Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-10-08
FARM AND FIREsIDE.
GERMAN Agriculture.


7 have now for some weeks been
looking into the agriculture OF the DIS
,r;ct around Dresden-on the west as
far as Leipsic, and on the north as lar
a. Berlin. find that, though 'he
price of wheat is here reduced by tue
command America has obtained over
the wheat market of the world, agri4
ii,ure is not in the suffering condi'
:, to which it has been reduced in
BLAND. The reasons of this are
at il would be useful for us to
ow. My observations and inquiries
we brought me to believe that the
mplest expression Of.these reasons is
nat the lands here for the most part
ultiyated in farms of about fifty acres
nv their owners. | will endeayor TO
point out some of the most obvious
and noteworthy consequences OF these
two facts a. AS the farmer and MS
family generally work on the farm
(there are about 1,OOO,OOO land own
ers in Prussia there is comparatively
little expended in hired labor 10
understand how this acts we must
.unnose farms in the United States
averaging about fifty acres, and that
on these fifty acre farms the owner and
his family in most cases take the lead
in the work. On any thousand acres
then, there might be twenty iamll'eS
working with the will Of owners DOT
for wages, but supported by what they
could themselves produce. (2) what
hired labor is required is more efficient
than hired labor is in England, be-
cause the laborer works with, gener-
ally lives with and feels that he be-
longs to the same class as the farmer,
and not to quite different class made
one in sentiment by the consciousness
of all its members that they are all
alike without property, all practically
incapable of attaining to prOperty'and
that they all alike have nothing to fall
back upon except the poor rate (o)
The land is, l might almost say De-
wound comparison, kept cleaner here
than it is in England. There are no
hedges or bitches acting as nurseries
for weeds and giving harhor to YER
min. The heart OF the owner ISL his
land. and every weed that appears
upon !the land is felt to be grow
ing at the cost OF the owner aud OF his
family. 49, The farmer has no rent
to pay;that was paid once for all when
the land was purchased, generally by
some ancestor of the present owner
This, besides now annually securing
to the farmer higher reward for his
labor, saves him in bad times from the
anxieties and entanglements OF having
to borrow. o. [ will oDly mention
one more cause, and regard it as a
very effective one Of the strength OF
the agricultural system that obtains In
this part Of the continent. | might in-
deed say over the greater part OF the
continent. The land being held IN
small farms, far greater variety OF
produce is extracted from it than is
possible under any other system. Po-
tatocs are produced to an extent that
surprises even non-agricultural Amer
leans. The same may be said offrult,
vegetable, poultry, milk and butter
1t would be interesting to know, If 1t
could be ascertained, how many hun
dred-I might, iadeed, say how many
thousand-miles OF fruit trees decor
ate and turn TO good account, without
the slightest protection the margins OF
the roads and paths in this part OF
Germany. That this can be done is
indicative of very satisfactory trait
in the character of the people, not on"
" of this district, but Of the CONT
nent generally. Of course it is easily
explained bY the general diffusion OF
property. In these small farms abso-
lutely no space is wasted. In places
where the surface appears 10 be pure
sand, and no agricultural plant could
live, | have everywhere found planta
tons Of Scotch FIR and Of birch, the on
ly trees that could maintain themselves
in such starving barrenDess. 1t was
necessary at first to set the young trees
in deep burrows that they might not
be blown out of the ground. and that
rain that fell might be conducted tt
their roots. 10 oil the plantations Of
this kind saw, | noticed that every
individual tree was carefully foTrestsd
and that no briars or nettles or under
growths Of any kind were allowed t
spring up on the decaying leaves, and
and so rob the plantation. On lanc
not yet good enough for producing
grain, though somewhat better thar
that appropriated to Scotch tic an'
birch, the yellow lupine is grown TO
forage. SPECIAL
Berlin, Sept. l.