Möglin and the Doctrine of Crop Rotation
The assessment by our travel companion Theodor Fontane is quite euphoric. "About half a mile from the western edge of the Oderbruch lies Möglin, a village with only twelve houses, not distinguished by its size or soil quality, which nevertheless had the fame of being named among the country's historic villages in ancient and modern times." The Brandenburg poet knew exactly who had worked here: Albrecht Daniel Thaer, the most important agricultural reformer in the German-speaking world. His work is best understood by visiting the small, fine museum, newly established in 2009, which, among other things, displays a preserved Thaer family plough from 1796. Albrecht Daniel Thaer initially practiced as a doctor in Celle, the place where he was born in 1752. His job did not seem to satisfy him. "He probably couldn't stand the sight of blood, which isn't very good for a doctor," says Jutta Füßl, who is guiding us through the exhibition. He also probably despaired at the limited possibilities of helping the sick at the time. At least the doctor's doctoral thesis is on display in Möglin.
Thaer soon came to see agriculture as the "most beautiful, most beneficial art of healing" and one he wanted to devote himself to. He came to the realization that he could serve people better with sufficient quantities of good food than with medicine. "He bought a spacious house in Celle and turned his attention to flower growing. This already showed the same inclination for the "principle of cross-breeding" that he later implemented so brilliantly in the animal world," Fontane reports. Little by little, Thaer acquired more land until a small farm was established and the doctor also became a farmer. With his experiments, he wanted to generate the greatest possible yield from the fields. "He wanted to show by his own example how agriculture is viewed, with great injustice, as just a craft, and often even less, in the opinion that it takes less art to cultivate a field than to make a shoe."
These were the beginnings of "rational agriculture" and its scientific farming. We owe the "doctrine of crop rotation" to Thaer. This doctrine initially met with opposition and it was predicted that his fields would soon be completely drained. The reformer found an advocate in Frederick the Great: "Just look at his garden bed, how it produces every year." Since Thaer, we have known that an optimal crop rotation can ensure the humus, water and nutrient content of the arable soil. In the meantime, however, it seems that the importance of this doctrine is waning in industrial agriculture, with negative consequences for soil quality. Thaer also recognized that crop rotation is not the only important thing, but that it must also be preceded by a precise knowledge of the soil. His theories, derived from practical work and studies of English publications, were a great success. Thus, after informal lectures in Celle, the first agricultural college in Germany followed in 1802.
The renewed outbreak of war between France and England and the occupation of Hanover by Napoleon forced Thaer to leave his homeland. Good relations with Hardenberg, Itzenplitz and Frau von Friedland ensured that he was welcomed with open arms in Prussia. No less than a royal order from Frederick William III secured him, among other things: "in addition to admission to the Academy of Sciences and the status of Privy Councillor of War, the following concessions: 1. three to four hundred acres of fields in the Wollup district on a hereditary lease; 2. permission to sell this hereditary lease and buy a manor with it; 3. protection and support for the agricultural institute."
With the profits he made on the Wollup state estate, Thaer bought the Barfuse von Möglin manor in 1804. There, with the help of his business manager Koppe, he built up a "modern" sheep farm. The crossbreeds and breeding methods he developed enabled the "production of excellent wool, the best that had been produced in Germany up to that point," writes Fontane. And further: "especially in the field of sheep farming, he became more and more of a European authority." At times, Thaer's flocks numbered over 1000 ewes and he was called the wool king of Germany, says Jutta Füßl. Efficient management secured him a reliable income and the opportunity to invest. He writes: "The art of calculating correctly is just as important for the farmer as the art of cultivating the field correctly." Thaer was already using double-entry bookkeeping on his estate. As a co-founder of the University of Berlin, today's Humboldt University, he gave lectures in cameral science, which corresponds to today's business administration, during the winter semesters. His greatest achievement, however, was the replacement of the three-field system with crop rotation, according to Jutta Füßl.
Passing on his knowledge was important to Thaer and after his arrival in Möglin in 1806 he began operating his agricultural school, which in 1819 was awarded the "predicate of an academic agricultural teaching institute" by the King of Prussia. The early years were still overshadowed by the war, but "with peace came more blessed times, and as Thaer saw his fame grow and the various branches of his economy prosper during the last decade that he was still allowed to live and work, so did the institute." Fontane attributes a similar importance to the school as the forestry academy in nearby Eberswalde. After only 55 years, however, the academy stopped teaching because it was far away and could no longer be run economically due to competing institutes.
For more information about the Oderbruch Museum and the cultural heritage in the Oderbruch, please see here.