Agrarna geografija Šavrinskega gričevja

Abstract

tuated between the rivers Rokava (Dragogna), the bay of Trieste and the
edge of the Kanst platean in the east; this is mainly the northern part of
the former Free Territory of Trieste.
The Savrini Hills consist of eocene flysch (marls and sandstone®) and
descend from the edge of the Karst plateau, in SE, from a height of some
500 m, gradually towards the coast. In the pliocene the area h as been cut
by the rivers Rokava and Rižana with their tributaires into a series of
mostly softly-inclined ridges between the valleys. In conisequence of the
rocky bottom, the soil in the Savrini hills is mostly made up of clay and
sand, even in smaller plains at the moutbs of the rivers, as the bottom
contains no gravel deposits. The soil is rather thick and fertile on softly
inclined slopes, whereas on more abrupt parts it i-s. thinner and more sandy,
yet everywnere rather podsolized. In harmony with the climate and the
great defoTestation the soil-erosion is strong, both sheet-erosion and even
more so the gullying. Except for softly inclined ridges, ali the cultivated
surface in the hills has been terraced for a long tirne. In climatic respect
the area is already part of the mediterranean sphere with average January
temperatures of 3 to 4 degrees C, and July temperatures of 23 to 24 degrees C. TTie January temperatures are lowered by the bora. This wind prevails in the winter period and in such days swiftly and strongly lowers
the temperature, which often entails consequences for the olive-tree and
for delicate fruit-trees.The precipitations (850—lOOOmm in a year's average)
ar e conceaitrated in the autumn and only partly in the spring. The wmter
is dry and so is the summer which nevertheless receives more ramfall
than the southern parts of the Adriatic coastland. The bad sumimer
dronghts ar e a frequent menace to the farmers. Since the settlement of the Slovenes in the 9«> century, up to date, the
farming has retained the first plače aniong the economic activities in the
Savrini territory. It is only the coastal towns in the north (Koper, Izola,
Piran) that remained prevailingly Romance and later on Italian, that subsiisted by commerce, fishing and sea-traffic. In the new times some industry and tourist trade must be added.
Regarding the character of agricultural exploitation we discern two
areas in the Savrini territory: The Lower Savrini, the larger and lower
coastal belt and the Upper Savrini, the higher and more hilly interior.
The Lower Savrini ar e an area where 'in climate and in agricultural
exploitation the mediterranean features ar e strongly stressed. Wine, fruit
and vegetables are the principal crops. There is a much smaller crop of
the maize and ali for domestic use only. Among the elementarv food, maize
is much more important than wheat or other cereals. Cattle-breeding is
also a supplementary branch. The meadows have been supplanted by cultivated surface and pasturelands ar e deteriorated by summer droughts. In the last century the speedy growth of the nearby Trieste has
exerted a decisive influence on the agriculture in the Lower Savrini and
has strongly transformed it through the needs for supplying the city.
Sheep-breeding nearly disappeared and stock-breeding was changed into
dairying; in connection with this the significance of clover and lucerne
has risen. For mauy peasants the production and selling of vegetable and
of fruit has become the main source of income. Thereby, the land-use with
intercropping. of maize, vine, fruit-trees and vegetables, has gained insignificance. Among vegetables tomato and peas ar e the most important.
With the appearance of a new political frontier, the specialisation of farming has not lost its significance, although the daily access to the market of Trieste became impossible. Early vegetable, potatoes and fruit (first of
ali cherries and pears) have a good market in industrial centers in the
interior of Slovenia, where vegetation is belated for a few weeks The same
applies to wines- Viticulture yields in the Šavrini-region mostly dark
\vine and also some sorte of white wines of excellent quality, that are
highly estimated in Slovenia. Viticulture is besides the commercialized
fruit and vegetable production the leading agricultural branch in the
Iower Šavrini, and for many farmers the principal source of income.
The Upper Šavrini, with a rougher climate are an area of the usual
mixed-farming. The growing of cereals, wheat, and maize, and potato is
connected with breeding of cattle for šale. There is a considerable greater
number of meadows and pasture-land than in the Lower Šavrini. In eonnection with clover and fodder-crops, grown in rotation on arable land they are of great importance for feeding the cattle. The switch to dairying is becoming more and more obvious. There is less arable land (with prevailing pure cultures) and the soil is in general worse than in the
Lower Šavrini. The commercialisation on a big scale touched the farming
here but slightly. Even the viticulture has a more or less local character.
The specialisation of agriculture makes possible in the lower part of
Šavrini territory an extreemly high agrarian density of population; on the
other side it is connected with prevailingly small freehold ownership.
Nearly half of the farms have less than two hectares of land. Quite small
holdings prevail in the coastal strip, where many peasants have to depend
also on income in other economic activities. The colonate, once spread in
the coast-belt, has been abolished a few years ago by the Agrarian Reform; it could not change essentialy the freehold structure, though. A good organisation of commercial relations and improved transportation links
with the hinterland as well as good possibilities for export are today the
most urgent basi>s and need for the thriVing of the commercialized Šavrini
farming.