Models of Agricultural Tools as One of the Ways to Improve Agriculture in Russia in the 1800s – 1860s

In the early 19th century, agriculture in the Russian Empire required serious transformations, while agricultural machine manufacturing was at an embryonic stage. The Free Economic Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture and Husbandry became a vehicle for ideas to improve agriculture in Russia. In 1833 at the initiative of the Society’s head N.S. Mordvinov, a Committee on the Improvement of Agriculture in Russia was established. Its recommendations included launching agricultural machine production. To this end, the Free Economic Society had already opened a workshop for the production of models and machines in 1828. In 1835 the Committee proposed to establish a workshop for the manufacture of agricultural tools at the Institute of Technology. Soon the production of their models was launched. In 1837 the Ministry of State Property was established, with one of its functions being agricultural management. The Ministry became the main buyer of these models, and the Institute of Technology was their main manufacturer. The Ministry of State Property organized museums exhibiting models of agricultural machines at the provincial chambers of state property. Key orders of the agricultural department were soon fulfilled, and by 1845 factories producing agricultural machinery had made the work of model workshops unprofitable. After the abolition of serfdom, control over state peasants together with most of the models of agricultural tools was handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To demonstrate the best exhibits, the museum of the Ministry of State Property was founded.