The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-02-03
THE s1eppss Of HUNGARY.
Phenomenal Dsp,li Of sOll--uaAvSrabls
Ph,sIeal Condlsion.-,InundatIons,

phenomenal DEPTH Of -Uaiav6rabis
Physical Conditions --Ihpudatlons.
The aspect these steppcs in Hun.
gary varies considerably according TO
the nature Of the soil. In stss nlac,s
it Is bogsy, in others sandy 9h,capa.
BILE Of cultivation; In Others dtaihfit Is
inarvcloasIy ricl, and fi5,ile, producing
crorstliatnn English agnCtilturis, would
deem absolutely fabulous. In such
areas iFhas bcen dug to the depth Of
$40 feet witllo,its the bottom0f the suil
having even llrn bIcn reached. Wheat,
pJpples -tAe latter grown for a kind Of
confectionery NinnowerS, bucl;whelt,
hemp, fax, and maize are all cultivated
largely.
In some parts Of thOrlnins themetliod
adopted is To plant or SOW in strips Of
about eighty feet wi@ ig several miles
in length, aud the sltmger-as he
lungcs along IN his britzska through the
long, straight roads which seem to lead
to nowhere but thcdistant shore beyond,
and sees no labaatlo1 far or near-is
led to woidefwhero the people live for
whom the roads are made, who is found
tocnlivate tic icie ard whether be.
nevolent earth spirits dohot rise during
the night 10 TIL the land, SOW the seed,
and hoe and wped those endless lines of
golden wheat and purple poppies. The
soil being so fertile, the harveSts,, rs l
have said, are wonderfully abundant,
and this is the spite Of the great draw
backs to which the crops arc subject
from drought on the one hand and in.
undatlons on the other.
In truth, thepoor Slagyaa live on the
confines Of these two perpetualy threat
ening calamities. The former is be.
lieved to be due in great measure to
the absence Of treS--a phenomenon
that strikes tile traveller Immediately OIL
entering the Alfold. To remedy this
evil in some degree, viz, the dryness of
soil, trees are being planted phntifully
in various parts, while in others at
ttampts are made to irrigate the land BY
means Of canal. The inundations, how
ever, are a difficulty, that can never he
overcome. Year by year awar olfen-
sivc and defensive is waged between the
waters Of the Danube and its two tribn.
tarieS-tlie Maros and Theiss-and the
unfortunate inhabitants Of the towns
and villages on its banks.
Az the bods Of the rivers rise, the
dikes are raised also, but when the
streams that have their source in tho
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 inuudntion of the sur
rounding country. There is also an
other phenomenon prejudicial to the in.
terests Of the land, the rivers flow sub
terranoously; 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 fght allnvial soil,
converts the plains into gigantic
swamp. Nor are these the only unfa-
yoI1lble physical conditions Of their
country which the Iuugarians have to
encounter, the Danube Is constantly
changing its course, having in some in.
stancesleft towns and villages many
miles distant which were once situated
on its banks, while il now flows close to
Others which were originally far away.
Temple Bar.