Johann Christian Schubart

Johann Christian Schubart.

Johann Christian Schubart , ennobled as Edler von dem Kleefelde in 1784 and also called Edler von Kleefeld (* February 24, 1734 in Zeitz ; † April 23, 1787 in Würchwitz ) was a German farmer, agrarian reformer and Freemason in the 18th century. He sustainably promoted the cultivation of clover in Germany.

Apprenticeship and wandering years

Memorial plaque on the site of Schubart's birthplace in Zeitz

Crypt in Pobles

Schubart, son of a (linen) weaver and cloth merchant, learned the profession of scribe in Zeitz. In 1750 he left the city of his birth. In the following years he worked in various positions as a clerk and secretary , including in Bad Lauchstädt , Leipzig and Vienna . During the Seven Years' War he was "General Secretary" of high Prussian officers and from 1760 "Royal British War and Marching Commissar" in the Anglo-Hanoverian army, which fought alongside the Prussian King Friedrich II .

In 1762 Schubart joined the Order of Freemasons , initially in the Braunschweig Lodge Jonathan . In 1763 he became a member of the Great Mother Lodge "To the Three Worlds" (GNML (3WK)) in Berlin. He quickly acquired all Masonic degrees and later even became a Grand Master . On November 28, 1764, Schubart installed the GNML (3WK) as a lodge of strict observance on behalf of Freiherr von Hund . On behalf of his grand lodge he undertook extensive journeys through many European countries as a "propagandist" from 1763 to 1767. It was there that he discovered his love for agriculture. He found enough time to deal with crop rotations in different agricultural regions. In southern Germany, France and Italy he especially studied the attempts to cultivate clover as a forage plant . Because of various controversies and intrigues, he resigned all his offices in Freemasonry after six years of activity.

During his numerous trips, Schubart had repeatedly stayed at German princely courts. In 1767 he was awarded the title of Hofrat by the Hessian Landgrave . Schubart lived in Leipzig from 1768. As a well-traveled and cosmopolitan councilor, he soon found a connection with Leipzig society. On January 3, 1769, he married Christine Karoline Mittler, the fifteen years younger daughter of a wealthy Leipzig merchant. With the fortune of his wife he acquired the Würchwitz manor near Zeitz.

Farmer and landlord

From 1771 Schubart worked as a practical farmer. He grew clover, alfalfa , saspards , beets and potatoes on the fallow land on his Würchwitz estate near Merseburg . Because of the biotic nitrogen binding of the nodule bacteria to the roots (only discovered in 1886) , the cultivation of legumes (clover, alfalfa, sasparsette) led to higher yields in the crop rotation , and because of the high protein content of the forage plants, better nutrition and milk yield of the cattle fed with them. At the same time he introduced the summer stable feeding of cattle. To improve his income, he planted tobacco and laid out gardens for the coloring plant madder . In Würchwitz he built a factory in which the red dye of the madder plant was processed. In 1774 Schubart acquired two more estates which he had administrators manage. He studied agricultural literature with great enthusiasm and exchanged extensive letters with reform-minded farmers. Despite some setbacks due to bad harvests and legal disputes with neighbors, his goods made high profits after a few years.

Publicist and critic

Encouraged by Nathanael Gottfried Leske , professor of economics at the University of Leipzig , and the Leipzig Economic Society , to which he was a member, Schubart also worked as an agricultural writer from 1781. First, he published several articles in the magazine "Magazin für Naturkunde, Mathematik und Oeconomie" about his growing experiences with clover , beets and tobacco . He became aware that progress in agriculture cannot primarily be achieved by improving cultivation methods and introducing new crops, but that above all the existing agricultural constitution must be changed. This basic idea became the content of his work Hutung, Trift und Brache, published in 1783 ; the greatest ailments and the plague of agriculture (see Hutung , Trift and Fallow ). Here Schubart vehemently opposed the feudal grazing and drifting rights, which forced the farmers to lay fallow fields.

In 1783 Schubart received the first prize from the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin for his submitted prize publication " Treatise on the various properties and beneficial cultivation of fodder herbs ". In strong and frank language, Schubart presented his experiences with the cultivation of red clover , alfalfa and saspars and also clearly worked out the agricultural policy requirements for successful forage production. This book appeared in bookshops in 1784, expanded by a foreword by Schubart, under the title “ Well-intentioned acclamation to all farmers who suffer from lack of fodder ... ”. It found an astonishing response from the farmers. While Schubart was still alive, it had nine editions, not counting illegal reprints. For decades the script was considered to be the “people's reading book” on clover cultivation. Translations appeared in many European languages.

Honors in Vienna

Leading farmers in the Bohemian-Austrian countries showed great interest in the clover cultivation propagated by Schubart, since Emperor Joseph II had abolished serfdom in 1781 . On the recommendation of Bohemian nobles, Joseph II raised Johann Christian Schubart to the imperial nobility on December 7, 1784, adding the predicate "Noble from the Kleefelde" . The following year Schubart traveled to Vienna. He was received in audience by Joseph II and also invited to the imperial table.

In 1793 Count Franz I von Erbach-Erbach had a clover coin minted . He knew Schubart personally and explicitly referred to his writings when the clover cultivation was introduced.

Post fame

Johann Christian Schubart was not the founder of clover cultivation in Germany, but through his committed work he gave decisive impetus to integrate clover and other forage plants into crop rotation systems. As an educator and propagandist, he was one of the most important supporters of agriculture in the 18th century. Albrecht Daniel Thaer , with whom Schubart had expanded his cultivation attempts, saw in him a “benefactor of humanity”. In 1851 farmers in Würchwitz erected a Schubart monument. Since then, the residents of Würchwitz have celebrated the “ Kleefest ” every June in honor of Schubart .

Major works

• Guarding, trift and fallow; the greatest ailments and plagues of agriculture. Leipzig 1783.
• Economic-cameralistic writings. Leipzig 1883; 3. Edition. H. 1-5 and H. 6, 1st edition. ibid. 1786.
• Well-meaning acclamation to all farmers who suffer from lack of fodder, especially to the Saxon residents. In addition to a proven guide on how to get there easily and frequently, and consequently how to become wealthy. Leipzig 1784, numerous other editions and unlawful reprints.
• Economic correspondence. H. 1-4, Leipzig 1786.
• JC Schubarts von Kleefeld agriculture theory for non-profit use for farmers. Based on a manuscript from his estate. Published by CFRG Schubart von Kleefeld (son of JC Schubert). Leipzig 1797.

literature

• Rock straw: Johann Christian Schubart, Edler von Kleefeld. An award publication dedicated to his memory, crowned and published by the economic society in the Kingdom of Saxony. Dresden / Leipzig 1841. New edition 1846 (with picture).
• Constantin von Wurzbach : Schubart Ritter von Kleefeld, Johann Christian . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 32nd part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1876, pp. 23–26 ( digitized version ).
• Carl Leisewitz :  Schubart, Johann Christian, Edler von Kleefeld . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 32, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1891, pp. 602-606.
• Kunath-Pegau: In memory of Johann Christian von Schubart, noble lord of the Kleefelde. In: Fühling's Landwirthschaftliche Zeitung. Jg. 50, 1901, pp. 501-505 and 530-542 (with picture).
• Gertrud Schröder-Lembke: The introduction of clover construction in Germany before Schubart von dem Kleefelde appeared. Berlin 1954 = Scientific treatises of the German Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Berlin, Vol. 10.
• Adolf Schmiedecke: Johann Christian Schubart, Edler von Kleefeld. An important promoter of agriculture and peasant liberation. Zeitz 1956 (with picture and list of publications).
• Wolfgang Huschke: On the origin of the great agronomist Johann Christian Schubart von Kleefeld. The city of Zeitz for its 1000th anniversary. In: Central German family studies. Vol. 2, Vol. 8, 1967, pp. 1-5.
• Hans-Heinrich Müller: Academy and Economy in the 18th Century. Agricultural economic price tasks and price specifications of the Prussian Academy of Sciences (experiment, tendencies, overviews). Berlin 1975 (= Studies on the History of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR, Vol. 3.)
• Hans-Heinrich Müller: Johann Christian Schubart von Kleefeld - a famous son of the city of Zeitz (1734–1787). Published by the Kleefestverein 1851 Würchwitz. Zeitz 1993 (with picture).
• Boto Märtin:  Schubart v. the Kleefelde, Johann Christian. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-428-11204-3 , pp. 603 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Joachim Schmid: Schubart, Johann Christian (Edler von Kleefeld). In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 634 .

Footnotes and individual references

1. ^ Karlheinz Gerlach: The Freemasons in Old Prussia 1738-1806: The lodges in Berlin. Studienverlag Innsbruck 2014, ISBN 978-3-7065-5199-1 , p. 151
2. ^ GStA PK, Freemasons, 5.1.4. No. 1183 No. 1 of November 28, 1764. On that day, the rectified lodge received its first candidate, Prime Lieutenant Christoph Friedrich v. Zeuner (t)
3. ^ Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch up to 1933. Ph. CW Schmidt, Neustadt ad Aisch 1950, p. 428, note 428.
4. ↑ Article @ deutsche-biographie.de (accessed March 8, 2014)
5. ↑ Friedrich Höreth: Der Kleethaler des Count Franz in: (ders.): History and stories from the Odenwald , published by the district committee of the Odenwaldkreis, Volume I, 3rd edition, Erbach (Odenwald) 1985, p. 26.

Web links

Commons : Johann Christian Schubart  - Collection of images, videos and audio files