Continental Farming. 
153 
the crops light ; about five-sixths of the land is in tillage, and 
one-sixth in pasture. 
At Kobblkut we entered a more level district of deep light 
loamy soil : this part of the valley is several miles wide, with the 
forest-clad mountains in the distance, and vine-growing slopes 
on the southern sides of every hill ; but the valley gradually 
gets narrow, and tlie mountain sides approach with their beau- 
tiful scenery. There is about one-third of this district cultivated, 
producing rye and wheat mixed, rye, barley, maize, peas, pota- 
toes, and a little clover ; farming bad and crops light, not more 
than 16 to 25 bushels per acre English. This land, when first 
ploughed up, produces from 40 to 50 bushels of wheat per acre 
English ; such being the case, if the land were afterwards well 
farmed, 40 bushels would be an average crop. 
The pastures are grazed by large Hungarian cattle, which are 
a good sort of stock ; the sheep bad ; and the horses, of which 
there are large hordes, small, useless-looking, ugly creatures, too 
light for draught, and ugly for either riding or driving, yet hardy 
and durable, and might by good management in breeding soon be 
made a ffood breed of roadsters. 
Before reaching Pesth we passed through a poor sandy dis- 
trict nearly all in grass, rather undulating ; tlie crops, wher 
cultivated, light, and farming anything but good. The whole 
of the distance from Vienna to Pesth is capable of producing at 
least treble the quantity of beef, mutton, wool, and grain if well 
farmed ; but the people of this beautiful country are broken in 
spirit and sunk in apathy ; and so long as uncertainty prevails, 
industry cannot become the propelling power to wealth. 
I stopped the night at Pesth, at the Europa Hotel, where 
everything was cheap and excellent in equality. The new bridge 
over the Danube is a magnificent piece of architecture, which 
had a narrow escape from destruction during the revolution. 
On our way to Szolnok, by railway, we passed over a district 
of about 30 miles of light loamy soil with slightly undulating 
surface : indeed it is so level that there is not a single railway 
bridge from Pesth to Szolnok, about 60 miles. For the first 
30 miles about one-third of the land is cultivated, producing 
wheat, rye, maize, peas, and potatoes ; the crops were various, the 
farming very bad : the formation here is drift of the old red 
sandstone and mountain limestone, forming a splendid soil for 
general tillage. The next 30 miles form part of a vast plain of 
light black vegetable earth upon an alluvial sandy subsoil ; the 
depth of soil varying from 1 to 4 feet. A great portion of this 
district is but a few inches above the level of the rivers and 
streams : the highest and driest parts are cultivated, producing 
wheat, rye, maize, tobacco, and potatoes. The farming is bad, 
but the crops are generally good ; indeed, if this district was 
