CHAPTER XIV 

 SIBERIA 



PROBABLY the last country in the world 

 from which the British agriculturist has 

 thought to meet with competition on his home 

 markets is Siberia. But the rate at which the 

 imports of dairy produce from Siberia into this 

 country are increasing is prodigious. In 1900 

 they represented a value of £980,000; in 1901 

 the figure rose to £1,055,000 ; and in 1902 it 

 stood at £2,196,000. In fact, Russian butter 

 was, for a time during the summer of 1903, 

 coming to London at the rate of 1,000 tons a 

 week, and there were large quantities of eggs 

 and poultry besides. The first dairy in Siberia 

 for the manufacture of butter for export was 

 not set up until 1893. Yet to-day the number 

 of such dairies in the country is over 2,000, and 

 their operations, which are still rapidly extend- 

 ing, already cover an area of 160,000 square 

 miles. As for the total production of butter 

 in Siberia, it increased from 5,000. 000 lbs. in 



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