Johann Ludwig Spring

Spring reformed Mönchzell as a model estate from 1777

Johann Ludwig Spring (born on May 28, 1719 in Adolzfurt , place and date of death unknown) was a southern German agricultural reformer of the 18th century.

Live and act

As the bailiff of the barons of Uexküll-Gyllenband , Spring carried out an agricultural reform in the Electoral Palatinate village of Mönchzell from October 1777 . Spring created the agricultural model town “Münchszell” from a “really barren and wild area”. The reforms of the Wuerttemberg priest's son turned Mönchzell from the poorest village in the region into a “model estate” with enormous increases in yield. The exemplary and progressive economic methods in Mönchzell led to the fact that the University of Heidelberg and Professor Jung-Stilling became aware of Spring and Mönchzell and in 1785 they organized an excursion to Mönchzell. Spring's methods practiced in Mönchzell became the subject of Jung-Stilling's lecture "Agricultural history of the baronial Uexküllschen Gut zu Mönchzell". Jung-Stilling felt obliged to publish the "so important and instructive" history of the Mönchzell und Springs model estate "because every farmer can imitate them, follow them all over the world and make himself happy."

The doubling of the Mönchzell population in just four decades from 221 inhabitants to 448 inhabitants between 1777 and 1818 results from Spring's agricultural reforms.

Spring was the official of the brothers Carl Gustav and Johann Emich von Uexküll. The older brother, Baron Friedrich Carl Gustav von Uexküll-Gyllenband (1720 to 1801) was Oberhofmarschall in the service of Württemberg and was raised to the rank of imperial count in 1790. The younger baron, Freiherr Friedrich Johann Emich von Uexküll-Gyllenband (1724 to 1810) was in the service of the Margrave of Baden. After the Uexkülls had appropriated Mönchzell in 1777, an expert recommended them to Spring as their official. Spring had already proven his skill as the estate administrator of Prince Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen and was recommended to the latter by the well-known economist Johann Christian Bernhard (1711 to 1784) from Baden-Durlach . Spring received general power of attorney from the Uexkülls for the administration of Mönchzell. After he had administered the village for seven years, the Baron Johann Emich von Uexküll gave the Heidelberg professor Jung-Stilling the “most excellent description” of the clerk Spring, so that Jung-Stilling, whom Spring had already noticed, “fully attentive” Spring and its methods was. In the autumn of 1785 he left Heidelberg University with eight students for Mönchzell and published the appropriate Mönchzeller agricultural method in his lecture in the winter semester of 1785/1786. Jung-Stilling saw his agricultural teaching principle realized through Spring, according to which the farmer should bring his livestock - as far as possible by himself - "to the highest perfection" and in the "appropriate proportion" to his estate. After that, every part of the estate should be used to "perfect the whole economy". Spring ended the "plastering" of the fields and fertilized not only the fields but also the meadows with cattle manure in order to get better fodder for the cattle. The newly introduced meadow fertilization led to better forage and thus an improvement in milk quality and livestock, as well as renewed cattle fertilizer. Spring introduced barn feeding and thus replaced the forest pasture for cattle. "Breeding oxen" were purchased from Switzerland for covering. Within seven years the number of livestock on the farm tripled and a profitable cheese production (with "Swiss cheese") could be set up. In addition, Spring combined sheep farming with clover farming for the first time and introduced new crops such as reps, poppy seeds and winter barley. All of Spring's innovations were revolutionary and initially met with a strong rejection from local farmers. However, they quickly realized that Spring's methods were bearing fruit and adopted them. As a result, the village experienced an enormous economic boom.

literature

A detailed description of the Mönchzell model estate and appreciation of the merits of Johann Ludwig Spring can be found in Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling: Sachrechte Wirtschaften. Six lectures. Newly published by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Merk, Berlin (Duncker & Humblot), 1988

Web links

1. Google Books