Russian Agriculture. 
407 
third meeting the Minister of the Imperial Domain expressed the in- 
tention of giving prizes to those proprietors who had already intro- 
duced free labour", if there were any jiersons qualified to compete for 
those prizes — •" sil y a en Russie des cconomes pareils." At the fom-th 
sitting, M. Chatiloff brought under notice some leading points affect- 
ing the Eussian agricultui-ist, viz. the difficulties to which they were 
exposed by an inadequate amoimt of capital ; the need of a change in 
the passports furnished to workmen ; and the want of power to enforce 
simi)lo written agreements and contracts. At the same time he gives 
an interesting calculation of the amount of capital required for farm- 
ing in different provinces of the empire. In the governments of 
Kiasan and Toula he calculated that a farm of 270 acres (English) 
would require a capital of 21. lis. per acre ; whilst in the government 
of Moscow 3?. 14s. per acre would be needed. 
In conclusion, it was resolved — first, by a majority of 29 to 10, that 
compulsory labom* is out of the question, as being incompatible with 
personal freedom ; secondly, by a majority of 3G to 1, that this Society, 
whilst admitting the necessity of introducing free labom-, exjiresses a 
conviction that, for want of private capital, its introduction would 
encounter insm-mountable obstacles. 
At the fifth meeting of the Society the relations between workmen 
and employer were discussed ; and it was j^roposed that pass-books 
(livrets) must be substituted for passports, and in those livrets should 
be entered the terms of the agreement between the master and his 
workman. It was further m-ged that contracts ■vsi-itten on plain paper 
should be made binding ; and that a breach of such contracts should 
be met with prompt punishment, after an oral and jjublic hearing 
before a magistrate. At the next sitting of the Society, the propriety 
of instituting model farms in different provinces was discussed ; and 
the committee report favom-ably on the suggestion, and invite the co- 
operation of local proprietors and agriciiltui-ists. The next point 
considered was that of di'ainage and irrigation, in reference to which 
the office of the Imperial Domain had taken the initiative. Then 
followed what may be termed a " national grievance ; " the question 
of horse-stealing was brought forward, which it was said could not 
be put down without a change in the criminal law, and the institution 
of trial by jury, oral pleading, and publicity at the trial. At the next 
sitting was considered the importance of the organization of Banques 
Terriioriales, as a remedy for the existing want of funds for the 
payment of wages, and for the diflficidties under which the landed 
proprietors laboiu-ed in raising money on the secm'ity of the land. 
We now come to the " Questions p-atiques " — the joractical discussions ; 
and upon the first of these — the drying of gi-ain — English farmers 
have still some lessons to learn. It was resolved that every gi'ain 
must be di-ied equally throughout ; that all the grains should be 
equally dried ; and that so much heat must be applied as will come 
short of destroying the germ. Out of these questions natm-ally arose 
the following points : What is the right temperatm-e for drying ? — 
how long ought the heat to be applied ? — what degree of di-yness or 
heat destroys the germ ? — what produces the sweating of the grain 
