Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-22

which could be adopted with profit by us. Fish
are sold alive, and the only dead ones are the
dried ones. They are kept in stone watts of run
ming water, and the fishwife will stand with q
dozen of these marble watts about her. each
hiled with different kinds of fish. Russia has
some Of the greatest fisheries of the world.
Millions upon millions of dollars worth OF fish
are taken every year from the Volga, the Cas-
plan and the Black and all the caviare Of
the world comes from here. You see this cavl-
are sold in and tubs in the markets. 1t
looks like bird shot sprinkled with salt water
and it is made up of the eggs of the
sturgeon, which killed for this purpose.
1t brings high prices even in RusSlP and Is
best when it is fresh. In fact. Russians say
that csviare should not be more than a month
old to be good and that you cannot get good
caviare further away from the Volga than Mos
COW. The meat of the sturgeon. after the caviare
has been made from the eggs, is sailed and sold.
You can buy it here for about 10 cents pound.
and all sorts of dried fish are eaten by the peo-
pie. lhey are shippedin great crates over the
country and they form a large part of the diet
OF the peasant. The consumption of fish Is in
creased by the numerous Russian fasts. during
which the people cannot eat meat and must con-
fine themselves to fish
FROZEN MEATS AND FISH.
The queerest markets of Russia are those of
the winter. when all sorts of fish and meats are
sold in a frozen state. The Russian winter is
so cold that these fish are caught at the begin
ming OF 1t, are placed in watts and are sold in
blocks to suit the customers. The dealers buy
them by the tons and store them away for their
retail customers of the winter Beef mutton
and poultry are frozen the same way and a
butcher can lay in during October his full
supply of meats for the next six months. The
meats are frozen so hard that a knife cannot cut
them, and 1T Is necessary to saw them up or chop
them with an AK. Splinters of frozen meat Il "
about over the market and children and
beggars collect these and take them home to
their families. There are many curious things
sold in the markets here. and you can buy
eels and snakes and chicken legs Lambs feet
are sold as great dainty and calves feet are
bought for soup bones. Among the oils which
are used by the peasants for salads and cooking
Is sunilower oil, and one of the great industries
of this country is sunhower raising. The peas
ants eat sunhower seeds in large quantities and
they nibble at them and chew upon them as we
do peanuts. You can hardly find man who
has not some sunfower seeds in his pocket and
everywhere you go you see women with baskets
of these black and gray seeds for sale. They
taste very much like pumpkin seeds and the
peasants eat them at their gatherings Just as
the Chinese do watermelon seedsa at the theaters.
PEDDLINa.
A vast deal of business is done here in Russia
by peddling. On many Of the business streets
of Moscow there long lines of open-air
stands and bare-headed Russian men and
frowzy-headed women sell fruit. vegetables and
knick-knacks under the blaze of the hot sun.
There is an immense business done in little
booths and the so-called thieves market is a
fixed institution of every Russian city This
name has come largely from the guides and
there is no doubt that many of the articles sold
are stolen. The truth. however is that these
markets are secondhand markets and
that many of the fine articles which
these Hebrews and Russian secondhand dealers
sell have come to them in a legitimate way.
This seco midland market in st. Petersburg COW
ers nearly a whole block. The building which
constitutes it is cut up into all sorts of angles
by arcades and you go through narrow aisles
out upon which look little cells packed full of
secondhand goods and presided over by hard
looking women and villainous men. 1t is
said that ones pocket book is not at all
safe in this quarter and that stranger ought
not to go through it alone. had guide with
me, and though the crowd was rather noisy and
somewhat impudent in their requests that |
should buy of them, | saw nothing very dangerous
or terrible. In some of these shops you
VIII find the finest of silver plate. There
are bushels of watches and old rugs