Luzerner Historische Veröffentlichungen - edoc

potential up to the end of their fertility. This attitude had been substantiallycaused by the high mortality rates of infants and children. The marked selfsupply,which in the Entlebuch has still been retained in the 18th century, hasincreased the susceptibility to bad harvests. The potatoe-growing became animportant factor for the decrease in mortality. This yield-safe produce representedan extraordinary quality increase in the nutrition base. Without anydoubt, the infants could profit thereby already in their pre-natal phase. A 10%decrease in the infants' mortality within 100 years had a great influence on thedevelopment of the population. The mortality rate had reached a threshold,which could be surpassed only by improvements in the fields of sanitation andmedicine.The population had not adjusted their attitude towards fertility to the changedconditions. Thereby resulted tensions in the economic and social fields. - Thereciprocity between population size and range of nutrition possibilities had bythis become an important factor. At first, sufficient usable production areaswere still available. Wood clearing and opening up of hitherto unproductiveareas were still possible, particularly in the region of public property. Yet herethe legal and social preconditions brought about disadvantageous situations.The richer gentry absorbed their shares and rights, while the peasants ofmoderate means and not-landed people lacked the possibilities of utilization.The reduction of poor-relief, which would have become possible by means ofincreased laying claim to this right, has been omitted in the individual offices.In spite of this, the injured peasants stubbornly tried to partake of their rights.By the opening up of the low grade alpine forest areas they contributed in anoutstanding manner to the extension of the productive regions.A great disadvantage resulted from the unfortunate attempts to cover thedemand concerning the food supply by inadequate means. Instead of improvedcultivating techniques and reformatory efforts in agriculture investment needingenterprises were avoided, proceed increases were to be brought about by the wayof the least resistance, in order to meet the new demands. Especially in theforestry the detrimental consequences could be observed. The undiminishedwood clearings resulted not only in a fatal disturbance of the country-internenergy economy but also in a longlasting grave damage to the arable groundsof the Entlebuch. The inundations, due to the areas devoid of vegetation,caused risks to the harvest yields.A couple of endogenous as well as exogenous factors were responsible for theimpression of the Entlebuch of the 18th century representing a handicappedregion. The climatic and geographical conditions appeared to disadvantageouslyaffect the district, particularly concerning its economic conditions. Working inan economic field where in spite of great working efforts only small yields wereobtained hampered the growth. The short summer period of intensive working,mostly spent on the alps, was counterbalanced by the winter with only littlework, and granting hardly any opportunity for further economic development.This rhythm of working efforts influenced the general approach to working264