158 
Continental Farming. 
the wind like snow ; in many of the hollows are morasses or 
reed-ponds, which literally swarm with all sorts of wild water- 
fowl. About half of this district is cultivated, producing wretched 
crops of wheat, rye, potatoes, and maize. The pastures graze 
poor-looking stock, which the grass is not likely to improve much. 
Large stocks of geese are kept. 
Karolz is a clean town, with many good buildings in it. From 
it to Szathmar is about 50 miles of a strong alluvial loam, of 
great fertility, above two-thirds of which is under cultivation, 
producing wheat, oats, maize, sunflowers for making oil, rape- 
seed for making oil, tobacco, potatoes, and melons, on which 
large quantities of pigs are fattened annually ; tares, clover, and 
lucerne are grown, and used for soiling the working oxen and 
horses. This system of cropping is very severe upon the land, 
so little manure being made and applied to the soil, yet the crops 
are good. The sunflower grows above 8 feet high, and some of 
the maize was getting a good height. Large orchards of plum- 
trees are grown : the fruit is used for the distillation of brandy. 
There are also considerable quantities of hemp grown, which is 
another scourging crop. Indeed, the produce of this country, if 
well farmed, would astonish the agricultural world. Much of it 
requires drainage. 
Szathmar is a well-built, clean town, of considerable import- 
ance. Here many of the nobility live, who are a proud race ; 
the people of the town are also inclined to think more of them- 
selves than anybody else does ; they are very fond of showy 
dress. 
I found General Haynau's estate was low and wet, without the 
proper means of drainage, on account of there being no outfall, 
without cutting througli another estate, the owner of which was 
opposed to draining altogether, because, he said, they suffered 
oftener from drought than from wet. The General has about 
2000 acres in tillage, and intends ploughing up a great deal 
more, and erecting oil -manufactories, distilleries, and a sugar- 
manufactory, provided he can get his estates drained. This 
depends upon a lawsuit now pending, which I hope he may gain, 
that he may be enabled to make the most of his splendid estates. 
He breeds and rears immense herds of cattle, and fattens off up- 
wards of 2000 head per annum, besides some hundreds of 
horses. 
It was grievous to see some of the wheat that had been 
swamped with water and then followed by dry hot weather, 
which set the land so that the cracks were 3 and 4 inches wide, 
and above 4 feet deep. The wheat on this land was truly the 
most mysterious crop I ever saw; the straw was not above a 
foot long, and the ears were likely to average upwards of fifty 
