Study title

(Key Words: 19th century, agriculture, agricultural production, agricultural revolution, agrarian revolution, agricultural statistics, cultivation statistics, harvest statistics, statistics of livestock production, primary sector, Westfalia, Prussian Province Westfalia) Introductory Statements The project titeled „Prussian Agriculural Statistics, Province Westfalia‘ (‚Preußische Agrarstatistik, Provinz Westfalen‘) was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2001 to 2005. It was carried out under the guidance from Prof. Dr. Wolfram Fischer and Prof. Dr. Heinrich Volmann. Dr. Meinolf Nitsch and Dr. Rita Gudermann analysed the historical sources, collected and processed the data and commented the data critically. Subject of the Study In the framework of deep changes of agricultural production (new plant types and animal races, larger area under cultivation, changed methods of cultivation, agricultural production intended for the market, etc.) the German agriculture underwent a rapid growth of it’s productivity. To answer the questions of historical facts and developments in agricultural economics and in the social history of the agricultural sector, a reliable source of data is needed. The datacompilation on Agricultural Statistics of Westfalia during the 18th and 19th century is an attempt to offer a comprehensive statistical standard compendium. It contains mainly unpublished statistical material on the level of single agricultural country estates and their administration units in secular or in church ownership for the pre-statistical period until 1871. Since 1871 and the following years the official Prussian statistics of the Prussian Province Westfalia on the level of its governmental or administrative and county districts offers statistical material on agricultural entrepreneurs, on the working population of the agricultural sector, on land use, cultivation and harvest statistics and on livestock production in Westaflia. Time and Place of...