Siberian Butter Industry. 



377 



.question, unless worked on the same lines with appliances as 

 good and as cheap. Even then they have gained such a hold 

 on the market that newcomers would have an uphill task indeed 

 in attempting to oust them from the footing obtained. 



The butter is bought up by the Siberian export offices on 

 cash payments to the peasants, either according to the price 

 ruling for the day, with but little, if any, distinction for quality, 

 or in accordance with contracts at fixed prices, made in advance 

 for a whole season of nine months or a year, for the full output 

 of any particular dairy or dairies. The system of buying on 

 commission from the peasants, with an advance of 90 per cent., 

 is one which the peasant generally abandons after some trials, 

 preferring the certain and immediate settlement and profit to 

 the speculative chances of sale in a distant country, the pro- 

 ceeds of transactions in which he has no means of verifying. 

 Though some of the dairies do export business direct, as a rule 

 the peasant's part in this trade stops with his butter at the local 

 export office. In some cases, instead of cash he takes dairy 

 accessories or agricultural machinery in payment or part pay- 

 ment of his butter. Nearly all the export offices keep stocks 

 of dairy appliances of all sorts in hand, as well as American 

 agricultural machinery. 



The busiest export season is from May to August, more 

 especially June and July, though butter is despatched all the 

 year round. 



During the summer four special trains of butter- trucks leave 

 the Siberian railway weekly, three for Riga and Windau, and 

 one for St. Petersburg, Novi Port, and Reval. In June five to 

 six trains are despatched weekly. Each train carries from 25 

 to 28 trucks, coloured white, specially made for this traffic, and 

 refrigerated with natural ice regularly supplied at fixed stations 

 en route. The loaded trucks are taken up at the different 

 stations, starting from Ob, or Novi-Nikolaievsk, and completing 

 at Kourgan and Cheliabinsk. The Danish offices load chiefly 

 for Windau, for further despatch to Copenhagen. Others send 

 to Riga for Great Britain. The run from Kourgan to Riga is 

 now accomplished in about eight days. The transport service 

 improves year by year, the authorities having now supplied 

 altogether about a thousand special butter trucks. The iced 



