2(58 Short View of Agriculture in Ru^ui. July 



FOR THE FARMER S MAGAZINE. 



Short View of Agriculture in Rujfta *. 



In the vaft extent of territory now included in the Ruffian 

 dominions, the people who have, from time immemorial, at- 

 tached therafcives to agriculture, (however rude, and with 

 whatever fuccefs), are the Rujfians^ properly {o called, the 

 Poles, the Lithuanians^ the Letiesy the Finns, and the EJlho- 

 fiians, who dwell conterminous to one another, in the N. W. 

 quarter of this great empire. As the firll of thefe, however, 

 compofe the chief and moft numerous clafs, the following 

 particulars mufl be underllood as principally confined to them, 

 with this preliminary obfervation, that in the v.'hole ftretch, 

 from eaft to weft of the Ruffian territory, there is hardly any 

 part fufceptible of cultivation, beyond the 6oth degree of north 

 latitude, and even to this extent only in the vveftern parts, as 

 the frigid region extends farther an<l farther fouth, the more 

 eailerly we go, till, at the point of Kamtfchatka, on the (hore 

 of the American Ocean, cultivation is impracticable beyond 

 the 51ft degree; thus, leaving a tract of about 160,000 fquare 

 miles bound up in eternal fterility, froil and fnow. 



The chief implement of RuiTian agriculture, is the Jvrk 

 or hook-plough, defcribed as having two ploughfhares faftened 

 to a forked board, and is ufually drawn by one horfe, or 

 by two oxen ; and is held by a lad of fifteen, who drives at 

 the fan*e time, but making a furrow of only i-|- inch deep. 

 This is ufed generally on lands that are in conftant tillage j 

 but when new grounds are broken up, what is called the 

 knife-plough is employed, and which, after all, goes only about 

 half as deep again. At other times, it fhould appear, that 

 the land, in this cafe, is ploughed twice, firft with the knife- 

 plough, cutting the turf into dices, and then with the fork- 

 plough, at which time the ploughman muft turn the furrow 

 over, as it rifes, with his foot ; from wliich it may be inferred, 

 that this fimple implement does not pofTefs that power of 

 itfelf, but does probably operate in a fimilar manner to the 

 fcrape-plough in Britain (drawn alfo by one liorfe), which is 



fometimes 



* This is collected from the 3(1 Vol. of Tooics Ficiv of the Ruffian Empirs, 

 lately publifhed. A work of great merit, and abounding fo much in matter 

 well chofen, and fo well arranged, as almoin to preclude abridgeratnt. 



