THAER, tar, ALBRECHT DANIEL (1752-1828). A noted German agriculturist. whose work revolu tionized certain forms of farm management and animal production of his day. Born at Celle, Hanover, he studied medicine and philosophy at Gottingen, and succeeded his father as Court physician, but early turned his attention to agriculture. He worked out a new system of farm management on his small farm in Celle. where he demonstrated the value of more inten sive farming, stall feeding of soiling crops, and the rotation of crops in connection with potato culture. He was especially active in applying scientific principles to agriculture, systematizing agricultural accounts, introducing agricultural implements and appliances, and improving sheep for the production of fine wool. The fame of his system of farm management attracted large num bers of young agriculturists. to whom he began delivering lectures in 1S02. out of which grew the Agricultural Institute of Celle. In 1304 he bought the MOglin Manor, near Berlin. for the purpose of demonstrating how under his system an exhausted farm could be brought to a high state of production, and in 1806 founded there an agricultural institute, which became celebrated.
He was appointed professor at the University of Berlin and councilor in the Ministry of the In terior in 1810, started his famous sheep-breeding farm at MOglin in 1911, and from 1315 on had charge of the royal sheep-breeding farms, which he greatly improved. Resigning his professorship in 1813, he devoted himself to his institute at AlogIin, which was raised to a Royal Academy of Agriculture in 1S24. Thaer founded and edited the drinalen der nicdersiichsischen Landwirt schaft (1798-1804), and was the author of a large number of treatises on agriculture, several of which are characterized as epoch-making. The Einleitung z-ur Kenntnis der englischen Land ir•irtsitaft (1798; 3d ed. 1316) made his name first more widely known, and his great work Grundstitze der rationellcn Landivirtschaft (1809 10; new ed., ISSO) was translated into most of the European languages. Monuments to his memory were erected at Leipzig, Berlin, and Celle. Fo• his biography, consult Korte (Leip zig, 1339).