The San Francisco call., 1906-10-19

materially with agricultural progress
by the ever present danger OF redis-
tribution and consequent lack Of secur-
ity of ownership.
There are reasons for these low
yields besides the unavoidable climat-
ie conditions. Among these is the in
SUFFICIENT use of fertilizers or manure
In the wheat region, due to communal
ownership OF peasants lands and to
deficient live stock and lack of pasture
on the peasants lands. Thus the num-
ber of horses in Russia has not in
creased during the last twenty years,
and from one-third to one-half of the
peasants In the various wheat pro-
vinces have no horses at all The i'm
plements used are extremely poor and
primitive Even the plows are made
mostly of wood and scarcely scratch the
exhausted superficial layers Of the soil.
The alI-iron plOw is still a luxury for
many peasants. AScythes and sickles
are still used extensively for harvesting
and fails for threshing. Seeders are
scarcely known. Conditions are some
what more favorable on the larger
holdings of the nobIemen; among the
peasants the kind OF machinery directly
depends upon the size OF the peasants
lot. Importation OF complex agricul-
tural machinery has grown from s2.-
100000 in value IN 1880 to S14,200,000
IN 1903. bat IL has affected the farm
ing on large estates more than thaE
of the peasants.
Even on the large estates the modern
implements are not generally used,
since 1t Is often customary to hire tha
peasant with his live stock and his
crude implements. Laborers are hired.
for $50 to $40 year in addition to their
food. the cost OF which does not ex-
ceed SIS, and a female agricultural.
laborer receives only s12 to $40 a year.
Even at harvest time the aEerage,
wages Of a man with a horse in the
wheat belt are only 66 cents per day,
of man alone "a cents without board
and a female worker 22 cents. At others
times the wages are eorrespondinefy
lower
Nevertheless. the cost OF producines
wheat in Russia is not as low as ons
might imagine. Elaborate fnvestixa-
tlons have shown that because of the
low yield the average cost per busheK
OF spring wheat in 1Sss-1903 was 3s
cents in Middle Volga, SO cents i'm
Lower Volga, and AS cents In New Rms
sia, not including land rent which has
peen constantly rising during the lasa
twenty years, because OF the intenss
demand OF peasants for more land
Within twenty years the value oA
land IN the wheat belt has risen from
$40 to $50 per acre. and wheat land
rents for So and 81 an acre, which
ADDS a charge OF from 30 to so cents
per bushei, depending on the yield.
With the rent added. the cost OF uro--
duetion Of wheat rises to Sc to 50
cents per bushel
The future OF wheat produetion In
Russia depends largely upon economic
conditions and the educational progress
or the Russian peasants Forty years
ago the Russian peasantry was uni
formly illiterate. According to the cen
sus of 1897, IS per cent OF the adult
male peasants We're literate, and IN
the younger generation the pFoportion
OF liteFacy was still higher.
The economic condition OF the peas
antry may be improved by increased
size OF holdings, which Is contemplated
In the imperial manifesto OF Novem-
ber 3, 1905. The Immediate results
of such extension of peasant-land own
ership will be Of practical importance
to the American farmer. 1t will mean
setback in the tendency to Change
from rye culture to wheat culture. since
rye plays larger part in the peasant
economy, and a considerable reduc-
ton in yield Of wheat which. accom-
panied by an increased home consunap-.
t1on, would considerably reduce the
surplus Eventually, however such
changes, it is expected, will lead 70
an Improved economy and increased
production OF wheat in the Russian
wheat belt, after an indefinite but long
series of years, during which the peas
ant will naturally develop a new eco
nomic position.