310 Report on the Agriculture of 



southwards and eastwards into the Black Sea. The river Saar, 

 which forms the boundary between Turkey and the dominions 

 of the Hungarian Crown, is navigable from Belgrade to Szissik, 

 which is, however, still far from Fiume. The steamers ply upon 

 the Drave to Bares, where is a railway station. Besides these 

 rivers, no other stream is navigable upon the entire west of the 

 Danube. It is true there is the Flatten See, but it is useless to 

 expect much traffic upon waters whose shores are so thinly popu-> 

 lated. Also on the north-east side of the Danube the rivers, with 

 the exception of the lower portion of the Theiss up to Tokay^ 

 are not navigable. The railway, therefore, forms the best means 

 of communication with western activity. 



A line extends from Pesth all round the Alfold, but the 

 centre of that vast level, where roads are in a deplorably bad 

 condition, is cut off from the influences of European civilisation 

 to an extent difficult to realise by those who have not visited it. 

 Want of coast and of good navigable rivers are serious drawbacks 

 to a country which has not a sufficient home market for its 

 products, and they have no doubt exerted a powerful effect in 

 keeping Hungary back in the race with other nations. 



The Soil and Countky. 



If we restrict ourselves to the vast plains of Hungary, the 

 extent and position of which have already been pointed out, we 

 shall have no difficulty in describing the character of the soil. 

 These plains are almost throughout composed of alluvium brought 

 down from the mountains by the Danube, the Theiss, the Save, 

 the Drave, and other rivers, and spread over the plains through 

 which they flow. The alluvial deposit thus formed is exceed- 

 ingly rich in quality, and is almost always underlain by a 

 fine water-worn gravel. The soil is often black and " greasy," 

 from the accumulation of vegetable matter ; and in many places 

 in Lower Hungary is capable of growing any number of crops 

 consecutively without dung. The value of land in Hungary is 

 rising and must rise. It is of fine quality, but neither skill nor 

 capital has yet been brought to bear upon by far the greater 

 part. The old price of 3/. 10^. to 4Z. As. per acre is now seldom 

 heard of. It is only occasionally that an acre can be purchased 

 at 11. The price more commonly ranges at from 14/. to 28/., 

 according to quality and situation ; and it is let at from 21.?. to 

 285., and even 35^. per acre. 



The first district traversed was that of the Schiitt, a flat tract 

 stretching from Presburg to Komorn. Some of the soil is of 

 the rich character so generally met with on the Hungarian 

 plains, and especially noticeable at Talos and Tarnok. In other 



