The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-09

the glass and several Jumps Of hard loaf
sugar placed beside It. The favorite way Of
drinking Is to take one Of these sugar
Jumps between your lips and suck the tea
through It.
The sugar Is as hard as rock candy. and
It is made 30 for tea drinking. The custom
is bad for the teeth, and has opened up
great field for the American dentist.
venture one-half Of these Russians have
bad teeth, and the cavities awaiting filling
with gold or amalgam may be counted. by
millions.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC OF GRAIN
AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
The freight cars here are much smaller
than ours and the traffic 70 less heavy.
The rates seem low. Heavy goods cost
one-eighth OF q cent per ton per mile and
the dearest freight is less than cents per
ton per mile. There Is a great variety in
rates. so that 1t Is impossible to describe
Just what things cost. The freight brings
in the greatest per cent Of profit to the
the passenger traffic.
Russia is farming country. and q large
part Of the freight IS made up Of grain and
agricultural products Some Of the articles
are peculiar. Prince Hilkon told me that
he was shipping train loads of game birds
from Siberia to the markets of Europe and
know that the export Of poultry Is so
enormous that 1t forms an important freight
item. More than 1900 tons of geese, chick
ems, and eggs are carried over the railroad
in year and the exports Of this kind to
other parts Of Europe now amount to al
alone bring In about 49, 900. while the
live geese sent to Germany are sold for
some million dollars more
great many pigeons are being raised
and also ducks. turkeys and pheasants.
Some Of the larger estates have begun to
L IT.
others have great docks Of half-wild pleas
ants which they raise for the market.
As to eggs. $4,000 tons are now annually
carried over the railroads. and this traffic
Is steadily increasing. The most Of them
go to Germany and Austria, a large part
to Great Britain and some to Belgium and
Holland. Almost three million pounds Of
eggs are imported in bulk, the eggs being
broken and the yolks separated from the
whiteA Tho yolks 90 to Germany, Dem
mark. England and Holland and the whites
to Germany and Great Britain.
It Is interesting to look at one Of the
Russian bird trains. The birds are put in
wicker crates. each Of which will hold about
twenty, and there are forty or fifty such
crates in one car. There are often 1000
ducks or 16oo chickens in = single car.
There are whole train loads Of fowls, aspe-
cially live geese. which eoms from Central.
Southern and Western Russia. They 60
chiefly to Germany. although sons are ex-
ported to Austria, France and Turkey.
Az to the home market, the chief center of
the trade Is here at Moscow, where about
| q million and half Of birds are annually
| consumed. The busiest time IL along in
the fall and from then TIL Christmas The
birds are killed a. soon Is the weather 4
cold enough to freeze them. and they ara
kept In Q frozen state until needed. This
| II 10 Of all sorts Of fowls and birds. The
1 fov To- d.
| where Moscow chickens bring 30 cents q
| pair, turkeys q. capons about 3l1S and
geese the Same ~ turkeys.
| WATERWAY CONCENTRATIONS
| AND THE CARS NEW HARBoNA
At present most Of cur exports come q
ne Black ssa e tie DaltiA ooms see11