Rural Economy of the Netherlands. 159 



system of hereditary lease is applied to their clearings, and the 

 city may well be satisfied with it, for the farmers bring to the 

 work that energetic action to which the feeling of ownership 

 gives rise. 



At another spot has arisen the little colony of the Society of 

 Benevolence, established about forty years ago by General Van 

 den Bosch. Owing to the devotedness of the managers, and 

 the generosity of the subscribers, 434 little homesteads have 

 been built, 3500 acres of land have been brought into cultiva- 

 tion, and a laborious population of 3000 souls has been removed 

 beyond the reach of poverty. It is true that the outlay has 

 been disproportionate to the results, and this gives rise to doubts 

 as to the future. 



Planting the poor land is a work which is not open to the 

 same uncertainty. The Netherlands are deficient in woods, 

 having in all only 562,500 acres, almost all situated in the pro- 

 vinces of Gelderland and Brabant. A change is taking place in 

 this respect, and extensive planting has been undertaken. The 

 timber trees Avhich succeed best are the Scotch fir and the black 

 Austrian pine. This new source of wealth promises to be some 

 day highly productive. M. de Laveleye remarks, with justice, 

 that if the Low Countries during the last century had devoted to 

 the planting of their heaths all the money they have invested in 

 foreign loans, their returns would have been more steady, and less 

 exposed to risk from the possible bankruptcy of involved govern- 

 ments. 



To sum up, the 7,500,000 acres capable of cultivation in the 

 territory of the Netherlands is disposed as follows : — 



Acres. 



Natural Pasturage 3,375,000 



Arable land 1,812,500 



Wood 562,500 



Uncultivated land 1,750,000 



7,500,000 



These figures show that the Netherlands (together with Swit- 

 zerland) have the largest proportion of pasturage of any country. 

 If we add the root-crops and artificial grasses, it appears that 

 twice as much land is appropriated to feed domestic animals as 

 is devoted to cereals and other vegetable products that serve as 

 food for man. 



Among cereal crops rye stands first, occupying nearly 500,000 

 acres. Wheat is only grown in the most fertile portion, and the 

 entire crop does not exceed 620,000 qrs., or one bushel and eleven 

 gallons per head of the population. Bread made from wheaten 

 flour is here an article of luxury ; that in general consumption. 



