544 



Wheat Cultivation in Russia. [dec, 



and spelt, show a more or less regular increase. In these ten 

 years the rye area has increased by 5*83 per cent., and the wheat 

 area by 42*27 per cent. This remarkable growth is chiefly due 

 to an extension of the area in European Russia, though increases 

 have also taken place in Caucasia and Siberia. The areas under 

 the two crops in 1896 and 1904 are shown in the following 

 table:— 



Region. 



Wheat. 



Rye. 



1896. 



1904. 



1896. 



1904. 



European 

 Russia : total 



All black soil 

 Partly do. 

 Other soil ... 



Poland ... 

 Caucasia ... 

 Siberia 

 Middle Asia 



Total : Russia 



Thou- 

 sands of 

 Acres. 

 34,848 



Per 

 cent. 

 75-98 



Thou- 

 sands oi 

 Acres. 

 45,635 



Per 

 cent. 

 77-11 



69-53 

 6'o6 

 1-52 



Thou- 

 sands of 

 Acres. 

 64,238 



Per 

 cent. 

 88-91 



Thou- 

 sands of 

 Acres. 

 65,644 



Per 

 cent. 

 88-59 



31,141 



2,861 

 846 



67-89 

 6-24 

 1-85 



41,149 



3,585 

 901 



27,006 



15,309 

 21,924 



37-37 

 21*19 



30-35 



27,987 

 15,409 

 22,248 



37 77 

 2079 

 30-03 



1,198 

 5.589 

 2,905 

 1,329 



2-6i 



I2-l8 



6-33 

 2-90 



1,242 

 7,473 

 3,3p 

 1,484 



2-IO 

 12-62 



5-66 

 2-51 ' 



4,760 



645 

 2,509 

 106 



6-59 

 •89 



3*47 

 •14 



5,061 

 621 

 2,696 

 72 



6-83 

 •84 



3-64 

 -10 



45,869 



lOO'OO 



59,186 



lOO'OO 



72,259 



lOO'OO 



74,093 



lOO'OO 



While European Russia is the main source of both wheat and 

 rye, Caucasia and Siberia claim relatively a much larger share of 

 the wheat area, viz., 20*8 per cent, for wheat, as against 4*6 per 

 cent, for rye. It is noteworthy that, although the culture of 

 wheat has increased considerably in the Asiatic dominions, yet 

 it has not grown faster than in European Russia. Wheat and 

 rye, it will be seen, dominate distinct areas, though they meet 

 on a common ground in the central provinces. The eighteen 

 black-soil provinces produce more than two-thirds of the v/heat, 

 and only one-third of the rye. The nine provinces which are 

 only partly black-soil contribute only about 6 per cent, of the 

 wheat area, and almost 21 per cent, of the rye area. Finally, 

 the twenty-six non-black-soil provinces play scarcely any part 

 at all in wheat production, while their importance in the growth 

 of rye is very great. 



So far as European Russia is concerned, wheat culture outside 

 the black-soil belt is insignificant. For this region the statistics 



