Crown Rent met from harvest with no cash sales or casual labour income.
In land, this implies:
Tai Wai good average land, 1 tau can feed 1.94 adults (as above) without outside assistance, 4.25 adults, therefore require 2.19 tau, which requires 4 shing of seedbed and 0.5 shing vegetable gardens or 2.19 + 0.4 + 0.05 = 2.65 tau,
Tai Wai best land
1 tau can feed 3.03 adults (as above). 4.25 adults therefore require 1.4 tau which require 2.75 shing seedbed and 1/2 shing vegetable gardens or 1.4 + 0.275 + 0.05 = 1.73 tau.
Wong Chuk Yeung good average land
1 tau can feed 1.38 adults (as above). 4.25 adults therefore require 3.08 tau which require 6 shing seedbed and 0.5 shing vegetable gardens or 3.08 + 0.6 + 0.05 = 3.72 tau.
Larger families (4 adults, 6 children)
It may be assumed that economies of scale appear, and that the family would require about 1.75 of the land of the small family, e.g. (Note: not checked)
Tai Wai average land 2.64 x 1.75 = 4.62 tau
best land 1.73 x 1.75 = 3.02 tau.
Wong Chuk Yeung average land 3.72 x 1.75 = 6.51 tau.
To translate to Block Crown Lease acreages
Assume approximate equivalence 1 tau and 0.175 acres (=7630 sq.ft.)
Therefore,
Basic family requirements Tai Wai average land 2.64 x 0.175 = 0.462 ac. best land 1.73 x 0.175 = 0.302 ac. Wong Chuk Yeung average land 3.72 x 0.175 = 0.651 ac. Small family Large family 4.62 x 0.175 = 0.809 ac. 3.02 x 0.175 = 0.529 ac. 6.51 x 0.175 = 1.139 ac.