The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16
SIBERIA'S new INDUSTRY.
rs nov AMONG THE GREATEST
or BITTER.M tKING COZ NTRIES.
TOOK This Position ~ u BOund-NO such
Wonderful Development ~ the In.
dustry Was Ever Seen Before Sc, en.
teen.FOld Increase In Five Years.

Almost unheralded. Siberian butter has
suddenly come into prominence through
| out northwestern Europe. The develop
ment of this industry in western Siberia
is without parallel in the history Of butter
making
II is one OF the most conspicuous results
OF the construction Of the Trans-Siberian
Railroad. The development is all the
more remarkable because, twenty years
ago. no butter was made in Siberia Milk
was consumed where il was produced and
if there was any excess it WAS thrown
away.
The magnificent, region of grassy and
wooded steppcs which extends through
the Governments OF Tomsk and Tobolsk
and the Province OF Akmolinsk is finely
adapted for cattle raising The first butter
made in Siberia was produced in 1885 by
farmer named Panphiof in tine district
OF Tiumcn
From that time butter making on a
small scale was carried on in Siberia. The
melted product or. a. We should call 1t,
drawn butter, extensively used In Russia
FOR cooking purposes, was sent TO Moscow
and St Petersburg, where il became well
known.
II was not however until foreigners APP
peared in Siberia simultaneously with the
construction Of the great railroad that the
butter industry began 20 enlarge aud widen
10y leaps and bounds. The Danes who
visited the country and were struck with
the immensely Of he natural pa-turage
and the fine quality of cattle, were the first
10 bring in their expert knowledge and
machinery for butter making.
The results they obtained, though at
first on small scale, attracted the atten-
ton Of other Danes and of Englislmen.
Germans and Russians. and the industry
rapidly grew. At the agricultural ex-
hibiton in Kurgsn. in 1895, the results
shown in the dairy department were so
remarkable that the Governor of Toholsk
decided to do everything in his power to
develop the industry
At his request the Russian Minister of
Agriculture sent an expert into Siberia with
the official title Of Inspector of the Milk
Industry. There are now scores of these
officials in western Siberia 1t j. their
business by lectures, by object lessons,
by visits from farm TO farm and by pam
phlets, to extend the knowledge Of The proper
care Of milk and of the processes OF butter
making
They have many assistants whose bust
nes- II IL 10 supervise all the various but
ter factories and To suggest improvements
in the processes. They also assist in the
formation of associations of peasants who
combine for the purpose OF establishing
| butter factories.
All these influences have contributed TO
| the prodigious development Of the butter
IL. A
| published in the Viestnif FinursOr or
| Financial Herald
In 1898 there were $40 butter factories
| Five years later in 1902. there are 2 800 fac
tories A Russian pood is a unit OF weight
equalng 30 liz pounds. In 1898 the guam
| tty Of butter produced was 80 900 pools
| The production this year, calculated on the
| basis of the first nine months, will be 500 coo
| pools
| The production has increased sevent cen
| fold in FIVE years. II will be observed that
| the quantity of product to the factory has
not increased, the production of each fac
tory being about 1000 pools a year: but
| the vast multiplication Of factories has
| brought about this enormous growth of
| production
The butter industry has not only grown
| n,ansively but also in the area occupied
Its great development began in the dist riot
of Kurgan, Government of Tobolsk, near
the border of Russia From this district
il spread through the Governments of
| Tobosk and Ton,sk and into the Province
of Akmolinsk TO the south of Tobolsk.
To-day il il still rapidly extending II
has already invaded the east to the distric,
of Minussnsk in the Government Of the
Yenisei In other words. the industry has
spread from the west ern border Of Siberia
east ward nearly half way across the coun
try.
And vet the development of butter maknl
il still in its infancy. II seems destined t'
make further progress almost a. remark
able as that of the past five years Tn,
regions fitted for cattle raising have still
only a small populat ion and are far from
producing the quantity of milk Of which
they are capable.
| How is Siberian butter made? While il
| France mos, Of the butter il made by IA,
peasan, farmers themselves, its manu-
facture in Siberia has the character Of
| factory industry. The peasant makes onl.
drawn butter, known a. siberian butter,
coarse and inferior product which is con
/ sumcd exclusively in siberia and Russia
| OF this drawn butter th" railroad trans
ported 10000 pools in 1895 and cisco
pools in 1891.
The farmer does not make the fresh an'
! salt butter which alone Is known in tn
great butter markets Of Europe. He i
conten, with selling his milk To the neigh
boring butter factory.
The extension of the industry has great,
increased the price OF milk. In 1874. wheI
drawn butter was practically the onl,
butter product, the peasant received 70
| his milk only from 3 to . cents a ppod
| He now receives from 20 to "a cents pood
Naturally, milk has not vet attained it
maximum price. Judged by our standard
the price is still exceedingly low
The butter factories are owned by OK
porting agencies established In the towns
| or by large butter firms of Moscow, or 81
Petersburg, or are carried on a. privat.
local enterprises.
Another phase of development which Il
| lust beginning il the establishment mt OF butte
factories by Associations of the pcasan
| farmers. Sixty-four of these association
have thus far been organized. and the Gov
ernment IL doing all it can TO aid them an,
encourage the formation of more of TN
| societies.