Agriculture in Surtschin from the book “Surtschin” Ortsbiografie der deutschen Minderheit eines Dorfes in Syrmien By: Michael Schmidt, 1980; translated by Roy Engel, contributed by Eve Brown.

Beschka Vineyards
In Beschka, the wine cultivation was very important. Friedrich Scherer (vgl. Reg. No. 1630) reported that after the grapevines were destroyed in 1890 by the grapevine louse, the farmers, on

the advise of Rev. Gretzmacher, took the wild American grapevines (Manticula and Portalis) and grafted them onto the noble European grapevines. These grapevine stocks proved themselves to be resistant to the grapevine louse and the wine cultivation blossomed in Beschka again. According to papers by Peter Ewinger (vgl. Reg. No. 458) about 13,000 hectoliters of wine was produced which according to today’s standards is worth about 2.6 million Deutsch Marks.  Besides that about 1000 hectoliters of Treberschnaps (schnaps made from the skins of grapes) could be distilled annually.
© From the book "History of the Village God Bless Our Home," Beschka Homeland Book by Peter Lang.  Translated by Brad Schwebler