Evening star., 1903-08-01

whole world for about three weeks. Forty
per cent OF this -four comes from along the
Volga and the remainder from central and
southern Russia. 1t is an excellent article
well ground and well graded, large guam
tity Of it being exported
Queer Farmers, These.
I am surprised at the work done here
by women. There are more of them in the
fields than men. and 1t is not an uncom-
mon sight to see crowd of women hoeing
and digging. bossed by man who leans on
his staff and keeps them up to their work.
Much of the ground Is spaded by women.
The grain Is cut by them with SickleS and
scythes and the harvest scenes embrace
more girls than boys.
The women dress In bright red calico
dresses. often with white waists or chemlseS.
Some have aprons beautifully embroidered.
Ihey have a sort OF turban about their
heads in place of a hat and the ordinary
shoe Is made of straw and the stocking is
rag tied on with strings.
Most of the women are very good-na-
tured. have chatted with them through
my interpreter and l got snap shot of one
to show you the style of fork used in the
country districts here. Before l snapped
the camera at the girl l gave her a rouble
and she laughed all over.
The hours of labor are longer here than
with us. have ridden through the black
earth zone on the cars in the early morn
ing and have seen the people starting out
to work at o'clock. They labor from then
until or 3 in the evening and are satis-
fled with 20 or % cents a days l am
told that you can get girls at ten cents a
day in some parts of Russia, and that they
board themselves Men paid little
bit more, but wages everywhere are much
lower than with us.
In Russian Farm Village.
I wish I could take you into one of these
vii
in Europe alone and they are also to be
found along the Trans-Sberian railroad and
In the valley of the Amoor river They are
the same everywhere, differing only as to
the character of building material. In
northern Russia and in the black zone the
houses are log cabins. rooted with boards
or matched with straw. Further south
"hefe unper is Scarcer they made OF
sun -dfled bricks wattled twigs
Inc ordinary village has but one street
II IS country road with grass along the
SIDES, and back of this the huts irregularIy
paced and running a distance of mile or
more up and down it. The cabins are sell
dom or more than one story and an attic:
hey nave no gardens and often the barn
Will be a part of the house formed by a
lean-to at the back. The common house
Is not more than twenty feet square and
eight feet in height to where the roof be-
gins.
In a Russian Hut.
Entering you first come into a sort of a
storeroom filled with rude farming tools
OLD harness. and perhaps chickens and DOS
slpiy calf. From this we pass into the
living room of the cabin. 1t Is often the
only room, being kitchen. dining room and
sleeping room all in one One fourth of
IL IS taken up by the oven or stove This
Is oullt of bricks, a ledge being left un-
DER the roof large enough for a half
oozen or more people to sleep there at
nlSht. The lire warns the bricks and
they lay down in the clothes thpy wear
In the daytime, men and women huddling
together that the animal heat may keen
them warm. The rest of the family sleer
on the floor.
The furniture of such house is scaptv
here Is Il rude table, a few stools and q
bench and 1t may be Il box or so for cloth
ing. IN one corner you will see an jchOn.
picture of the Virgin or the Saviour with
Il candle burning under it, and if YOU are
good man you will cross Yourself and
make a prayer before this as YOU enter
There are no comforts of any kind and
the ordinary farmer is almost as DOOrly
housed as his cattle.
The most Of the cooking IS done in the
oven, although the bread sometimes comes
from the public oven belonging to the
village. This oven, strange to say. some
times forms the public bath house as well.
After a big baking water is thrown over
the bricks, creating a dense steam, and
those who wish crawl in and parboil them
selves. l am told that in some of the vii
lagos people of both sexes go into these
baths at the same time men, women and
girls bathing together. Such baths are
very cleansing. They open the pores of
the skin and there Is little danger of ia X
ing cold from them.
What the Farmers Eat
The food of the poorer farmers is chiefly
rye, bread and vegetable soup. with now
and then bit of fish or meat as change
The soup bowl is put in the middle of the
table and every one dips into 1t with his
own wooden spoon and thus carries the
soup to his mouth. The peasants are fond