ABSTRACT
Hart/l11lt Lchlllclllll I 13 has to be added here, to Illelltion only the Illost important m;lttcrs, that the ,·icious cycle of crop t:lilurc, f.1111 ine, and death hit hardest those who had difficulties in making enough to lin' on, thus 5tr;linillg social relations in the yillages, which helps to explain \\hy poor people living on the soci<11 and economic fringe of rural socil'ty \wre often suspected of having performed a III<lltfitilllll. It should also be c,b:,<-'ryed that marginal ;lgriculrl1f(' in mOllnt;tinolls areas was hit c.ulier .md harder than agriculture elsewhere. PLThaps this provides a c!Ul' to why several decades ago the witell··fever was ClUed a phl'J:I)l11l'IWn ut" mountainous areas. Data from these regions should not be u<;cd to say that \\:itches preferred to celebrate their sabbaths on thl' tops of IlWlllltains, but th,lt the deterioration of li,·jng conditions, ~upposedl)' the result of 111111cfidlllll, occurred there earlier, ,lI1d morc frequl'ntly.
