New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-24
Scant Hope Held
By Austrians for
Favorable Crops
Farm Lands Exhausted Be.
cause of Demands Upon
Them During War

lBy a stan Correspondent OF The Associated Press
Just Returned from ylennal
Peace with Russia and the hope that
this years crops would be better than
those OF last year have during recent
weeks been the sole factors in what
ever optimism existed in Austria
Hungary concerning the outcome Of the
European war.
1t was thought that reaching an un-
Outstanding with Russia would cause
the Entente governments also to enter
negotiations for peace or at least TO
release the Central Powers troops on
the East front for operations against
the Italians and the Allies on the est
front. This failing, a crop at least as
good as or better than last seasons ap-
peared TO most classes the only cause
for seeing anything bright in the fut-
ure The government shared this
view, and this led to several attempts
by it to give the Russians to under
stand that peace with the Central
Powers could be obtained under condi-
tions considered favorable in Berlin
and Vienna.
Fertilizer Hard to Get
Austria hungary was before the war
an exporter of foodstuffs, and the area
of arabic land does not enter into the
question Of war crops. For land not
cultivated intensively, food production
in the monarchy has become largely
matter of fertilizing. This is espe-
pecially true of Hungary. Farms de-
pending upon intense cultivation have
fallen short in crop returns, prln-
cipally for the reason that the neces-
sary labor has not been available. In
Austria this has been the principal
cause for the recent bad crops, though
here also a shortage in fertilizers, es-
pecially in manure, has been severely
felt. The soil of Central Europe has
been worked so long and persistently
that only the closest attention in fer
tilization and tilling produces good
crops.
Though the potash fertilizers of Ger
many are available to Austra-Hungary,
every demand made by farm lard fer
tilization is not met by them, for the
reason that these supply but part Of
the elements needed to foster IL vigor-
Gus plant life. In the past these ele-
ments have been provided by stable
manure for intensive farming and
phosphor fertilizers imported from
abroad
Farming in Austria Hungary, as in
Germany, has for the last two years
taken much more out of the soil than it
was possible to return to it. the result
being that two crops have been raised
on what may be considered the reserve
store of the elements needed to pro-
duce one crop. With the duration OF
the war the possibilities of keeping the
soil in good condition have decreased
constantly, so that to-day most farm
land in Central Europe may be consid-
cred as being on the verge of exhaus-
ton.
Farm Labor Short
Tho shortage in farm labor also
argues against good crop this year.
Most of the farming is done by the
women. the older children, men unit
for military service and prisoners OF
war.
A lack of blue vitriol, the principal
ingredient in spraying solutions used
to free crop plants from parasites, has
also been a serious factor. In many
instances it has led TO total failures in
potato crops, and many Of Austria
Hungary's splendid vineyards and or
chards have been ruined.
The crop outlook in Austria Hungary
for this year must be looked upon as
being far from good. 1t is no worse than /