268 



The i^early rainfall iu the Khine provinces is 24 Paris inches ; in 

 Bavaria, 32.9; in Wurtemburg, 28.2 ; in Elsass Lotharingen, 28.6; in 

 East Prussia, 22.6 ; in West Prussia, 19.9. The last spring frost occurs 

 at the end of April in the eastern provinces, and three weeks earlier iu 

 the western ; the first fall frost in the east is about the middle of Oc- 

 tober, and in the west about a month later. In the east the anniial 

 number of days above 19° centigrade, or 66.2 Fahrenheit, ranges from 26 

 to 28; in the central provinces, 40; at Cologne, 42. Spring work begins 

 the last of February in the Rhine provinces, but as late as May in the 

 mountains of Ponierania and Silesia. Rye harvest ranges through 

 July. Potatoes are dug in October. The grape and the maize find 

 their northern limit along the isotherm of 9° centigrade, (48.2 Fahren- 

 heit.) The climatic conditions of both animal and vegetable growth are 

 on the whole favorable. 



Soil.— About 49 per cent, of the empire is rated as garden and plow 

 land; 18 per cent, meadows and pastures; 25 per cent, woodland; 8 per 

 cent, waste. The soil is not remarkably fertile. In the level northern 

 portions it is light and by no means rich, except in East Prussia, where 

 less favorable climatic conditions reduce its full productiveness. The 

 regular raiu-fall, however, favors the untiring and intelligent cultiva- 

 tion which extorts good harvests. The conditions of growth are more 

 favorable in Middle and South Germany, but far below those of Lom- 

 bardy, Belgium, and England. 



Land-tenure. — The farms of Germany are generally of medium 

 size and are held in fee-simple. Near Treves and Coblentz, and in 

 Baden, Nassau, and Wiirtemberg the allotments are small. In the north- 

 eastern i)rovinces and on the Upper Elbe more than half the land is 

 held in tracts exceeding 370 acres. On the west the land-tennres 

 resemble those of France ; on the east those of Russia. Thus in social 

 organization as well as in climate, Germany occupies middle ground 

 between Southwestern and Northeastern Europe. 



Tillage, live stock, etc. — Saxony leads in high farming, but is 

 not quite able to raise her own grain. Next follows the Lower Rhine, 

 Hesse, Baden, Elsass-Lotharingen, Bavaria, and Wiirtemberg. The 

 richest grain-lands are in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Hanover, 

 and the Danube Valley. Gardening prevails in the middle and south. 

 The seed and flower gardens around Bamberg, Nuremberg, Ulm, and 

 Frankfort rival those of Belgium and Holland. Baden, Hesse, and 

 Wiirtemberg export considerable quantities of fruit, while a small 

 surplus is annually found in the Palatinate, the Rhine provinces, Thur- 

 ingia, and Saxony. The flax fibers and fabrics of Silesia, Westphalia, 

 and Hanover have a world-wide reputation. Bavaria, Elsass, and 

 Posen raise superior hops. In 1872 Saxony, Silesia, Brandenburg, 

 Anhalt, and Brunswick produced 61,000,000 centners* of sugar-beets. 

 The vine, cultivated since the time of the Romans on the hills of the 

 Rhine, in the Palatinate, Wiirtemberg, «&c., covers 308,887 acres. 

 Baden, Elsass, Hesse, Middle Francouia, the Palatinate, and a small 

 portion of Prussia, in 1871, had 54,860 acres in tobacco. The average 

 yield of wine is about 118,879,100 gallons; of tobacco 77,000,000 pounds. 

 In 1871-'72 the aggregate yield of tobacco was 78,533,050 pounds, 

 valued at 6,068,500 thalers, or about $4,247,950. Of this aggregate 

 Baden produced 22,557,590 pounds ; Prussia, 21,877,900 pounds ; Bavaria, 

 15,856,830 pounds; Elsass, 12,706,980 pounds; Hesse, 3,906,210 pounds. 



Fine meadow and pasture land is distributed throughout the empire 



* By late imperial decree the centner has beeu fixed at 50 kilograms, or a little over 

 110 pounds. 



