The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-09-27
LETTER.
Regular Correspondence.
Berlin, Sept. LIST. 1879.

on the west as far Is LeipSlc, and
on the north as far an Berlin. /
find that, though the price of
wheat is here reduced by the com
mand America has obtained over
the wheat market of the world,
agriculture is not in the suffering
condition to which it has been re.
duced in England. The reasons
OF this are what il wOnld be use
full for us to know. My obServa-
tlOns and inquiries nave brought
me to believe that the simplest
expression of these reasons is that
the land is here for the most part
cultivated in farms of about 80
acres by their owners. | will en-
tieavor to point out some Of the
most obvious and noteworthy con
sequences of these two facts. l
AS the farmer and his family gen
orally work OH the farm there are
about 1000, 600 landowners in
Prussia) there is comparatively
little expended in hired labor. To
understand how this acts we must
suppose farms in the United
States averaging about so acres,
and that on these 5O-acre farms
the owner and his family in most
cases take the lead in the work.
On any thousand acres, then,
there might he 20 families work
ing with tile will of owners, not
Tor wages, but supported by what
they could themselves produce.
r.. What hired labor is required
is more efficient than hired labor
is i'll England, because the Iabo>
rer works with, generally lives
with and feels that he. belongs to
the same class as the farmer, and
not to quite ii different class made
one III sentiment 10y the conscious
ness Of all it's members that they
are all alike without property, all
practically incapable Of attaining
TO property and that they are all
alike but have nothing TO TALL
back upon except the poor
rate. [3.] The land is, / might
almost Say beyond comparison,
kept cleaner here than it is in
England. There are no hedges
or bitches acting as nurseries fol
weeds and giving harhor to yer.
min. The heart Of the owner is
III his land, and every weed that
appears upon the land is felt Il
be growing at the cost of thu
owner and of his family. IT, Tht
farmer has no rent TO pay thai
was paid once for all when tn;
land VAS purchased, generally by
some ancestor OF the present own
or. This, besides now annUall,
securing to the farmer a higher II
ward for his labor, saves him il
bad times from the anxieties an,
entanglements Of having to Dor
row. (5.) l will only mention on
more cause, and i! regard it as
very effective one, OF the strength
of the agricultural system that oil
tains in this part Of the continen,
[ might. indeed, say over tn
create. part of the continent. Th
land being held in small farms,
far greater variety of system. Pc
tatoes are produced to an extern
that surprises even non>agricnltu
raj Americans. The same may b
interesting to know, if it could b.
asccrtained, how many hundred
fruit trees decorate and turn t.
good account, without the slight
est protection, the margins of til
roads andpa,hs III this part 0
Germany. That this can be don
is Indicative Of Il very satistactor,
trait in the character OF the PEG
pie, not only of this district, Du
of the continent generally. o
conlse, it is easily explained b,
the general diffusion of property
In these small farms absOlutel,
no space is wasted. In place
where the surface appears to b.
pure sand and no agriculture
plant could live, l have every
where found plantations of Scotcl
fir and OF birch, the only tree
that could maintain themselves il
such starving barrenness. 1t wa
necessary at first to set the yOuD:
trees i'll deep burrows that the.
might not be blown out of tn,
ground, and that the rain tina
fell might be conducted to t!iei.
roots. In all the plantations 0
this kind saw, l noticed tina
every individual tree was careful
~ forested, and that no briars
or nettlcs or undergrowthS of an,
kind were allowed to Spring N
on the aecaying leaves aud &c
rob the plantation. On land not
yet good enough for producing
grain. though somewhat better
than th,t ,n,rc,pi,,,I +, S.1,!