288 EXTRACTS FROM DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR [Dec. 1894. 



REPORTS. 



Condition of Agriculture in Roumania. 



In a report dated September I9tli, 1894, by Mr. Townley, 

 relating to the condition of agriculture in Roumania, it is stated 

 that at the present moment, although the first half of the 

 financial year has shown a satisfactory surplus over the esti- 

 mated receipts, there is much distress on account of the almost 

 total failure of the harvest throughout Wallachia. Reports 

 are constantly coming in representiug the agricultural situation 

 as getting daily worse and worse, and threatening complete ruin 

 and destitution in manj^ districts, which does not say much 

 for the real wealth of the country if one bad year, following 

 upon such an abnormally good one as last j^ear, can produce 

 such evil efi[ects. Again, Roumanian grain is not, it appears, of 

 a sufficiently good quality to justify expectations of a rise in its 

 price so long as it has to contend with the far superior quality 

 of the grain which is now being poured so abundantly into 

 Europe from other parts of the world. 



To prove the real nature of the distress which is threatening 

 the agricultural classes of the country, attention is drawn to 

 the circumstance that the peasants are selling their cattle in 

 great numbers, and probably at a low price, since of late a 

 considerable exportation of cattle has taken place to Russia; 

 and this is believed to be due rather to the fact that the im- 

 poverished Roumanian peasant who wants money is obliged to 

 sell at a price which the poor Russian peasant can afibrd to pay, 

 than, as has been triumphantly alleged in the press, to an 

 impetus having been given to the Roumanian cattle trade by the 

 opening of a new market. 



