Page 152 - Mocarelli, Luca, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2020. Maize to the People! Cultivation, Consumption and Trade in the North-Eastern Mediterranean (Sixteenth-Nineteenth Century). Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 152
maize to the people!
Graph 9. Maize yield per hectare in certain European countries, 1901-1910 (q/ha)
Source: Sundhaussen 1989, 261; Maček 1993, 33.
when they started to decline gradually until the end of the century. In the
first decade of the twentieth century, however, they started increasing again.
In the European context, Serbia was, in terms of productivity, among the
countries with the lowest maize yield per hectare (Graph 9). The Pannonian
Plain was the most productive area by far, followed by Spain and Italy. In
terms of yield per hectare, the Slovenian areas were relatively high on the
list. They were slightly different than the average in the Austrian half of the
monarchy: thanks to Styria and the Prekmurje region – the two provinc-
es located in the Pannonian Plain where the conditions were most favour-
able for the growth of maize – Slovenia boasted a higher yield per hectare.
In the Pannonian Plain, the soil was sufficiently moist while summers were
warm enough that maize could grow and mature properly.
The considerable share of maize in the agricultural structure result-
ed from the structure of the peasant economy that had established itself in
Serbia. The vital importance of livestock farming was notable: live animals,
especially pigs, were a dominant item, especially in exports. The Habsburg
Monarchy was the most important market. Maize – in the form of young
maize or maize grain – was irreplaceable as animal feed. It was widely used
for cattle production and the dairy industry in particular. Pig farming was
entirely maize-based. Even in horse nutrition, it would often replace oats
150
Graph 9. Maize yield per hectare in certain European countries, 1901-1910 (q/ha)
Source: Sundhaussen 1989, 261; Maček 1993, 33.
when they started to decline gradually until the end of the century. In the
first decade of the twentieth century, however, they started increasing again.
In the European context, Serbia was, in terms of productivity, among the
countries with the lowest maize yield per hectare (Graph 9). The Pannonian
Plain was the most productive area by far, followed by Spain and Italy. In
terms of yield per hectare, the Slovenian areas were relatively high on the
list. They were slightly different than the average in the Austrian half of the
monarchy: thanks to Styria and the Prekmurje region – the two provinc-
es located in the Pannonian Plain where the conditions were most favour-
able for the growth of maize – Slovenia boasted a higher yield per hectare.
In the Pannonian Plain, the soil was sufficiently moist while summers were
warm enough that maize could grow and mature properly.
The considerable share of maize in the agricultural structure result-
ed from the structure of the peasant economy that had established itself in
Serbia. The vital importance of livestock farming was notable: live animals,
especially pigs, were a dominant item, especially in exports. The Habsburg
Monarchy was the most important market. Maize – in the form of young
maize or maize grain – was irreplaceable as animal feed. It was widely used
for cattle production and the dairy industry in particular. Pig farming was
entirely maize-based. Even in horse nutrition, it would often replace oats
150
