Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/824

 702 BULGARIA

strength of the divisions in peace (8 battalions, 6 batteries, etc. ) is small ; but in Avar, besides the expansion above mentioned, a third (reserve) brigade is added, raising each division to 24 battalions, 3 squadrons, 9 batteries, a battalion of pioneers, kc, to a total strength, including divisional troops, of 23,500 men.

The peace strength of the Bulgarian army is about 3,900 officers and 56,000 all other ranks, but the field army, consisting of 9 divisions and 1 cavalry division, with the remainder of the reserve troops (available for the com- munications), and the mountain and howitzer artillery regiments, should amount to about 235,000 combatants.

The Bulgarian infantry is armed with the Mannlicher magazine rifle, calibre •315. Cavalry have the Mannlicher carbine. The field gun is the Schneider Q.F. gun of 7 "5 cm, calibre. The mountain batteries are armed with the light Krupp 7 '5 cm. Q. F. guns.

Production and Industry.

The State is theoretically the owner of the land ; the land-holder has a perpetual lease descending to heirs, and pays one-tenth of the produce by way of rent (paid still, to a great extent, in kind). The communes hold pasture-land and wood-land in perpetuity and pay no rent, and over such lands the members of the communes have grazing and wood-cutting rights.

About five-sevenths of the population are engaged in agriculture, most of them being small proprietors holding from one to six acres. The total area of Bulgaria comprises 9,570,450 hectares, of which, in 1911, 3,927,571 hectares is cultivated, and 3,041,324 hectares is under woods and forests. About 2,506,137 hectares is under cereals, 7,789 under tobacco, and 79,406 under vines. The principal agricultural product is wheat, of which there was a yield of 17,176,164 cwts. in 1909, 22,626,386 cwts. in 1910, and 38,563,167 cwts. in 1911. The yield of rye was 7,381,778 cwts. in 1911 ; oats, 5,840,078 cwts. ; barley, 8,708,935 cwts. ; maize, 28,881,121 cwts. The total yield of cereals of all kinds in 1910 was 2,688,127 tons ; in 1909, 2,010,000 tons ; valued at 13,764,000/. Wine, tobacco and silk are also produced ; attar of roses is largely manufactured. Cotton and rice are grown. In 1912, 1,120,500 hectares (1,118,409 in 1911) was estimated area under wheat cul- tivation, with an expected yield of 17,350,000 quintals (19,596,000 in 1911) ; rye, 215,000 hectares (220,721 in 1911), yielding 3,150,000 quintals (3,751,176 in 1911); barley, 260,000 hectares (251,178 in 1911), yielding 4,000,000 quintals (4,425,593 in 1911) ; oats, 160,000 hectares (180,797 in 1911), yielding 1,750,000 quintals (2,967,735 in 1911) ; maize, 650,000 hectares (631,935 in 1911), yielding 14,000,000 quintals (7,770,240 in 1911) ; rice, 3,000 hectares (2,319 in 1911), yielding 30,000 quintals (30,238 in 1911) ; sugar beet, 3,000 hectares (2,967 in 1911), yielding 450,000 quintals (620,000 in 1911) ; tobacco, 10,600 hectares (12,123 in 1911), yielding 80,000 quintals (106,472 in 1911). In 1905 there were in Bulgaria 8.081,816 sheep, 1,370,201 goats, 2,167,275 head of cattle, and 463,241 pigs, 536,616 horses, 124,216 asses, and 11,828 mules.

All minerals belong by law to the State. Besides the coal mines at Pernik, worked by the Government, coal of good quality has also been found in Balkans near Trevna, and several working concessions have been granted. About 1,000,000 cubic metres of stone are quarried annually. Iron is found in large quantities ; gold, silver, lead, manganese and copper also exist in the country. The chief manufactures are woollen goods, cottons, cord, and cigarettes.