The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-23
FARMING AS II
 IS WORKED IN CzECHO- -SL0vAkIA
Golden Age.} Czecho- -SIovakian Farming.

My interest has been aroused by your recent article entitled What Ro- tation of Crops Accomplishes," to tell you something of farming conditions In the country of my birth, the new state of Czecho-Slvakia, which lies between Germany and what was for merly Austro-Hungary. Rotation of crops has been practiced there for generations, and with excellent re- suits.
 The farmers of Czecho-S1ovakia do Crossing work also. Once I remen1- Der they obtained unusually large po- tatoes. fifteen or twenty from one seed; but big as they were they proved unfit for human beings and were used to feed the animals. They were hybrids-nothing else; and al- though they were large in size the middle of the potato was empty or filled with bad-smelling water. From my experience with these hybrids l believe that when the earth shall yield it's increase it will come along different lines than the "crossing'' of l plants. Large fruits can be raised by crossing, but not always of value. Even in the case of the human family I if the father and mother are of diff ferent races the children are some 1 times unfit for brain work Wonder
 
 ! The Czecho-Slovakians are close students of hygiene. The towns are reserved exclusively for the residence l of human beings, the stables for cows horses. etc, being built at distance | of fifteen to thirty minutes walk. | People from seventy to ninety years I of age are in robust health, while men of sixty to seventy have red l cheeks and black hair, and walk and act like young people. Gray hair is | seldom seen. l The food consists principally of po- l tatoes, black corn, bread, a palata ble vegetable oil made from flax, sour l milk or buttermilk, and little meat 1 once a week. Doctors are seldom seen except at the bedside Of the l dying. Rheumatism, gout, headaches, indigestion and other stomach trob- 1 les are absolutely unknown. The far 1 Iners make their own alcoholic drink l from plums. Four ounces of this l 'Sliwowttz' would make a man so 1 drunk that he could not raise his | head. It is used not as a beverage, | however, but as a stiInulant, a tea l spoonful in the morning and another 1 during the later working hours. In 1 the district of which I write they had i very little wine.
 l At the time I left nay native land i twenty years ago, wooden blows, wooden axles and wagons, wooden spoons, forks. etc, were still in vogue. There were no stoves. The cooking was done on something resembling an
 altar, with wood az the fuel, and pots of earthenware. The houses 1 were lighted with fat or harz wood. | It was not uncommon to find soup plates and other plates in use that had been used constantly for hun fdreds of years. I have seen soup plates said to be five hundred years old.
 The bread is baked but four or five
 times a year, immense 1oaves, ten to
 sixteen at one time. Before this bread
 is consumed the outside of it will be 1 all covered with green mold; but the
 inside of the last loaf will be as sweet
 and palatable as the first loaf, and
 l dered at this.
 In harvest time the farmers are
 accustomed to sleep several hour.
 during the heat of the day and make
 up for it by working early in tht : morning and late at. night Thi:
 makes it easier on the animals; ant
 thus these Hugarian, as they were
 formerly called, show their intelli
 ligence and sympathy for men ant
 beasts.
 In the town from which I came, tn,
 whole village, and the vicinity, il
 filled with acacia trees, the same a
 mentioned in the description o
 Moses Tabernacle in the Wilderness , The people make their furniture O , this wood; and even when not paint : ed or vanished it is exceedingl, :, beautiful. The color is greenisl mixed with yellow and brown stripes ; A characteristic of the wood is tha . it is neither soft nor hard. It doe l not decay as does soft wood, nor vii i it split, not is it given to wood worms
 ! as is the case with so many har 5 ] woods. It is light to handle an 1 easy to work.
 When I was child I used to ca t the blossoms of this tree. These ar good to eat. sweet to the taste, bu 2 2 with a peculiar flavor. The tree i y full of tl1orns in the sast two or thre Il ] years of it's growth, so that in pluck U ing the flowers one must be carefu y or he will be injured by the shar points. When the seed gets dry Il looks like peas in their pods.