See summary of dissertation in English - Baltijos regiono istorijos ir ...

deed, the number of economically organised manor estates considerably
increased in the last decade of the 16 th century but the same cannot
be told about the area of arable land. The dynamics of change of arable
land showed that the arable land was on the falling scale in the
manors in the course of the 16 th century.
Apart from traditional crops, pease and buckwheat showing a
rather significant scope of cultivation played a rather important role in
Samogitia. However, like the cultures cultivated at vegetable and fruit
gardens at that time, they were mostly used for domestic needs. It
should be noted that their range little differed from the crop cultures
cultivated in the neighbouring Polish lands at that time.
Hay production played a significant rule in crop production. Its
production was closely related with another branch of farming actively
cultivated in manors, i.e. stock-raising. It is interesting to note
that the inventories testifying the importance of hay provide the data
that some manors could cultivate and prepare hay for selling, which
was a well-known and rather widely spread phenomenon in Central
Europe at that time.
Stock-raising was another equally important branch of manorial
farming. At Samogitian manors, stock-raising was developed in four
main directions: horse-breeding, cattle breeding, small livestock
(sheep, goats, pigs) and poultry farming. In the general livestock
structure (despite poultry) horse-breeding accounted for 10%, cattle
breeding – 35%, small livestock – 55% (among them sheep made up
27%, goats – 5% and pigs – 23%). Such data show that apart from the
use of livestock for agricultural labour, meat and milk production
played the important role as well. Unfortunately, we may not tell what
profits were generated from this production; nevertheless, the attempted
increase in this type of production by enhancing the traits of
livestock was recorded. The study showed that such attempts manifested
slightly earlier than it has been thought to this day.
Even though the manor was supplied with poultry and their products
through the dues and services paid by peasants, poultry farming
was cultivated as well. The research has shown that geese accounted
for as much as 59% in poultry farming, followed by chickens (38%)
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