The regetable productions, as might be expected from the vast variety in the soil and position of the different provinces, are extremely various. Although three-fourths of the surface is mountainous, more than five-sixths is productive, being used either for tillage, meadows, pasture, or forest. Grain of all kinds is cultivated, most abundantly in Hungary and the districts s. of it on the Danube; in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Galicia. Agriculture is not yet far advanced; the prevailing system is still what is culled the three-field system, introduced into Germany by Charlemagne, in which a crop of winter wheat is followed by one of summer grain, and that by falloW. In Hungary, the Magyar adheres to his primitive husbandry, the German and Slav are adopting rational methods. Rice is cultivated in the l3anat, but not enough for the consump tion. Potatoes are raised everywhere; and in elevated districts are often the sole sub sistence of the inhabitants. Horticulture is carried to great perfection; and the orchards of Bohemia, A. proper, Tyrol, and many. parts of Hungary, produce a of fruit. Great quantities of cider are made in upper A. and Carinthia, and of plum brandy in Slavonia. In Dalmatia, oranges and lemons are produced, but not sufficient for the requirements of the country; twice as much olive-oil is imported as is raised UL the monarchy.
In the production of wine, A. is second only to France. With the exception of Galicia, Silesia, and upper A., the vine is cultivated in all the provinces; but Hungary stands first, yielding not only the finest quality of wine, but four-fifths the amount of the whole produce of the empire. The average produce of the whole empire is esti mated at about 400,000,000 gallons, which is mostly consumed by the inhabitants them selves.
Of plants used in manufactures and commerce, the first place is held by flax and heinp. Flax is cultivated almost universally; white hemp in Galicia, Moravia, and Hungary. Tobacco is raised in great quantities, especially in Hungary, which also is first in the cultivation of rape-seed. Bohemia raises hops of the first quality, which are partly exported; though other provinces require to import from abroad. The indigo plant has been lately successfully acclimatized in Dalmatia. Nearly a third of the pro ductive surface is covered with wood (66,000 sq.m.), which, besides timber, yields a number of secondary products, as tar, potash, charcoal, cork, etc.
As to animals, bears are found in the Carpathians, Alps, and Dalmatia; wolves. jackals, and lynxes in these same districts, and also in the Banat, Croatia, Slavonia, and the military frontiers. The marmot, otter, and beaver are also found in Dalmatia. Game has of late sensibly diminished. The wild goat lives in the highest, the chamois and white Alpine hare in the middle regions of the Alps and Carpathians. More pro ductive than the chase are the fisheries of the Danube, Theiss, and numerous streams, lakes, and ponds. The chief sea-fishing is in Dalmatia. Leeches, procured chiefly in Hungary and Moravia, form an article of considerable trade. For foreign commerce the most important branch of rural industry is the rearing of silk. A. produces about a (piarter of a million of silk cocoons annually. The silk trade is very extensive in the Tyrol—the yearly supply of cocoons in that country being 32.000.
The breeding of domestic animals has not yet advanced to what the home wants require. In some districts it is excellent, in others quite neglected. Horse-breeding is
promoted by what are called -" military ,studs." Besides a _number of imperial studs, there are a great many privatt establishments, especially in Hungary, for the same pur pose. The supply of black-cattle is not equal to the demand; great numbers arc fur nished by Hungary and Galicia. . The breeding of sheep, like that of horses, has been a special object of care, to .the government. The finer wools are furnished by Moravia, Bohemia, Silesia, lower A.,. and great part of Hungary and Galicia. The great mass is, however, composed of what is known as middling and inferior sorts. Goats are reared chiefly in Dalmatia, and swine in.Hungary. In 1872, the number of horses in the mon archy was stated at 3,548,442; cattle, 12,704,405; sheep, 20,103,395; goats, 1,552,055; swine, 6,994,752; and bee-hives,.1,531,152.. Nearly three-fourths of the population are engaged in husbandry, so that A. is decidedly an agricultural state, though its capabili ties in this respect have by no means been fully developed.
The population is very unequally distributed. The most populous districts are those of the s.w. and of the n-w. The Alpine .regions and those of the Carpathians are the sparsest; and generally.the density dinfinishes towards the east. At the end of 1869 Austria had, besides Vienna, 3 cities of above 100,000 inhabitants, and 32 others with more than 20,000. Vienna, with 834,284 inhabitants then, was found by special census in 1875 to have, with suburbs, 1,020,770. The population of Austria embraces a greater number of races, distinct in origin and language, than that of any other European coun try except Russia. The proportions in this respect are here given from the official state ments of 1879. The Slays are the most numerous race, amounting to 16,219,000, nearly 50 per cent of the whole population in 1870. They form the bulk of the population of Bohemia, Moravia, Carniola. Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, the military frontiers, the Woiwodina, the n. of Hungary, and Galicia. They arc, however, split up into a num ber of peoples or tribes, differing greatly in language, religion, culture, and manners; so that their seeming preponderance in the empire is thus lost. The chief branches of the Slavic stem are the northern. Czechs (the most numerous of all), Ruthenes, and Poles, and the southern Slowcns, Croats, Serbs, and Bulgarians. The Germans numbered 9,040,000, or 'about 25 per cent. They are dispersed over the empire, but predominate most in the duchy of A., Salzburg, Tyrol, Styria, Carinthia, w. of Hungary, etc. The Romanic peoples (speaking languages derived from that of ancient Rome) amounted to 3,456,000, or fully 9i per cent, and are divided into western and eastern. To the first, the Germans give the general name of Welsch. They consist of Italians, inhabiting the s. of Tyrol, Istria, and Dalmatia; the Ladins (Latins), occupying some valleys in Tyrol; and the Friauls about Grortz, n. of Triest. The eastern Romans are the Valaks or Wal lachians, styled by themselves Runiuni, who are found in Transylvania, Hungary, Woiwodina, Bukowina, and military frontiers. The Magyars, or Hungarians proper, numbered 5,431,000 (over 15 per cent): they are located chiefly in Hungary and Transyl vania; also in the Woiwodina, and a few in Croatia and Slavonia. The small remain ing portion are composed chiefly of Jews, Armenians, and Bohemians or gypsies; and collectively they number 1,354.000, which is .pretty nearly 31 per cent.