Norwich bulletin., 1915-11-11
sERvlA KNOWN AS.
 GARDEN or BALKANS
Their WeaIth to the Farmer When War Broke Out.
Especial to The Bulletin ]

a r -
 Washington, D. C., Nov. 10.-" -"Seryia was just winning recognition as an uEdeveloped agricultural bonanza at the outbreak of the war; and the propaganda which the Serviarls had pushed for years to attract French was on the point of bearing fruit, says a bulletin just issued by the Ma tional Geographic Society, in which the economic condition of the Servia or pre-war days is reviewed. ."Servia has been justly known as the garden of. the Balkans. and in it's valleys are found some of the richest soils of Flu rope. mot excepting the black earth belt of Russia and the yerdant F'f1ui. Unlike Russia's black earth belt, which has been losing its fertility, so that some of the northern provinces are outrank.ng those of the favored south. the Servian lands have barely begun to give of their wealth to the farmer.
 "The sturdy middle Kingdom of the Balkans is composed of a nation of farmers soldier farmers, for every SerVian is. a; soldier, and manufac- turing industry has hardly appeared among them. The fabricated pro-. ducts used in Servia; and these were oEly of the simplest and most 1eces- outside of the capital city; were wholly made up of imports by way. of the Hungarian frontier and by way or the Greek port, Saloniki. The wealth of the land came from it's farms and it's grazing fields. and from these sources but a tithe was taken of that which might have been produced with the investment of the needed capi- tai.
 Among other charaeterizations Of this mueh-nicknamed country, that of the poor mans paradise tells fuller story than any other. Before, the out break of the war. which by now has swept away crops. live stock and till- CTS of the soils Servias throughout it's length and breadth, was more truly Ia nd of s1f7ciency than any other land in Europe. There was no problem Of an urban or industrial proletariat. Beggars were scarce and helpless poverty all but unknown. Even the Servian agricultural laborer has been said to be as well off as the small soil, and more picturesque beauty of landscape is found in the middle king dom than in any other Balkan state. .
 Pigs formed the chief element of sServian wealth. They were corn-fed pigs, like those of our western plains, and were fattened in autumn and summer on the beech-mast and acorns of the extensive Servian forests. De- spite keen American competition and the unfavora.ble tariffs of neighbors, .SerVlan= pOTk prOQuClS EOunO dll ever increasing export. The pigs are mostly of native breed pure white or black. though some foreign breeds have been introduced during recent years In relation to its population, Servia. possessed more pigs and sheep at the time of the wars outbreak than any other country in Europe. having more than 1.000, ,000 pigs and about s,50o.oe0 sheep. Goats. also. are raised in great numbers, and the fav- ored lServian cheeses are made of the milk of goats and ewes.
 Methods of farming and stock raising have never risen above the primitive in this land of plenty. which tickled with the peasants hoe al ways laughs back with a harvest. Indian corn, the basis of the diet of the Servian farmer and of the Ser vian livestock. is the principal crop Of the land. The normal annual yield exceeds more than 5.000,0G0 bushels. Important quantities of wheat. flax, hemp and tobacco have been regularly grown. Tn 1910. the sugarrbeet was introduced intb the crops of EerFia, and this new industry grew with as- tcnishing rapidity until 1t threatened