, 1886-01-24
The srEppes or HUNGARY.
Phenomenal Depth of soiI-Unfavorable
Physical Conditions-Inundations.


Phenomena Depth of soiI-Unfavorablo
Physical Conditions-Inundations.
The aspect of these steppes in Hun
gary varies considerably according to
the nature of the soil. In some places
it is DOGGY, in others sandy and incapa-
BILE of cultivation; in others again it is
marvelously rich and fertile, producing
crops that an English agriculturist would
deem absolutely fabulous. In such
areas it has been dug TO the depth OF
500 feet withouts the bottom of the soil
having even then been reached. Wheat,
poppies-the latter grown for n kind Of
neutrality-suspicious., buckwheat,
hemp, flax, and maize are all cultivated
largely.
In some parts of the plains the method
adopted is TO plant or SOW in strips OF
in length, and the stranger-as he
lunges along in his britzska through the
long, straight roads which seem to lead
to nowhere but the distant shore beyond,
and sees no habitation far or near-is
led to wonder where the people live for
whom the roads are made, who is found
10 cultivate the soil, and whether be-
nevolent earth spirits do not rise during
the night to till the land, SOW the seed,
and hoe and weed those endless lines OF
golden wheat and purple peoples. The
soil being so fertile, the harvests, as l
have said, are wonderfully abundant,
and this is the spite of the great draw
backs to which the crops are subject
from drought on the one hand and in
undations on the other.
In truth, the poor Magyars live on the
confines of these two perpetually threat
ening calamities. The former is be-
the absence of trees-a phenomenon
that strikes the traveller Immediately on
entering the Alfold. To remedy this
evil in some degree, viz, the dryness of
soil, trees are being planted beautifully
in various parts, while in others at
tempts are made TO irrigate the land by
means of canal. The foundations, how
ever, are a difficulty, that can never be
overcome. Year by year awar often
sive and defensive is waged between the
waters Of the Danube and its two tribu-
taries-the Maros and Theiss-and the
unfortunate inhabitants of the towns
and villages on its banks.
As the beds of the rivers rise, the
dikes are raised also, but when the
streams hat have their source in the
Carpathians melt suddenly the position
of the Magyars is one of extreme dan
ger, no artificial barriers being strong
enough TO resist the great pressure thus
suddenly brought to bear upon them,
the result being the bursting Of the
dikes, and the %inundation of the sur
rounding country. There is also an
other phenomenon prejudicial to the in
terests of the land, the rivers flow sub
TREMENDOUSLY; in dry seasons they drain
the soil by attracting its moisture to
themselves, and during the heavy rains
the water of the over-full rivers, perco-
lating through the light alluvial soil,
converts the plains into a gigantic
swamp. Nor are these the only unfa-
vorable physical conditions of their
country which the Hungarians have to
encounter, the Danube is constantly
changing its course, having in some in
stances left towns and villages many
miles distant which were once situated
on its banks, while it now flows close to
others which were originally far away.
Temple Bar.