ECONOMIC EEFOKMS IN GEKMANY 17 



is now divided into farms of less than 100 acres each, 

 the two largest classes being : — 



12£ to 50 acres . . . 327 per cent. 

 50 „ 100 „ 21*4 per cent. 



and about 93 per cent, of the farmers in Germany 

 own the land that they cultivate. The policy of tariff 

 protection was put forward in the first place by the 

 agrarian party, and was subsequently adopted by a 

 party whose view was that " Germany must keep 

 under the protection of her guns, the ground upon 

 which her corn grows and her cattle graze ". In 

 other words that she must produce her own food and 

 not be too dependent on imports from abroad. This 

 view was adopted by the State, and the tariff pro- 

 tection afforded to agriculture, though not very sub- 

 stantial in hard cash, was successful in restoring 

 confidence to the farmers and emboldening them to 

 resort to intensive cultivation. 



Amongst the general economic causes from which 

 German agriculture has profited must be mentioned 

 the stimulating influence of an increase in the general 

 prosperity of the nation. Industrial competition no 

 doubt caused a scarcity of agricultural labour. This, 

 however, stimulated the use of machinery. Further, 

 it was the prosperity of the towns that gave agriculture 

 good prices for its produce, furnished cheap capital, 

 provided the agriculturist with guidance in co-oper- 

 ative methods, and in general infected him with the 



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