I73v- DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTL'KIC IX DIFEEREXT COUNTRIES 



manians born or naturalised, may acquire rural property in Rumania ". 

 This did not interfere with foreign owners who were already in possession 

 in 1879, but such owners are no longer numerous for many sold out their 

 properties as the price of land rose. 



While exports of cereals have been increasing, those of animal pro- 

 ducts have decreased from about £2 000 coo's woith in 1879 to £116 coo's 

 worth in 1913. All Rumanian exports are of an extremely bulky nature 

 while the imports consist of expensive products which occupy little space. 

 Also, many raw materials such as hides and wool are exported and then 

 reimported again as manufactured articles. Both these facts point to the 

 necessity of establishing national industries. 



So far nothing has been done with regard to the regulation water sys- 

 tems, and it is only within the last few years that a proper scheme of fo- 

 rest management has been in force. Improved means of transport are 

 badly required for there are only 22CC miles railways on an area of 89 oco 

 square miles. With regard to the important question of the storage of 

 cereals, while the building of the docks at Braila and Galatz has furnished 

 the necessary accommodation for a^l corn awaiting shipment, the rest of the 

 country is still unprovided with warehouses. These should be established 

 by the Government at all the principal railway stations for the purpose 

 of collecting and grading cerealsT By this means a farmer would then 

 be able to raise cash on his harvest while awaiting the best opportunity 

 for marketing his corn. 



The condition of the peasants is still unsatisfactory in many paits of 

 Rumania though measures of reform have alread}^ been takes, e.^. the 

 establishment of rural banks. State aid for the purchase of land, the 

 foundation of peasant societies. An agrarian law passed in 1908 regulated 

 certain agricultural payments : a minimum wage was fixed for labourers 

 and a maximum price for rent. Commun?! fields have been established 

 where the cultivation of fodder crops will be given every encouragement. 

 Proposals have also been made with regard to the compulsory breaking, 

 up of large estates for the purpose of increasing the number of small holders. 



Turning to the agricultural industries : A capital of £1 64c coo is 

 invested in flour mills with a plant of 22 12c HP, yet the exports of flour 

 only amount to 7 per cent of the corn. The manufacture of woollen ma- 

 terials is carried out in 13 factories (3 162 HP), which only de?! with the 

 coarser kinds of wool and are nothing like sufficient to meet the require- 

 ments of the country. Finer qualities of goods are imported in large 

 quantities. The industry could well be expanded if the home production 

 of wool were more abundant and of better quality. But for some time past 

 the number of sheep in the country has been diminishing and little is being 

 done to improve the fineness of the wool. At the model farm at Laza, it 

 is true, some experimental crosses were carried out between the native 

 breeds Tzigae and Frise; and the Ministry of Agriculture imported some 

 Merinos to the Royal estates, and crossed them with local sheep with ex- 

 cellent results so far as the wool was concerned. These, however, are only 

 isolated trials and have no effect on the sheep of the country whose fleece 



