The San Francisco call., 1906-10-19

kets of Europe outside of Rus
sia. Bread cereals have always been
the mainstay of Russian agrieulture
They claim over 75 per cent of all cul-
tivated land in Russia, as against 20
per cent in the United States; but forty
years ago the share of wheat in Russia
was small in comparison with that OF
rye, the Russian staple. Since the Rus
sian land tiller began to produce for
the foreign market, the strong demand
for wheat has had its effect. During
the last twenty-five years the area
under rye in European Russia has re-
mained about 65.000,000 acres, while the
acreage under wheat has increased
from 100000 to 100000. Taking
the entire Russian empire, the area
under rye has increased from 10000, 600
acres in 1894 to 74,000.000 acres in 1904
while that. under wheat has increased
from 1900, 900 to $4,000. 600 acres.
OF the immense territory of Russia
the wheat belt occupies a comparatively
small share. There Is very little wheat
grown beyond the southern and east
ern parts of the famous black soil re-
gion. Eight provinces In the south and
southeast contain 10 per cent OF the
wheat acreage of all Russia, Caueasia
has about 121s per cent and Siberia
about per cent.
In the wheat belt proper wheat is
rapidly orowding out almost everything
else- In New Russia, in the Lower
Volga provinces, and in Northern eau
casia from one-half to two-thirds Of
all cultivated land was under wheat
in 1904. Here the most rapid extern
sion of wheat acreage has taken place,
namely, 100000 acres in twenty three
years in New Russia (1SS1 to 1904), and
in the Lower Volga provinces $500 900.
The Russian wheat crop has in
creased from 400, ,00e, 900 bushels in 1896
1898 to 6S0,000.000 bushels in 1s02-1s04
The wheat area is over 10000, 600 acres
larger than that of the United States,
and in 1903 and 1904 the Russian crop
exceeded the crop of this country
Nevertheless, the crop Is small
when the acreage is considered. the
average yield of wheat per acre in
Russia being the lowest of all i'm
portant wheat-growing countries. In
European Russia il varied within the
last twenty three years from five to
eleven bushels per acre. Nine times
out of the twenty-three years 1t was
below eight bushels. II the Russian
peasant obtained as good a yield as the
German peasant, the wheat crop of
European Russia alone would amount
to 1,3o0,o00,00o instead of 400. 200, GEO
bushels
Baltic provinces, Poland, and the
southwestern region, the yield is con-
siderably higher-between fifteen and
twenty bushels per acre; but New
Russia and the Lower Volga region.
often called the granary of Europe.
show a yield normally fuctuating be-
tween eight and six bushels and often
dropping to five
The explanation for such low yields
must be sought in Russian agricul-
tural methods as we'll as the system
of land ownership, which dates back to
the emancipation OF the peasants in
1851, when they were granted small
lots out of the estates to which they
belonged. The greatest share Of the
land remained in the hands of the
large-estate holders, while three
fourths of the peasants received less
than sixteen acres per male person, or
less than forty acres per family. At
the same time the noblemen's estates
were SO large that 924 families owned
74,0o0.00o acres of land. Since the
emancipation era the peasants have
been largely buying land from the no
blemen, having acquired in this way
over 50,000,000 acres; but notwith-
standing this, the normal increase of
population has been such that from
1861 to 1896 the average land holding
of the peasants per family deer ased
~ per scent.
This system of petty land holdings.
combined with the ignorance of the i
peasants, has caused the survival Of
very primitive and inefficient agricuI-
tural methods Throughout Russia the
peasants get a much smaller yield than
the large-estate holders. and the diff
ference is especially great for winter
wheat, reaching three bushels, or 25
per cent of the yield of the larger es-
tates; moreover, the difference is grow
ing larger In New Russia, for in
stance, the yield Of spring wheat on
peasant lands in four out the last
nine years fell below FIVE bushels per
acre. Fl
The communal ownership of the peas
ants lands, which exists in feur-fif
Of rural Russia. has also interfered