142 AGRICULTUKB OK THE RHINE. 



A macadamized road has opened the romantic valley of 

 the Sieg since 1840, and along this line cartage is gradually 

 being transferred from oxen to horses. The habits of 

 the agriculturists, however, do not change so rapidly as 

 mechanical improvements advance at the present day ; 

 and the roads to the mines being in their ancient con- 

 dition, oxen are likely for some to predominate. The 

 small miners occasionally use their milch cows for draught, 

 as is the case all over Germany. 



In the year 1837, the official returns showed for the 

 circle of Siegen, a stock of cattle on the German square 

 mile (203 English square miles), amounting to 30 horses; 

 1276 horned cattle ; 624 sheep : 113 goats; 325 pigs. 



The population in the same year having numbered 

 3440 on the German square mile, the number of homed 

 cattle was nearly one for every tvi o inhabitants, which will 

 serve to show how great the proportion of draught oxen 

 must have been. The circumstances of the country j)revent 

 it having any thing remarkable in arable agriculture to 

 interest the practical farmer. Every slope in the wind- 

 ing valleys yields a different return, and rye, oats, and 

 potatoes of poor quality, and scanty in quantity, repay 

 the peasant badly for the time he abstracts from other 

 occupations to apply to their cultivation More than 

 10 to 12 bushels of rye per acre cannot be calculated 

 u}X)n as return from the " Hauberg," and 3 sheffes of 

 potatoes from the Prussian " ruthe," or 150 bushels to 

 the acre is considered a good crop of this root. Turnips 

 are constantly sown in the oat stubbles, although the damp 

 of the autumn and the early frost at night prevent their 

 attaining even a moderate size. Flax is cultivated to 



