Persistence of the open-fields
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Uneven improvement agric. Due to open field system stopping diffusion new techniques innovations – open field practices resolved the problems of farming scattered and intermingled plots – abandonment of common plots – rationally accounted for falling net benefit to farmers – practices taken up or neglected in accordance to net benefit – regression turned up no evidence that presence common pasture affected the rater of agricultural innovation – only in 20^th century that pace of technological change accelerated to the point where the field system began to be a significant constraint – farm lay out v. responsive market forces

Gradual economic growth France cf. Britain’s lower pace structural change allowed rental market to adjust farm size and layout without recourse to legislation – Rosenthal thinks revolution lowers cost of this because of salaried officials – possible explanation growth productivity after revolution

Agricultural demand and economic conjuncture

Long period of depressed grain prices after 1670 depressed agricultural investment – Ruttan thinks 19^th century slump prices depressed productivity lessening incentive to invest – Grantham northern France causing problems with lack of demand the relation between total factor productivity and demand appears to be fundamental – high demand prices for produce encourage farmers to engage in more intensive methods of cultivation – presence of strong demand carried farmers over the threshold of profitability – diffusion intensive husbandry in Northern France was sensitive to price meat and dairy products.

Grantham argues that spatially focuses external economies in trade and manufacturing  - AP highest around cities and other foci of concentrated demand – high demand for foodstuffs from high incomes of city residents – stemmed from high productivity, high urban productivity consequence of market externalities spatial concentrations of skilled labour and other specialized inputs – development concentrated opulations may account for parallel development of highly productive farms – urbanization NOT constrained by food supply – simulations 45 KM radius suggests could feed up to 300,.000

Other Notes in this Category

1. Introduction
2. Migration and Agricultural Markets
3. paradox of pre-Revolutionary productivity
4. Peasant Farming and Agric. Backwardness
5. Persistence of the open-fields
6. Retardation in the age of Industry
7. Structural Hypotheses
8. The Cliometrics of French Retardation

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