Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/559

* PRUSSIA. 489 PBTJSSIA. ing rather than an agricultural nation, the farmers of Prussia are in a fairly prosperous condition, owing to intensive cultivation of the lanJ. the fosterinj; care of every agricultural interest both by Imperial and royal legislation, and the use of excellent farm machinery. Among the later developments of Prussian agriculture is the association of neighboring farmers for the purpose of buying maehinerj' jun by electricity, alcohol, or other artificial motive power for plowing, threshing, grinding grain, and many other purposes. Prussia leads the world in the use of alcohol as steam-producing fuel, the alco- hol being chiefly produced from its potato crop. All the common agricultural products are raised in Prussia. The provinces of East and West Prussia. Posen, Pomerania, and Hanover are most important agricultural sections, not only of Prussia, but of Germany as well. Prussia produces more than three-fourths of the entire rye crop of Germany (the chief food of the peas- antry and most important cereal in the Empire), in addition to 70 per cent, of the potato crop (a large amount of it turned into alcohol for fuel and illumination), 60 per cent, of the wheat crop, 65 per cent, of the oats crop, and over 80 per cent, of the beet crop. Rye and wheat are raised all over the kingdom : oats chiefly in East Prus- sia. Hanover, the Rhine Province, and Silesia ; and barley chiefly in Silesia and Saxony. The greater part of Germany's beet crop is grown on the plains of Prussia from the Harz Mountains to Silesia. The vineyards of Prussia cover an area exceeding 45.000 acres and yielded in 1900 C. "52.000 gallons of wine. Fruit culture, in- cluding all the fruits of the temperate zone, is highlv developed, and the fruit trees in 1900 num- bered 90.220.375. The area under the principal crops in 1900 (in acres) and the yield (in metric tons) are shown in the following table: 1900 Area Yield Rye 11.277,340 6,710,9:JO 2,999,860 2,196,731 5,477,095 7,992,873 6.370.989 Oata 4,631,640 Wheat 2.390,578 Barlev 1,649,982 27,564.406 Hav 10,934,739 Prussia is the leading German State in the number and quality of live stock. The breeding of horses is extensively carried on in the provinces of East and West Prussia and Hanover: while many cattle are bred along the North Sea and in Sax- ony, tlie region of the marshes, drained and other- wise improved, being particularly favorable for cattle-raising and the dairy industry. Pomera- nia is well known for its sheep. Goats are found in great numbers, especiall.v in the eastern prov- inces. In 1900 the domestic animals included 2,ni.'?.00.3 horses. 4702 asses and mules. 10.805,296 cattle. 6,989.430 sheep. 10.954.002 swine, and 1,998,692 goats. The fact that the kingdom has now only about one-third as many sheep as in 1873 is chiefly due to two causes: the decline in the price of wool, and the subordination in Ger- many of agriculture to manufacturing industries, hundreds of thousands having abandoned the farm for the factory, and pastures having been turned into fields to raise food for the growing industrial towns. The result is that Prussia needs to import large quantities of wool for its factories. A large part of the cavalry horses in the German army come from Northeast Prussia, and the Prussian Government, through the stud farms which it maintains, about 20 in number, exerts great influence on the scientific breeding of horses. About 23 per cent, of the area of Prussia is under forests. Only a little over one-half of the total forest area is in private hands, and private ownership is constantly declining. The remainder is held by the State and local governments, the State controlling about two-thirds of the area. The largest forests are in Brandenburg. Silesia, and the Rhine Province, while Hohenzollern and Schleswig-Holstein are almost entirel.v devoid of woods. Nearly one-third of the forest area is under coniferous trees, the remainder being un- der deciduous trees ; the former predominate in the north. The Prussian Government derives a revenue of about $20,000,000 a year from the for- est indu.stry. See Germany, paragraphs on Agri- culture, Stock-Breeding, and Forestry. Manufactukes. The increase from 1882 to 1895 in the number of persons employed in the Prussian manufacturing industries was over 33 per cent. The textile industries thrive in Rhen- ish Prussia, noted for its cotton spinning and weaving, and for its woolen and silk products, and Silesia, known both for its cotton and linen manufactures. Aachen ( Aix-la-Cha])elle) and its district are a great seat of the woolen manu- facture, and Krefeld and Elberfeld are noted centres of the silk industry. Berlin and Rhenish Prussia and some of the largest cities in other sections of Prussia turn out most of the ma- chinery and metal work. The iron and steel in- dustry is on a vast scale, and is chiefly centred in the coal field of the Ruhr. Large amounts of the pig iron and steel made in that region are sent to machine shops in various parts of the country for conversion into a great variety of articles. The most famous iron and steel works are at Essen. Ship-building is a very imjjortant and growing industry in the cities of Kiel, Dan- zig. Stettin^ and Elbing. Car and wagon works centre largely in the eastern cities of Breslau and Konigsberg, besides Cologne, Diisseldorf. and Gorlitz. Glass and porcelain ware and pottery are produced in Rhenish Prussia, Silesia, and Saxony: the same is true of paper. The chem- ical industry is especially important in the Rhine cities, and is also prominent in Berlin. See Ger- many, paragraph on Manufactures, and the arti- cles on the provinces and leading cities. Mining and smelting Quarries and pott*?rie» Metal industr.v Macbiue and instrument mak- ing Chemical industry Textile industry Paper industry Leather industry....... Wood-workinff Manufactiiri' of food products (includuiK lieverages) Clothing industr.v Building trados Printing and publishing trades .rtistic trades Manufacture uf lighting ma- terial — soaps and fat Total S.43.') 1882 359,177 216,931 285,112 200,528 88,722 428,543 48,856 68,354 253,925 393,105 741,142 331,338 35,970 7.672 24.399 458.504 314.2.58 383,932 329.404 C6.G01 441. 8S5 72.250 86,692 322,989 586.Xi3 800.427 o9fi.6»C 67,539 9,503 35,038