166
AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE.
situations where a moment’s reflection shows that the
ground is not only utterly valueless to its present owners,
but that its cultivation must entail a loss. It is, however,
not very long since people began to reason any where on
these matters ; and it is but justice to say, that the govern-
ment has spared no pains in recommending the consolida-
tion at least of the present scattered properties, in which
task M. Albrecht, the director of the agricultural college,
has been very serviceable. It is, however, charac-
teristic of the little capital, and of its present burgesses,
that in Wiesbaden we could not discover that a single
consolidation bad taken place.
Of the nature of the contributions that are made to
the weekly publication, an opinion may be formed from
the following notices. Among other things a map
of the Duchy of Nassau has been given. From this
we learn the prevalence of another elementary scourge
scarcely less destructive for the moment than the cloud-
breaks that we described some chapters back. The
hailstorms of Germany are often fearfully destructive.
We have seen corn-fields in ear so completely extermi-
nated, that the very haulm has been beaten into the earth,
and a few hours have sufficed to make it difficult to say
what crop had stood on the ground. These hailstorms
are local plagues, seldom extending in breadth beyond
a mile ; but the length of the strip they ravage is very
various. Calculations of the chances they present have
been made, and insurance societies have been established
against loss by hail in many parts of Germany. The
map shows the loss that has accrued to the Duchy of
Nassau within the last fifty years from hailstorms, and
by means of various colours the number of times different
places have suffered are distinctly shown.
Agmctltube ok the khine.
lβ7
The Duchy of Nassau has also an insurance society
against the mortality of cattle at Hofheim, with an
agency at Frankfort. This institution has been of great
benefit to the poor farmers since its establishment.
In another contribution to the weekly journal, we
found a description of an improved management of under-
wood plantations on the plan of the “ hauberge,” that we
described as peculiar to Siegen. In some parts of Nassau,
after the wood is cut the ground is subjected to a three
years’ rotation of crops. Rye is sown in the first year on
the soil manured by burning the sods ; oats follow in
the second ; and potatoes in the third year. Woodshave,
according to this statement, been farmed out for three
years after cutting, at 5 florins the morgen, or 12s. 6d.
the acre, per annum. The crop of broom that grows
spontaneously in the woods of Siegen seems to be lost
under this system.
We extract from the eleventh volume of the Transac-
tions of this useful little society, the state of its funds in
1838, for the purpose of showing how easily such associa-
tions are established.
Dr. Income.
£ s. d.
Balance from 1837. 40 O O
Interest of sundry
sums ... 4 12 O
Moneyborrowed 115 12 6
Contribution from
Government . 361 5 O
Subscription to
weekly and an-
nual publica-
tions . . . 309 4 O
Contributions for
journals . . 6 2 6
F or foals and mares
at grass . . 2 7 8
Expenditure. Cr.
£ s. d.
Rates and taxes 8 9 0
Salary of clerks,
gardener, post-
age,lighting, &c. 97 16 6
Interest of money 44 19 O
Borrowed money
repaid . . . 111 10 O
Prizes distributed 167 10 O
Cost of veterinary
hospital . . 6 0 0
Students’ founda-
tions . . 10 8 4
Cost of publishing 152 8 4
Costofjournals 17 I 4