St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-01-28
A RUSSIAN INDUSTRY.


COssacks are undcniably the most war
like and independent Their peculiar
and isolated position, geographically
and politically, has developed thes z
traits in their character. The czars
have never attempted - subdue them.
They have been and still are too useful
in repelling the Turcomans, Kirghiz
and others pillaging Mongolian nomad
tribes, who periodically harass tho
dwellers on the borderland The peo-
. pie retain the Russian institution of the
Artil, or cooperative principle in all
trades, but they give to that principle
. much broader application than is
found among the large western cities
Every male member Of the Cossack fam
lily Is required to serve three years in
the regular army of Russia A certain
number leave yearly the Ural and other
provinces for St Petersburg aud other
military stations, to relieve those other
members Of the tribe who have served
their terms They inherit the custom
of ownership of land in common, and
have equal access, as far as practicable.
to all the productive wealth of the COM
munity. This system is well excmpli-
fed in their great sturgeon fisheries on
the Don and Ural rivers, which are
their chief source Of income.
The river Ural takes its rise from the
Ural mountains. and flows southwark
about eight hundred miles into the
Caspian sea Ol the lower part of this
river are the largest sturgeon fisheries
in the world There are such fisheries
on the Don and volga. but by far the
greatest celebrity, rs well as CONNER
cial importance, is attained by those of
the UraL They increase greatly the
wealth of the Cossacss Of the district;
for the fisheries belong to them exclu-
sively. and no syndicate can interfere
with their rights
The Ural sturgeon is cartilaginous
and almost bonclesa The usual length
Of the fish is from five to six feet, but
sometimes . IIuso or Bielaya-of the
same family-is captured which meas
ures more than twenty feet in length.
The method of Fl shing is peculiar.
Hooks and lines are used, but the hooks
ON the sturgeon line have no barbs, as
have those used fo- the capture of other
river, or from the shore outward, a long
line foated with corkS Ordinarily one
end of the line is fastened to the shore,
and the other to q boat anchored in the
stream. From this line descend other
shorter lines. oftsn more than q thou
sand in number, carrying each at its
extremity an unbarbed hook The
hook is about ten inches long, and
hangs in the water about seven feet
from the surface. No bait is used
The sturgeon seek q spawning ground
in the fresh water, and at the approach
of the proper season they swim up the
river mouth, away from the salt and
brackish water. and toward the ground
they have selected for breeding pur-
poses. It is during this journey that
the fishing-lines are set for them. and
rs the fish b!indly make their way up
the river, they strike against the hooked
lines and are 'tgaffed"-first, perhaps,
by q single hook. Upon being struck
thus. they slash their powerful tails in
their pain and anger Sd fiercely and
wildly that other hooks are imbedded
in the infur;ated fish, until At last.
hopelessly hooked. it may he in dozen
places, the sturgeon is firmly held until
the line is drawn in. 1t often happens
that nearly every one Of the one thou
sand hooks is found imbedded in some
part of . fish.
In every commune or stanitza the
fishing is carried on upon cooperative
basis. The fish caught are divided
equally among the Cossacks Of the dis
trict. Sometimes the division Of the
spoils affects the direct welfare of forty
or fifty stanitza, each one OF which
forms in itself community. When the
season opens, the great gun OF the town
Of Uralsk Is discharged as . signal
for the commencement of fishing.
No one darss fish for sturgeon
before this signal is given. Word
Is then passed from stanitza tostanitxa;
communal guns are discharged in all
the villages, and all the male Cossacks
make their way TO the river. The fish,
ery is continued about three weeks.
Another gun announces its termination,
and, after this, sturgeon fishing il nm
offensc which is severely punished, and
which, therefore, is seldom known to
have been necessary.
The most valuable products Of the
Cossac.x fisheries are the famous black
caviarc. and the caviare made from the
sterlet-e small species of sturgeon.
There Is q common notion. even with
some Of our cyclopsedia makers, that
caviare is simply the sa'ted roe OF the
different species Of sturgeon. This is .
great error. The fresh roe. especially
the black, is much more highly priced,
much more delicious. and consequently
more expensive than the salt The
price Of eithcr-black or steriet fresh
caviare-in St Petersburg IS ten shil-
lings, while pound of the salted ar
ticle costs only sixpence. II is almost
impossible to transport the fresh roe OF
the sterlet. for it is 50 tender that the
slightest shaking will break the eggs
No perfectly prepared caviare, there
fore, can be obtained except in the dis
tricts where the fish are taken.-fankee
Blade.
n,s Mistake.
L. Fiancee-Do you know. Clarence,
dear, that when you gave me your first
kiss / was SO astonished that I nearly
went crazy!
Clarence-Ah, yes, darlinxl I should
have known better than to give you
only onc.-Brooklyn Life
Heroic ssss.
THAT is the statue"
Its much larger than LIE size, isn't
itr'