The Portland daily press., 1874-07-20
THE PRESS.
TUESDAY. MORNING, july 20. 1874
Farm and Garden.
RUSSIAN LESSONS IN AGRICULTURE.

Farm and Garden.
RUSSIAN LESSONS IN AGRICULTURE.
Russia is name used rarely to excite pleas
ant emotions. Our predominant associations
connected with its soil, climate, history, and
language even, are of an unpleasant charac-
ter. Let the word be spoken iu cur hearing.
and we find confused mipgling of disagree
ables rising before the Imagination; a strange
compound of leaden skies, dreary wastes,
g'oomy forests, filthy peasants, naughty no.
bles, ignorant priests, and the sledge, the
sheepskin, the knout; the dull picture per
haphaps relieved by pleasant sense Of the
value OF the familiar articles of Russia leath-
er, Russia duck and Russia iron.
The Russia of tradition and to-day, howev-
er, OF the past and the present, are widely
separated; with both. the student should be
familiar, and his Investigations will show that
the tremendous forces of barbarism and civil
lization, are still commngled in her national
life, working sometimes in harmony, and
sometimes in antagonism, and yet steadily ell
evating and widening her character and in
huence.
Differing so widely in forms of government,
the good feeling which has existed between
the citizens of this republic, and that despot-
ism, is very remarkable, resulting it may be
from the similarity of the problems which
both nations are working out, although by
different ways and almost opposite agencies.
Both are testing the cohesiveness of widely
extended territory; the practicabiity of fus-
ing into one homogeneous mass diverse ma
tionalities; and their capacity for resisting
foreign wars and internal connections and
for courageously undertaking and carrying
out beneficent reforms lin one case, by the
strong will of one man-in the other, by the
stronger will of many.
From & translation made by Mr.. Mort, of
The Report of Professor Won Waldheim OF the
imperial University az Warsaw; we have
some account Of the Fifty Years Jubilee of
the Imperial Muscovite Agricultural Soeie-
ty." The Society met at Moscow, at the
Hall of the University, with some or
6OO members in attendance; choosing NJ
Shatloff President and Prince Wassitlchikoff
Vice President. The formal opening of the
Jubilee, commence with divine service in
the church of the University; followed by
meeting in the Hall OF the Assembly of No
bles, which was ornamented with the nation
al colors ami display of flowers and plants,
although ia mid-winter, and also with statu-
ary and portraits of the Czar, the Grand Duke
and Prince Galitzin. A rescIipt fron the
Gar on the occurrence of the fiitieth year was
read, the natioual anthem played, and an an
nouncement made OF promotions and rewards
by His Imperial Highness. The festivities OF
the day closed with grand banquet.
The society continued in session for ten
days. holding twenty-nine meetings, mainly
occupied in the discussion and decision of
questions previously submitted to the Execu-
tive Commission, who decided which were o
be investigated. Out of ninety-seven pre-
sented to the Society, only thirty were decid
ed. Singularly enough, these questions came
largely from learned bodies and institutions.
The University Of st. Petersburg proposed
two, the Agricultural Society of that city
three, Asiatic Moscow ten, New Russia
twelve, and the University of Warsaw seven.
Think OF Harvard or Yale descending from
their lofty thrones, to humble themselves in
the attitude of inquirers, before a pebeian
body of agriculturists! The questions sug-
gested by the University of Warsaw, came
from the faculty of physics and mathematics,
and related to the culture of potatoes; to red
clover; the disease in the sun flower planta.
tions; the destruction of gramineous plants
by insects; the diseases of bees; the cul;iva-
ton OF fruit trees, and the co npulsory plant
ing of such trees around the houses of the
peasants. The programme OF the Society
gave place to general agricultural questions;
the culture Of the soil; the raising of cattle;
the production of silk; the rearing of bees;
the culture of woods and forests, and of flow
er and kitchen gardens; agricultural mechan-
les; agricultural technology; and the civiliz-
alton of the agricultural classes. Some of
the incidental expressions Of opinion were in
reference to the best grasses and tie best
methods of obtaining good seed; the cutiva-
tion of the sul-fower in all places where the
soil is black and fertile; and to the effect that
lhc Pi'CO VI HOOu was dG uTSJ lnCfedSeQ Dy
railroads, but afterward diminished; that
moving and reaping machines might be
adapted to large agricultural establishments.
but Chat many of the different kinds were too
delicate and complicated.
The positive decisions and recommended
tons of this meeting were in favor of organ
izing local district agricultural meetings;
drawing schools; saving banks; warehouses
for the products of rural industry; an inves-
tigating commission; credit brotherhoods for
the promotion of small personal cred
its; the better collection OF statistics;
ministry of trade and commerce; organizing
meeting of cattle owners; model cheese
farms the abolition OF the excise on salt used
for sheep and cattle; the forming of depart
ments in agricultural seminaries, relating to
the wool trade; giving instruction in the pub
lie schools on silk culture; and finally, that
class OF men able to teach agriculture, should
be formed for the future.
Professor Won Waldheim in offering his
congratulatory remarks as delegate from the
University of Warsaw, said, ''The University
appreciates highly the labcrs OF the society,
which have promoted in our country the de-