10 



CATTLE-EAISING IN RUSSIA. 



[June 1896, 



CATTLE-RAISING IN RUSSIA. 



The prominent position now occupied by Russia among the 

 wheat- exporting countries of the world has aroused some interest 

 in the system of farming pursued in that country, especially 

 with regard -to the rearing of cattle and sheep and the prospective 

 development of an export trade in beef and mutton. In the 

 opinion of some authorities, the natural conditions prevailing 

 over a large area of Russia in Europe are such as to afford a 

 great opening for the production of cattle suitable for export. 

 That so little progress has as yet been made in this direction has 

 been attributed to the fact that the cultivation of fodder grasses 

 is almost entirely neglected, and that cattle breeding is subsidiary 

 to agriculture in most of the southern governments of the 

 Empire owing to the increasing demand for wheat. Moreover, 

 the ravages of cattle plague have, until recent years, not only 

 discouraged farmers from turning their attention to stock raising, 

 but also closed the markets of Western Europe to Russian cattle. 

 But a review of the trade statistics of the past quarter of a 

 century would show that the exports of cattle from .Russian 

 ports have never assumed very considerable proportions, and 

 that for the last few years they have exhibited a tendency to 

 decline. The number exported in a single year has only ex- 

 ceeded 50,000 on five occasions since 1852. In the following 

 table the average annual exports of cattle are shown for periods 

 of five years since 1869-73 :— 



Year. 



Exports. 



1869-73 

 1874-78 

 1879-83 

 1384-88 

 1889-93 



No. 

 83,000 

 46,000 

 29,000 

 34,000 

 19,000 



The greater number of these beasts are sent to Turkey and 

 Greece, while the Asiatic Khanates, China and Persia, also 

 occasionally receive large consignments. The exports of fresh 

 and salted beef are not distinguished in the trade returns, but 

 it is believed that they are insignificant. 



The imports of live cattle into Russia have not been separately 

 shown in the official trade returns in recent years, but in 

 the three years 1887-1889 the average number of cattle 

 imported annually was about 10,000 head. 



From the foregoing statement it will be seen that, at least so 

 far as beef is concerned, Russia cannot be regarded as a serious 

 competitor in the meat markets outside her own borders. It 



