232 Account of the Meeting 



or three rotations. The " bauer " (peasant) generally holds from 

 50 to 200 acres, paying a small rent. The holding descends to 

 his children, and he can sell his title, with the consent of his 

 lord, to tenants holding for six or eight years. On the domains 

 of the Grand-Duke, the ^' Amtmann " of the district not only 

 receives the rents, and acts as seignor in all things, but prescribes 

 the rotation and management of the farm in all things. If the 

 farmer should be a bad manager, he is deposed, and his son or 

 next of kin put in his place. This is, however, very rarely the 

 case, and this class of tenants are very well used, whether in the 

 royal domains or on the seignories. 



About one-fourth of the province is cultivated by the resident 

 proprietors, who keep intelligent bailiffs, and who pursue country 

 amusements during nearly the whole year. It is on these estates 

 the greatest improvements are making, and through their exertions 

 and example will, I have no doubt, be gradually extended. 

 When, however, it is inconvenient to reside, the lands are let in 

 farms varying from 500 to 1200 acres, on leases for two or three 

 rotations, which are generally as follow : — 



1. Fallow, dunged. 



2. Rape, rye, or wheat. 



3. (After rape, wheat), otherwise barley or oats. 



4. Oats. 



5. Clover, mown for fodder. 



6. 7 3 and 8. Pastured. 



Sometimes, where there are meadows, and therefore an unusual 

 quantity of manure, the third year peas are grown with half 

 dunging, and the fourth year, rye. The land is for the most part 

 sandy, but in some districts with such an admixture of clay as to 

 form excellent corn-land. The three or four white crops in 

 succession are here ruinously general. Potatoes also, for winter 

 food or distillation, are much grown. There is very little natural 

 pasture, the cattle being for the most part brought from Jutland 

 and Holstein. Farm-buildings are numerous, and of immense 

 size, as not only are all living animals housed during the winter, 

 but until latterly no corn was stacked out of doors. In many 

 cases the dwelling-house of the tenant consists of one end of the 

 barn walled off. The residences of the nobles, however, and 

 their establishments, vie with the best appointed country gentle- 

 men's houses in England. Wages are from lOo?. to \s. In 

 threshing, however, the pay is the 14th sack, equal to about \s. 2d. 

 per diem. In Prussia, I believe, it is the IGth sack. The sale 

 of horses is a very important traffic, bringing perhaps 200,000 

 louis-d'ors annually into the country. The number of fine- 

 woolled merinos amounts to about a million and a half. Owing, 



