In 1897, an encyclopedia (Meyers Konversationslexikon) decribed the Pomeranian situation as follows:

Large estates control most of the property in Pomerania. Wheat is produced in the fertile areas of Vorpommern and in the Weizacker area close to Pyritz. Otherwise rye and potatoes are the main crops. The latter being used at the large estates to distill spirits. Barley and oats are produced to satisfy the demand.

Gardening and fruit production flourish in the vicinity of Stettin (Stettin apples) and in the government district of Stralsund. Excellent grassland exists in the Oder valley and along the Peene river. Plants grown for trade and industry include: flax in the coastal plain, in particular along the rivers Rega, Persante and Wipper; beets for sugar production near Stettin and between the rivers Oder and Rega; tobacco at the Brandenburg frontier west of the Oder river; hops at Poelitz. Quantities harvested in 1894 were: 352,148 tons of rye, 90,547 tons of wheat, 73,506 tons of barley, 284,040 tons of oat, 1,636,617 tons of potatoes and 694,935 tons of hay. The province also produced: 2,199,265 kg tobacco and 394,962 tons of sugar beets. The latter was processed in 10 factories to yield 56,781 tons of crude sugar.

Conifer forests are predominant in the county of Uckermünde at the Haff and on the high plains. The animal census of 1892 registered 22,585 horses, 598,254 cattle, 1,851,813 sheep, 634,293 pigs, and 80,721 goats. Horse breeding is supported by the Landgestüt at Labes. There is poultry breeding, in particular in Hinterpommern (geese). Fisheries are important as well (ale, salmon, Neunaugen, herring, flounder).

By applying new farming and production methods, machinery and gear installations which enabled a more intense cultivation of the soil and a better use of the arable area, by applying fertilizer, which increased yields, by promoting potatoes and by cultivating concentrated feed for an increasing animal production, Pomeranian agriculture experienced a time of prosperity at the end of the 19th century. Along with the structured conversion of agriculture came the establishment of agricultural colleges, the Landwirtschaftskammer (agricultural association), and the agricultural credit system. These institutions enabled the Pomeranian agriculture to successfully undertake measures of modernization and intesification, to finance them, and to enforce them politically.

Soils and climate

Sandy soil conditions in the province were not a favorable basis for agricultural production. Climatic conditions with their resulting vegetation periods also hindered intense land use, compared to other areas in Germany.

Crop Production

The ordinary practice was the Schlag- und Koppelwirtschaft (field and paddock management). It was introduced from Mecklenburg at the beginning of the 19th century and was improved later on. Field management had the sequence: 1st year fallow, 2nd to 4th year cereals, 5th to 7th year paddock. The improvement was to let a foliage plant follow a cereal.

In 1907, on Pomeranian estates the following crops were cultivated (statistical average):

Cropping

Crops
In Pomerania cereal crops were prevelant. Rye production dominated. After rye, the other crops, in order of importance, were oats, mixed cereals, wheat, barley. In 1878, the average yield per hectare in Pomerania was 100 kgs below the average of the Deutsche Reich. But until the beginning of WW I, yields were increased so that they exceeded the average of the Reich.

Since the 1880s potato production had increased. At the beginning of the 20th century, Pomerania had become the largest potato producer of Germany. A large part of the potato production was used to produce alcohol.

Animal husbandry

In 1882, 88% of all animals held in large estates were sheep, 6% cattle, 3% horses and 3% pigs. Pomerania was the leading province in sheep breeding. In the province mostly the Kammwollschaf was kept, the sheep for butchering gained importance. As a consequence of new means of transportation and steadily increasing cotton imports, the number of sheep declined between 1873 to 1913 from 3.2 Million to 714,000 sheep.

The capital Berlin and the Prussian industrial areas developed as a markets for pork.