Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-12-25
Hundreds of Them Found Starved
to Death in Forests of
Finland.
WORST CROP FAILURE
Exhausted by Christmas 100000
Date - Hungry Horses r fuse
to Eat the Unripe Grain.

st. Petersburg. Dec. 21--The average
grain crop gathered in Finland is valued
at 900. The estimated value of the /
1902 crop is s20.000000. While this loss is
generally distributed throughout Finland,
it is almost total in the northern third
of the country. whore are the provinces
of Ulcaborg, Kupio, Nasa, St. Michel and
portions of VibOrg.
Peas and beans generally have failed
and the potato crop has not been gathered;
the hay has rotted or been swept away by
floods. The disaster is due to the late
spring the nearly continuous chilly rains
and the carly frost, which waS recorded
August TO- In the north there have been
only half a dozen days when 1t did not
rain. The rains also spoiled the fishing.
So complete was the failure of Ncgeta-
ton that dead birds by the hundreds have
been found in the forests The present
crop failure is the worst that has been
experienced for the last fifty years 1t
Is hoped, however, that better methods
OF communication will facilitate the work
or relief and avoid wholesale deaths by
hunger and typhus.
There are all told about 500 parishes in
Finland: 1874 of these parishes are now
nearly destitute. The agricultural board
has received reports from 40 Of the l9l
parishes showing that 1906 have food sup
plies which will suffice until Christmas
only. The unripe rye and barley which
the people are forced to use make bitter
bread which the hungry horses refuse to
eat. In some parts of the country bread
is baked from barley husks and straw,
mixed with a little flour, this product is
purchased by the needy people with their
boarded savings. Such bread contains
very little nutriment and is extremely un-
wholesome. The peasants have expended
all their money for flour and are conse-
! qucutly unable to buy clothing
10 4 e for ntro.. y
by the public. Count Bobrinkoff, cover
nor general of Finland. issued an appeal
/ for hep in Russia. a voluntary relief
committee was organized by Finlanders,
with branches throughout the country
The Anglo American Church here is af-
fliated with this committee. The Senate
has decided to construct public works at
an exnanRaIIe of $4,000 and it has allot-
ted 50; wen purchase of grain which
will IN ven' people at cost. Seventy
i've Thousand dollars will be used to en-
courage cottage industries The provinces
and certain cities of Finland have voted
/ various sums for relief work amounting
in all to s5o.ooD The voluntary relief com
mittee has received s12. 90 but it is under
stood that all this sum has been already
expended. -
Pastor kilburn of St PetersburgS4fa :;
just returned from sedge journey
through kuruio province He found $50
school children who were in need of food.
OF this number l.l55 were totally destitute.
It is estimated that 10000 will he without
food after Christmas. Business in Fin
land is suffering in sympathy with the cN-
tremc conditions, but no fallurcs have yet
bee n recorded The banks have not raised
the rate of discount
Emigratior from Finland Is increasing
constantly; up to November u, lo,lJj per
sons had lett the country this year via
Hanso, while unknown numbers of Fin
landcrs have crossed the Gulf Of Bothud
to sweden and have taken passage IRON
there. The effects of the crop failure or
emigration, however. will be felt more
strongly in 1893.