WHEAT IN EUROPE 



305 



The soil generally is fertile, that of the Black 

 Earth district being particularly so. Since the 

 Steppe region of the southeast is salty in many 

 places, and has a deficient rainfall, it is not fitted 

 for wheat production. 



Culture Methods. - The methods of production 

 vary from the most primitive to the most advanced. 



FIG. 122. A wheat harvest in Russia. 



Among the poorer classes of farmers, the small 

 landowners or tenants, the common plow is con- 

 sidered a luxury. With them, hand labor is in- 

 volved in every process, whether it be turning 

 the ground by wooden plows, harvesting the grain 

 by sickle or cradle, or threshing by flail. The 

 private holders of large estates and the larger 

 farmers employ methods which are similar to those 



