Agriculture of Northwest edge

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

Agriculture of Northwest edge (the present territory of Belarus) in the 19th century. Digression to history.

1. High.
I will begin with Maria Pototskaya's manor in High (nowadays Kamenetsky area). Possession had 6 folvarok (farms), had 3150 tithes (about 3500 hectares), from them a plowed land of 1300 tithes (about 1500 hectares). About 45 tithes (about 50 hectares) were occupied by a kitchen garden. Economy one managing director, one accountant (with the assistant) conducted, four house-keepers (to present measures the foreman), two timekeepers and seven gumenny (key keepers, or zav.skladam).

Processing of the soil was carried out by the working cattle (52 horses and 52 oxen). For seasonal works, except working (farm laborers), peasants were employed (with payment per every day). The direction of farms of a manor consisted in receiving seeds of grain crops and herbs. Potatoes for distillery were grown up, the forage for cattle was made, on 2 tithes (2,2 hectares) the culture of hop was mastered. In a type of heterogeneity of fields ten types 4-12 of polny crop rotations were used.

After all I will give one 12th polny crop rotation: winter crop on fertilizer, potatoes, summer, the fertilized steam occupied shpergely (a grassy plant of family of clove), 2 fields of winter crop, bean, potatoes on half fertilizer, summer with subsowing of a clover, 2 pastures. The rehumidified fields of a manor were drained by means of open ditches. Except manure and compost on fields introduced mineral fertilizers (the Chilean saltpeter and phosphate rock).

The average crop made: 20 c/hectare of wheat, 16 c/hectare of rye, potatoes of 160 c/hectare, beet of 320 c/hectare. The grade of wheat was cultivated (High-Lithuanian). Recognition of achievements in area of a grain farm were high awards at the Russian and international exhibitions. In 1887 M. Pototskaya was awarded with a gold medal.

The diploma of the Kiev agricultural exhibition of 1897 remained: "As by the amount of seed production, so on receptions of culture and quality of the received seed products the High-Lithuanian manor of the countess M. K. Pototskaya wins for a long time undoubtedly first place not only in western, but also in all Russia …"

At the Parisian exhibition in 1889 M. Pototskaya's economy got a gold medal, and in 1900 – the Grand Prix. Successfully the animal husbandry developed in a manor also. The manor contained 60 milk cows, 40 heads of young growth of thoroughbred Dutch breed and 2300 heads of sheep – (negretta). Producers were delivered from Poland and Holland.

At small horse-breeding center horses of the English breed and percherons (the French dray horse) got divorced. In breeding herd there were 130 fine-fleece sheep. There were brick-works, water and windmills, brewing and distilling plants where potatoes were processed, barley (there was the hop) and were occupied in the winter workers. In 1919 the greenhouse was constructed. There was the orchard and several cheese dairies. Now on the place of the estate of M. Pototskaya boarding school.

2. Young (Ivanovo area)
We will talk about a family of the last owners of Molodov – Skirmutakh, starting with Heinrich (1834-1918), the lieutenant of imperial guard and his children. In 1890 the area of its grounds made 5600 tithes (about 6000 hectares). The arable land was small – 600 tithes (about 660 hectares). Two chetyrekhpolny crop rotations, including the steam fertilized by organic chemistry and partially sowed by a lupine (as siderat), fields of rye, potatoes and oats practiced in a manor.

The second crop rotation was vosmipolny: steam fertilized wheat, potatoes, herbs, rye (or barley), potatoes, barley and oats, a clover. The manor contained cows of simmentalsky breed. Thoroughbred producers were delivered. Pigs and sheep were grown up. The estate included: the palace where owners, the wooden house for servants (34 m x 12 m), the house for workers (47 m x 21 m), a lodge for visitors of masters (18 m x 11 m), kitchen lived.

In the estate there was a pise-walled sugar plant (100 m x 18 m), beet was grown up by local peasants and sold for processing, there was a wooden brewery, distillery (on the 3rd floor there lived workers). There was a shed for cattle, three sheds for sheep, three barns, a cellar for potatoes, a stone glacier, a cheesecake, hen house.

Several words about sugar plant. This plant constructed in 1830 was the first in the Belarusian provinces. This year Alexander Skirmut took out the patent for the scientific invention. It was called "A shell for evaporation of sugar syrups". To the invention this process took 4-5 hours, with its introduction – 3-4 minutes! But modest harvests of sugar beet constrained production. (By the way, now on the place of this estate – a livestock farm).

3. Strigovo of Kobrin district (in two kilometers from my house).
The estate belonged Ioann Puzyna. In 1890 possession of a manor made about 900 hectares of the earth. The estate was located separately from the village, included the stone house, park, a reservoir, the economic yard. On lands manors practiced three crop rotations different from other manors. The crop rotation consisted of 7 fields: the steam fertilized by manure, partially occupied with mustard on a green forage, rye, potatoes and carrots, oats (on manure), a clover, winter wheat.

On lands on which the organic chemistry was not brought and fertilizers were applied, the crop rotation tryokhpolny was used: a lupine on fertilizer, wheat, oats, and chetyrekhpolny: a lupine on seeds, steam with a lupine on green fertilizer, winter and oats. In a manor there was a nursery of fruit-trees.

The cattle was grown up only thoroughbred: cows of the Dutchwoman, pig thoroughbred yorkshira, sheep of a sousdouna. An average yield of milk about 3 thousand liters a year. At local plant Swiss cheese was made. For today the estate is lost. Single trees and the growing reservoir with the island remained.

December, 2010

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