June 1895.] EXTRACTS FROM DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR 77 



REPORTS. 



standing, Russia's wheat-growing area and wheat crop have 

 during the past few years alike been on the increase ; and her 

 wheat export shows a tendency in the same direction. The 

 inference is, that if prices fall no lower, the production and 

 export will tend to increase further. There is abundant room 

 for an increase of yield in two distinct directions ; agricultural 

 methods may be much improved ; and fresh areas of fertile soil 

 may be brought under the plough. But progress in either of 

 these directions must necessarily be very gradual, and it may 

 therefore be concluded that the growth of production and exports 

 will be extremely slow. 



The stock-raising and dairy -farming industries are said to have 

 attained a considerable development in Finland, the Western 

 and Baltic Provinces, generally in the neighbourhood of large 

 towns, and in certain districts of Tver, Vologda, and Yaroslav. 

 In the Little Russian districts, cattle are, in general, raised only 

 with a view to their emplojanent in agricultural labour, and for 

 the sake of the manure they supply. Throughout the greater 

 part of the Central Russian agricultural region, where cattle 

 are not employed as beasts of labour, stock raising is much 

 neglected, there is a string tendency to break up pasture lands 

 in order to obtain the largest possible grain-growing area, and 

 the number of horned cattle has of late years greatly diminished. 

 In the South-eastern Steppe regions, large herds are still tended 

 by nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. 



The export of live stock from European Russia, exclusive of 

 Finland, is not very considerable. In 1893, it reached some 

 12,000 head, of which only 3,400 were sent to England ; and 

 with the number of cattle diminishing over a large part of 

 Russia, the prospect of its attaining any serious importance is 

 remote. The weight of fresh meat exported is small, and it is 

 consigned principally to Germany. 



The export of eggs is more formidable, and has been growing 

 during the past few years. In 1893 European Russia exported 

 785,000,000 of eggs, of which Grep.t Britain bought nearly 

 200,000,000. Finland's export is relatively small, some 300,000 

 in 1892. 



The export of butter from Russia has been diminishing in 

 recent years 



[Foreign Office Report, iVo. 356, Miscellaneous Series. Price 

 Id.] 



