The Landowner 



the vocation and the home are one, while love 

 for his birthplace and for his possession acts as 

 a final incentive to the farmer to retain for him- 

 self and his family the property he has inherited 

 from his father. This is only possible, however, 

 if great industry is exercised and many of the 

 joys and pleasures of life are foregone. In many 

 cases it is possible only when the entire family 

 works conjointly, and when the individual sacri- 

 fices his existence to serve the whole. In the 

 middle of last century Germany produced more 

 corn than was requisite for its own needs. From 

 that time onwards, however, the production of 

 corn did not keep pace with the rapid increase 

 of the population ; the importation of cheap 

 American wheat rendered the cultivation of grain 

 here unprofitable, and agriculturists realised that 

 attempts must be made to get more out of the 

 land in order to maintain its value by increasing 

 the production. Agriculture struggled upwards, 

 and from being a handicraft became a science. 

 Through the application of artificial manure, 

 through the improvement of the land by means 

 of drainage and subsoil-ploughing, and through 

 the development of new and more productive 

 kinds of corn, the yield was almost doubled. An 

 improvement of the stock was accomplished 

 simultaneously by the importation of better 

 animals for breeding purposes ; milch cattle 

 were imported from Holland, and large numbers 



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