Greeks in America - eBooks4Greeks.gr

;EUROPEAN BACKGROUND 35The yield of tobacco in 1917 was placed atcrop.102,275,710 pounds. The estimated yield of winefor 1918 was 10,566,800 gallons or nearly doublethat of the year before.American Machines.—Thessaly is rich and fertilein agriculture, and the Kavalla region in Macedoniafor tobacco. Tobacco is being cultivated with goodsuccess in Peloponnesus. American machines are beingintroduced into Smyrna and many parts of Turkey.The American Mission and the Near East Reliefrepresentatives are rendering a great service inintroducing modern methods and instruments intoagricultural work in the Levant.Cows and dairies.—In Greece, people had someprejudice against cows' milk, so goats and sheeppredominate for milking. The number of cows isgrowing. Mr. J. E. Chrysakis, of Athens has rendereda great service in promoting dairy-farmingand his tea-rooms, in Constitution Square, Athens,with all the farm products, are well known to Americansand Europeans visiting Athens. His farmsare near Phaleron. He has been instrumental inintroducing cows from Switzerland.Minerals.—The chief mineral products are magnesite,marble, and emery. In 1914 there were produced117,430 tons of magnesite ; in 1919, 133,858in 1916, 176,363; and in 1917, 99,518. Transportationdifficulties caused a great decrease in mining,and almost stopped marble production.Roads.—The greatest need of Greece is the goodroads. Now there are over 3,000 miles of roads. Itis to the credit of the Greek government that in themidst of all the distractions of war that among otherpublic works which have engaged their energies arethe construction and restoration of harbors, the erectionof lighthouses, the construction of drainageworks, etc.In 1883 there were only 58 miles of railway, but