Richmond daily palladium., 1899-08-29
FARMING IN AUSTRIA.
Mado by the American
Minister to Austria. Addison
Z. Harris.

Observations Nado by the American
Minister to Austria, Addison
{. Harris.
Governor Mount recently received q
very interesting letter from Minister
A. C.. Harris at Vienna, Austria. and
| as il relates mainly TO the agriculture
of the country We present it to oul
readers:
VIENNA, Austria, j June l6.
Dear Governor: have just re.
turned from ten days driving tour
through the country to the southwest
of Vienna, and it will affo I'd me pleas
ure to note to you some of the things
seen az from a farmers eyes:
Il. Roads. there is
gravel, all the roads are made OF
broken limestone. The country is
hilly-often quite nountainous-and
the rock ia quarried by the roadside,
broken with a hammer, and hauled
and put in 'stone-ricks' at intervals.
and then every hole or rut is filled as
needed. day by day. All the roads are
built by engineers, and one drives
across mountain ranges and up and
about on roads so well made that he is
not aware what height he is climbing
until he notices they zigzag and keep
on uniform and low grade, so that
heavy loads are hauled up as we'll as
down with ease. They are much bet
ter than our turnpikes.
''2. ruits.-Appel. pear and plum
trees are everywhere. One does not
see large orchards. but a row stands
on each side of the road, and all the
little odd hooks about are thick with
trees.
'.3. Forests.-Although this land
has been thickly populated for = 900
years at least. there is plenty of wood
grown on the hill sides and uncultivat
ed lands. Pine, cedar and beech are
the chief woods. Te begin-say a lot
of (ten acres or soJ is entirely cleared
off, then small twigs or sprouts, say
six inches high, are planted in rows
about ak feet apart. No stock runs at
large As the trees grow the interior
are cut out for wood aud the larger
trimmed until in time there is thick,
tall wood that delights the eye to see.
The wood is cut with saw-no waste
chips. The brush even is cut into
lengths and used for firewood. Forest
lands are good investment. The saw
timber is cut into boards at the little
water sawmills, which are thick, and
saw very slowly.
"a Streams-The countr is full of
small, clear, pure streams. No refuse
bark from the saw mills, or shavings,
or refuse from the iron or other mills
go in at all. The water power il
utilized for all kinds of work. But
everything is oldfashioned. These
streams are full of trout and the woods
full of game.
CROPS IN AUSTRIA.
IS. Crops-Rye. barley, oats, pota-
toes, cabbages, beets for feed-these
are the cnfer crOps. Tne women w5eu
the rye, etc., and hoe the crops. After
planting all the work seems to be done
by hand. did not see a single plow
or cultivatoI, only breaking plows and
harrows. AS all over Europe the land
is divided into very small lots for eulti-
yation, also in this part of Austria
much ls on tie hillside. So they put
two plowshares on one beam-and
three handles. The shares stand at
90 degrees; so, of course, when one
plow is in the other is out. In this
way they plow back and forth, and not
in lands. Two handles are up and one
down. A boy or girl leads the oxsn
and a man holds the plow. Much land
is spaded from the first.
"6 Meadows-All stock is kept up
and the grass is cut and fed green
now. Also much hay is being made.
They use clover before it blooms and
mixed grasses before it ripens. In
this way they get two or three crops
a year. Flowers of all kinds grow all
over the meadows; the Theory is AMI
mails thrive better than on a single
grass. Anyway. the meadows full of
flowers, the trees everywhere, the ab
senee of fences, etc., give to the coun-
try parklike appearance, indies
cribably beautiful. | did not see a
mower or horse rake during the ten
days. To dry the hay quickly they
often drive a stake in the ground, with
pins through it, and cock the hay, so
air goes under and up through it. The
stake is six feet high. The seythe is
short and broad; forks, wooden, and
are made in the neighborhood. 1t
makes one think of fifty years ago;
only this country is 100 or more years
back.
~. Live Stock-Horses are gem
orally good and some are large. Hogs
are white and yellow. Cattle. color of
the Jersey. or white but larger. The
old steers have long, wide horns ns-but
the beef is fair y good; Chickens and
ducks everywhere. Nobody shoots the
wild birds in this country.
IS. FactorIes-One sees a good
many little water power factories.
mills, etc. Wagon shops, carpenter
shops, shoe shops. clock makers.
weavers, coopers, furniture makers,
etc., are seen everywhere.
-. Laborers-Oue sees as many
women as men working on the roads
and in the fields, brickyards. etc.
They do not drive or NOW much, but
do everything else like men. They
are as strong and do as much work
They do not work hard. Issw ten men
moving together-in the middle of the
afternoon-aud seven had coats on. i
am told farm wa res are from FIVE To
twenty cents day and part of all OF
the food in addition.
PLENTY OF SCHOOLS.
40. Schools. sehools-com-
pulsory now-ehildren fairly we'll
dressed. Churches, shrines' ant!
'ealyaries' along all the roads. Mrs.
Harris counted seventy-seven in q six
hours drive. There are snme Protest
ants in Hungary. The people seen,
eontented. Everything has been this
way SO long it Is not easy for them 10
think there is any other way Tbs
trusts and departms Mt stores are mol
here. A man makes and sells one
thing. but can't say all start even liz