CORN BARGES ON THE VISTULA, 345 



an inch or two. At the sacrifice of the whole upper surface of 

 the wheat a covering is thus provided for the great bulk of the 

 grain, which, on the removal of its green roof, is often fouiid in 

 very tolerable condition. 



When the cargo is deposited at Dantzic the barges are 

 broken up, and the men who conducted them return to their 

 own country on foot. The grain, as it may be supposed, 

 is not fit to be immediately placed in storehouses. It is 

 spread out on the ground, exposed to the sun, and thoroughly 

 dried. During rain, and also at night, it is piled up in the 

 shape of a steep roof, and is covered with linen. Thus, ac- 

 cording to the state of the weather, it may be a long or a 

 short time in reaching the granary. Near the lower parts of 

 the river, where the wheat is generally of inferior quality, 

 covered boats are employed with shifting boards, which pro- 

 tect the cargo from rain, but not from pilfering. The progress 

 of railway and steam-boat communication is, however, making 

 a great alteration in this district. 



The excellent quality of much of the wheat grown in 

 Poland, causes it to be highly prized in this country. The 

 fine heavy grain known in London as Dantzic white wheat, 

 is raised in a narrow district, in the province of Sandomir, 

 Poland, about sixty miles in length, and extending along 

 the Vistula. Throughout the southern parts of Sandomir 

 and Cracow, the crops are celebrated for their excellent 

 quality ; but the average growth is rarely beyond twenty 

 bushels to the acre, the farming operations being imperfectly 

 conducted. 



In Volhynia, one of the principal districts for supplying 

 wheat to the markets of Dantzic and Konigsberg, the popu- 

 lation consists entirely of slaves, and either the proprietor 

 farms his own estate, or lets it to what are called "Possessors," 

 at the rate of so much per day's labour, calculated for the 

 peasant : thus the proprietor receives so many days' labour, or 

 rather he receives so much money for each day's labour of 

 the slave. 



We have already seen that the grain from various districts, 

 on arriving at Dantzic, is dried thoroughly, and afterwards 

 stored in granaries. These warehouses are generally seven 

 stories high, with floors nine feet asunder. There are numerous 

 windows for the ventilation of the corn, and sufficient spaces 

 for turning and screening it. The whole of the corn ware- 

 houses are capable of storing five hundred thousand quarters 

 of wheat. Ships are loaded by gangs of porters, who will 



