Harvest Prospects and Crop Yields in Southern Tyrol
A report from Bozen describes the state of the harvest in southern Tyrol in late summer 1828. While wine, walnuts, figs, and chestnuts show great promise, maize and cereals suffered from summer heat and hail. Concerns about general food shortages or market speculation are nevertheless dismissed.
Full transcription
Botzen, 3 Sept. The crops in southern Tyrol currently present a most promising beauty and quality. This applies particularly to wine and certain types of fruit, especially walnuts, chestnuts, figs, and the like; apples and pears, however, have turned out very poorly. Maize (Turkish corn), like the other grain varieties, was damaged by the intense summer heat and, in some places, by hail. Nevertheless, no shortage is to be feared, however much usurers might wish it. The fact that a few wagons of maize are being brought from northern Tyrol to the south merely proves that the Italian peasant cannot do without his polenta, and that certain speculators may have made too hasty a calculation given this year's less bountiful maize harvest in southern Tyrol.
1828 at a glance
In 1828, alleviating local poverty through organized fundraising was a primary focus. Notably, the sale of New Year's greeting cards contributed significantly to financing the poor relief fund at the Bozen district office. The sources demonstrated broad regional support, with substantial contributions from Meran, Mais, Schlanders, Klausen, and especially Kaltern. →
Cite & share
"Harvest Prospects and Crop Yields in Southern Tyrol." Der Bote für Tirol, 15 September 1828. https://digital.tessmann.it/tessmannDigital/Zeitungsarchiv/Seite/Zeitung/47/1/15.09.1828/150494/1. https://www.meran-archive.com/en/artikel/1828-09-15-ernteaussichten-und-feldfruchtertrag-im-suedlichen-tirol