The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-06-25

90 ~ Nv
place after studying in the State Col
lege and taking a trip over the state
in company with Prof. Hansen. The
young man has mastered the English
language until he speaks quite 1uently.
The object of the young nobleman's
visit to this country is to study the
methods of farming with the modern
American machinery and to see if an
investment in American farm ma
chimes and the employment of Ameri.
can methods would prove profitable
on his land in Russia. He intends to
remain here for at least a year., spend
ing the summer working on farms and
the winter studying in the agriculture
department Of the State College. Amer
lean methods are so vastly different
than the Russian, he said, that it
would take a longer time than he has
spent here to decide how far they
might be used with profit in his coun-
try.
The great difference between Rus
sian and American farms" he said, "is
the labor that is used to work them.
In my country peasant labor is easily
obtained and is very cheap, while here
everything is done by machinery. In
Russia the farmers the name apply
ing to the large land owners, raise
their crops entirely with hand labor.
Peasant families live in huts right on
the large farms and all work for the
owner during planting, c%ultivating and
harvest time for a small remuneration.
Russian farm laborers often form
small villages of thirty to fifty houses
and engage in no other pursuit except
farming the surrounding country.
Traction engines are unknown, horses
furnishing all power and transporta-
ton. Farm implements are few and
simple compared with the complicated
machines employed for every kind of
work on the American farm.
"A uluclSuIt lHdl is very ND hcu
between the Russian and American
farms" said MI. Troubnikoff, "is the
amount of stock that is raised in this
country and the total lack of it in
mine. Each family in Russia general
ly owns n cow of Indifferent quality,
and never raises any other stock, such
as sheep. hogs, or horses. The Rus
sian farmer depends entirely upon the
yield of the soil for his living" Mr..
T%roubnikoff is delighted with the fine
stock he has seen on the farms IN
South Dakota and was especially taken
with the fine breeds of animals kept
at the Stae College.
Farmers in this country do not
seem to rotate their crops as we do
in Russia" said he, land l do not I'M
derstand it, as we find that this great
ly increases the productivity of our
lands"
Asked how the production of grain
on South Dakota farms compared with
that in his country, he replied that he
could not say definitely, as he has not
been here during a harvest season, but
stated that from what he has heard
of the last two or three years crops
in this state, he believed his land in
Russia gave a larger yield per acre.
He believes this is due to rotation Of
crops and the constant application of
manure as fertilizer there. winter
rye, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes and
a few legumes such as peas, are the
principal crops in the section of the
country where I live" said he. Alfalfa
has not been introduced to any extent
there. Rotation of these crops is con.
stantly employed and every few years
the land is allowed to rest" without
raising a crop, in order that its fertil-
ity may not be exhausted.
"If the size of Russian farms could
be made more uniform" he said, "the
condition of the Russian farmer would
be greatly improved. The average
farmer and his family live on about