Bács-Kiskun megye múltjából 22. (Kecskemét, 2007)

ÖSSZEFOGLALÓK

ÁKOS MOHAY THE JURIDICAL OFFICE OF KECSKEMÉT BEFORE 1848 Nobody has studied so far the detailed history of juridical officies in the towns before 1848. This essay explores the establishment of the juridical office in Kecskemét. It shows the people who worked in this position and their duties between 1793 and 1848. An interesting parallel can be drawn between the old juridical office of the town and today's Prosecution of the Hungarian Republic by the comparison of duties and roles of the two institutes. The study points it out that the two offices basically function in a similar way: they defend the right of natural persons, artifical persons and organizations that do not have an artifical personality and pursue all kinds of activities that violate or jeopardize order, security and independence. They represent the prosecution in court and supervise the legality of the prison service. LÁSZLÓ SOÓS THE COMMISSIONER OF WINE-GROWING, GYULA MIKLÓS' REPORT ON A TRIP IN SERBIA In the second half of the 19th century the American grapes resisting the grapelouse and the relieving effects of the sandy soil were studied to prevent the spread of phylloxera that destroyed the European vineyards. It turned out that the parasite perished after getting into this new environment. On the basis of the experiments started in the spring of 1881 the minister of agriculture decided to establish a state yard near Kecskemét (in Istvántelek) to increase sandy vine planting on the Great Plain. The good influence of shifting sand made itself felt here. The originally Serbian Kadarka showed up as a grape suitable for painting red wine. The Ministry of Agriculture bought 80, 000 vine plants of the two popular grapes from the vineyards in the vicinity of Negotin town situated near the Bulgarian border in the spring of 1884. These were taken to the vineyard of Kecskemét in order to propagate them. Gyula Miklós commissioner decided to travel to Serbia because he wanted to study the way of grape planting and gathering, the tradition of viticulture and the composition of the soil in the vineyards of Negotin. In this report he gives an account of the results and professional experiences of the study trip that was started on 29 September 1884. We also get an insight into the social life of a Serbian town, the tradition of vine-growing and wine handling.