THE CARPATHIAN REGION.—The Carpathians are of considerable economic importance. The sandstone ridges, of which they mainly consist, are peculiarly favourable to the growth of trees, and, as scientific methods of forestry are encouraged by the State, Hungary is able to export large quantities of timber. The vine finds a favourable environment within the Carpathian curve, the most renowned wines being those which are produced in the Tokay district on the right bank of the Theiss. Hungarian vineyards, like French, suffered severely from the ravages of the phylloxera, but the disease has been overcome by grafting the shoots of the native vine upon stumps of American origin. In many places the Carpathians are capable of cultivation, and considerable areas are cropped with cereals, but the yield per acre is generally low.
The mineral wealth of Hungary is chiefly centred within the Carpathian region, and, with the exception of coal and iron, occurs more especially in those districts where volcanic material is associated with the older sedimentary rocks, that is, in the north and in Transylvania. The precious metals do not form so large a proportion of the product as formerly. Gold, the annual output of which is increasing, is chiefly obtained in Transylvania. Silver, lead, and copper usually occur together, but the yield of silver, which is mined mainly at Selmeczbanya, is decreasing.
The production of iron, on the other hand, is becoming more im portant. The principal deposits are embedded in the older rocks of the Transylvanian mountains, in the valley of the Cserna, a tri butary of the Maros, and in the Gomor and adjacent districts to the south-east of the Tatra. The manufacture of pig-iron is not advancing at the same rate as the production of iron ore, and every year increasing quantities of the latter are sent to Silesia to be smelted there.
The most important coal mines of the country are also situated within the mountain area, where they occur in most geological formations from the Carboniferous to the Tertiary. True coal is limited in quantity, and is found mainly in the south-western part of Transylvania, and, as may be noted here, in the neighbourhood of some outliers of the Alps in western Hungary. Lignite is much more widespread, but the principal deposits are situated in the north and east of the Carpathian range. As a result of the industrial development of the country, the production of coal has increased very greatly within recent years, but it is still insufficient to meet the home demand.