Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-28
sHonr CROPS N RUSSIA.
Impoverishment Of the Soil Causes
Another Famine.


Another Famine.
Consul General Holloway at st. Peters
burg has FORWARDED to the state Depart
ment the following article in regard to the
famine IL Russia:
1.-The FREQUENT failure of the cereal crop
in the same localities in Russia cannot be
accounted for on any other theory than
that the soil is being impoverished. The
famine of 1891 as well as the present one,
was caused by impoverishment. How can
it be otherwise in "a region which is over
head and ears in debt, and mas no means
for encouraging rural industry? AS Is al
ready known, in the central Chernoziom re-
gion all the forests have been cut down
This has had unfavorable consequences for
the farmers. Then. the changes IN the TAR
iff on grain and the low price of cereals,
owing to the conditions of the international
market, have destroyed the agriculture of
that region.
"Of course, a poor harvest has always
sad results; but If a farmer has reserve
supplies. famine may not ensue But
when such a harvest occurs IN region
where the farmer has not enough TO eat
and is prosecuted by all sorts OF payments,
when the grain Just taken Off the held Is
brought straight to the market ana SOLD at
a very low price in order to pay the taxes,
even a medium harvest may not be suffl-
cient to avert famine.
This calamity has this year visited the
same LOCALITIES DIS the "a IO'A'
whole of the governments of Noronezsh,
Kaluga Kursk, Orel Penza RiaZan. Sama-
ra, Saratov, Sinfbirsk, Tambov, Tula and
Astrakhan, and some parts OF the govern
ments of Nizhni Novgorod, kazan, Ufa,
Perm, Stavropol and Orenburg, are again
stricken, not only with the same distress,
but even with still greater one, as there
is also deficiency of fodder.
1.-The conditions under which this famine
first manifested itself were more favorable
than those of 1891. The great disaster OF
this latter famine consisted In the fact that
all the public granaries We're nearly empty,
containing only one-fourth of the amount
Of grain which should have been kept there;
in consequence of which, as soon as the
first symptoms of the coming famine were
observed, dreadful panic set In. and was
followed by grain speculation. This lesson
was very hard, and caused larger quanti-
ties Of grain to be kept in the granaries. so
that when, in 1897, 1t was ascertained that
famine might be expected, the granaries
contained three-fourths of the obligatory
supplies-i. e., on January 1, 1897, there
were in the granaries of the eighteen gov
ernments 6S 900 900 pools u ,224,O 900 tons) of
different cereals jThese supplies We're very
beneficial; they prevented panic during the
first period of the famine, furnished the
seed for sowing the winter fields in all the
governments where the crops had failed,
and prevented grain speculation. Owing to
this fact, the famine lin the eighteen gov
ernments has hadfao influence on the prices
or grain in the Russian market.
ION the other hand3 the present famine
has occurred under very unfavorable con-
ditions. SO far as the public funds are con-
cerned. The local and the general alimen-
tation capitals we're spent during the fam
Inc of 1891, and the money has been repaid
very slowly. Up to Che present day. only
$500 900 rubles ,377 500 in grain and
money have beenG distributed to the fam
ished governments from the public fund.
THE Red Cross Society, other benevolent
institutions and private persons are doing
their utmost to help the needy. A reduced
grain going to the famished governments
This tariff will continue until September ID.
Grain paying this rate has to be accom-
panied by certificate from the Russian
Red Cross Society,""