Wysokość plonów rolnych w dobrach królewskich dawnej Polski w latach 1564–1665

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the structure, size and effectiveness of agricultural production in the royal manors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It should be noted that crop yield is taken as one of the most important indicators of agricultural productivity and economic development in pre-industrial Poland. The data used in the study comes from the revisions of the royal estates (from Lesser Poland, Greater Poland, Mazovia and Podlasie region) from the years 1564–1666. Results of the analysis paint a poor picture of Polish agriculture. Th roughout the whole period, we notice large fluctuations in crop yields. Furthermore, in the seventeenth century, there was a signifycant decrease in the yield of the four cereals: rye, wheat, barley, and oats. In general, oat was characterized by the lowest yield, while the most efficient cereals were barley and wheat. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the lowest crops were recorded in Greater Poland, the highest in Mazovia and Podlasie.