Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/334

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. to sub-tropical fruits, but it depends for most of its grain supply on Hungary. Its main efforts are devoted to the raising of industrial plants, such as beet-root, tobacco, flax, hemp, rape-seed, hops, barley, potatoes, etc. The varied nature of the two halves of the monarchy may be seen from the foregoing table of their average annual products.

Thus it will be seen that Austria furnishes only about one-fourth of the total wheat crop of the country, about one-seventh of the corn, and less than one-fifteenth of the tobacco crop. If, in addition to this, it be remembered that even these small figures include the crops of Galicia, which geographically belongs to the eastern half of the monarchy, and whose products of wheat, corn, and tobacco constitute one-third, one-fourth, and two-thirds of the total respective crops of Austria, the latter's share in those crops will be seen to be very small indeed. On the other hand, Austria furnishes nearly two-thirds of the rye crop of the monarchy and over three-fourths of the potato crop, both of which go largely to feed the distilleries. The same is true of its proportion of the hops and barley consumed by the breweries, and of the beet crop, raised for the sugar refineries. Austria and the lands of the Hungarian Crown devote about an equal area to vine growing. This is on the decline in Hungary, the area under cultivation having shrunk from about 915,000 acres in the early eighties to about 500,000 acres in the early nineties. Still Hungary continues to stand first in the quality of the wine produced, and the whole of the monarchy is second only to France in the production of wine. Horticulture is carried to great perfection, and the orchards of Bohemia, Austria proper, Tyrol, and many parts of Hungary produce a profusion of fruits. The chief orchard products of the monarchy, in the order of their commercial importance next to grapes, are plums, peaches, apricots, apples, nuts, almonds, chestnuts, and figs, great quantities of which are exported annually. In Tyrol, Dalmatia, and Southern Hungary, olive and mulberry trees are successfully raised and are gaining in area of cultivation. Rice is cultivated in the Hungarian district of the Banat, but not enough for home consumption. Potatoes are raised everywhere, and in elevated districts are often almost the sole subsistence of the inhabitants. Great quantities of cider are made in Upper Austria and Carinthia, and of plum brandy in Slavonia. In Dalmatia oranges and lemons are raised; twice as much olive-oil is imported as is produced in the country.

Stock-breeding is no less important than the cultivation of the soil, being largely developed in the Alpine Highlands and in the Hungarian plains, in both of which pastures are abundant and the land is best adapted for grazing purposes. In spite of this fact, not enough cattle are raised to satisfy the home demand. The number of cattle in the monarchy has remained practically stationary, at about 15,000,000 for the last two decades, and in proportion to the number of inhabitants is less than in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain. Sheep-breeding has suffered a great decline from the competition of Australian wool. From more than 20,000,000 in 1869, the number of sheep fell to less than 15,000,000 in 1884. and less than 12,000,000 in 1895. The breeding of sheep, like that of horses, has been a special object of care to the Government. The finer wools are furnished by Moravia, Bohemia, Silesia, Lower Austria, and a great part of Hungary and Galicia. The great mass is, however, composed of what is known as middling and inferior sorts. Goats are reared chiefly in Dalmatia, and swine in Hungary. The pride of Austro-Hungarian stock-breeders is their horses, which are among the finest in Europe, and whose number (about 3,500,000) in the monarchy is second only to that in Russia and Germany. Horse-breeding is promoted by what are called 'military studs.' Besides a number of imperial studs, there are a great many private establishments, especially in Hungary, for the same purpose.

Forestry is one of the most important industries in Austria-Hungary, over 30 per cent. of whose surface is under forests, making the monarchy second only to Russia in that respect. Of the total area of forest in Austria, more than two-thirds is under pines and other trees found in high altitudes, and in Hungary the proportion is about the same. The forests are chiefly situated in the Carpathians, Alps, and other mountains of the country. The administration of the forests and domains belonging to the State is under control of the ministry of agriculture, and includes schools of forestry; and the exploitation of the forests is subject to restrictive regulations. The average annual yield of the forests exceeds 1,050,000,000 cubic feet of lumber, over 40 per cent. of which is used for manufacturing and building purposes, and less than 60 per cent. as fuel. The extensive forests, besides timber, yield a number of secondary products, as tar, potash, charcoal, bark, cork, etc.

The land distribution in Austria-Hungary differs in its several parts. In Galicia, Bukowina, and to a considerable extent in Hungary, where the cultivation of wheat and cattle and sheep raising constitute the chief branches of agriculture, large estates thrive best and occupy from 25 to 46 per cent. of the total area under farms. Nearly 87 per cent. of the peasants, however, own their farms. But these are often not large enough to yield a living, and their owners often depend for that on employment as day laborers on the neighboring large estates, or in the nearby countries of Germany and Russia. On the other hand, in Dalmatia and Southern Tyrol, where fruit-raising, wine-making, and silk culture constitute the chief occupation, small farms are most successful and the peasants are most prosperous, owning from 92 to 97 per cent. of the land. In the remaining crown-lands peasant holdings occupy about three-fourths of the total agricultural area.

. The industrial development of Austria-Hungary has been advancing with rapid strides for the last few decades, and in many cases this has been due to the material support received from the Government in direct subventions, reduced freight rates on State railways, and exemption from import duties on raw products and machinery used in the industries. The following are the 10 most important industries in the country, employing more than 100,000 persons each: (1) The clothing industry, with nearly 800,000 workers — less than one-fourth of whom are employed in Hungary, and the rest in Austria. (2) Manufacture of foods and drinks, nearly 600,000 people, one-fifth of them