356 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



closely as was any serf, can tlie peasant continue to cultivate tlie 

 land. As every year does not produce a full crop at remunerative 

 prices, it is rare to find farmers free from debts, with the coming crop 

 already mortgaged to the factor in return for past favors. 



Although rye is the great cereal consumed in Russia, wheat is 

 also in demand at home. A short crop or a prohibition of import 

 into a market is reflected in the domestic position of that crop. The 

 mere fact that more than one half of the year's product is exported 

 would explain the sensitiveness of Russia to conditions affecting 

 supply and demand. From 1872 to 1880, when importing countries 

 of Europe were obliged to look outside of that continent for supplies, 

 Russia's yield of wheat did not grow as rapidly as seems to have been 

 warranted. The backward and adverse seasons, following one an- 

 other in almost unbroken line, discouraged an extension of area under 

 wheat, and directed attention to the coarser and hardier grains more 

 generally consumed throughout the empire. 



The year 1880 stands out as one of manifold misfortune and 

 disaster to agricultural Russia. The winter of 1879-'80 was of 

 unusual length and severity, and lasted so far into the spring that 

 the food for cattle was exhausted, and large numbers died of starva- 

 tion. Storms of hail and rain caused great destruction, and the 

 appearance of beetle and cattle plagues added much to the loss and 

 suffering of the population. Had not the Government intervened, 

 with supplies of grain for food and seed, and with public works 

 undertaken for the relief of the starving, a famine of portentous 

 proportion and permanent results would have been experienced. 

 AVant and suffering led to a veritable epidemic of diphtheria, " which 

 carried away almost the whole child population of large villages." 

 It was significant that this economic misfortune led to a social 

 change of some moment. " The landed proprietors of the country 

 (around Odessa) are, almost to a man, bankrupt and ruined, and the 

 real property of the country is speedily passing into the hands of 

 the Jews, Avho manage to make money from it where others starve. 

 They divide the land into holdings, which they let to the peasants, 

 and make a very handsome income of it." 



It is remarkable how regularly the wheat production of Russia 

 has fallen short. Beginning with 1880, already given, the next 

 approach to failure was in 1886, with a crop of 157,000,000 bushels; 

 and again in 1891, when 163,500,000 bushels only were gathered. 

 Every fifth year is thus marked, and it is in these exceptional years 

 that the real strength of the Russian Avheat interest is to be measured. 

 The year 1891 stands prominently as the year of famine {annee de 

 disette). 



In the fall of 1891 Russia took the somewhat unusual step of 



