Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1917-06-02


= ARVESTING in Russia is one
of the great events in the peas
ants life. Weeks before the
- n corn is ripe enough for cutting
the bailiff goes around the villages on
the estate and collects the extra hands
needed for the work. Reaping ma
chimes are now used all over the coun-
try, but as there are many small woods
and clumps of trees interspersed
among wheatfields in the South, one
often sees women with sickles finish
ing off difficult corners, says writer
in Country Life. They make pretty
picture in their bright dresses against
the high golden wheat with the dark
woods in the background.
Women predominant in agricultural
life in Russia and are great workers
Their babies are kept in the village
creches, and looked after by others
till the mothers return at night. Some
times the mothers take them in the
fields. The women usually begin work
about a. IN. and go on till twelve
o'clock without stop, when the mid
day meal is served. This is taken sit
ting on the ground. 1t generally con-
sists of thick potato soup, or perhaps
borstock (soup made with beetroots),
"casha" "a brown grain boiled in the
same way as rice), a raw herring,
and a huge piece of black bread. Each
peasant carries her own wooden spoon
in her pocket, or tucked away in one of
her high boots.
Water is served from barrel, which
goes from field to field, drawn by
donkey. The oxen are magnificent
creatu and it is nothing exceptional
to see between thirty and forty pairs
of them at work the same day. Horses
are rarely used in the fields.
Between 4 p. m. and p. m. an en-
ormous samovar, Ga special kind of urn
heated by charcoaD is brought out,
and boiling weak tea, with two Jumps
of sugar at least, is served to the work
ers in tin mugs. The men, of course,
used to drink vodka, but now it is
stopped, and happily so, for it is just
| about the strongest drink that exists.
The tea hour being only short re-
spite, work is resumed with vigor and
continued up till six or nine o'clock,
according to the weather. But, ex-
cept for a terrific thunderstorm occa-
sionally, it rarely rains at this time.
Fond of Fresh Fish.
Supper consists of practically the
same menu as that which is eaten at
hal hoi1nd hot
| generally substituted for the "casha,"
| and sometimes pond carp, crayfish and
| perch, fried. All the meals are cooked
outside. An oven and fireplaces made
| of clay and bricks are built in sort
OF trench in a central spot, and here
| you see only men cooking.
Fresh-water fish form a very impor
tant addition to the food supply in in
| land Russia. AS there are hundreds
OF miles of marshy ground, great ponds
are made everywhere. The chief fish
| stocked are carp, tench and crayfish.
The streams and rivers give excellent
trout, but cray-flshing also affords good
| sport as well as being considerable
industry. A dark night is chosen, if
possible, since in the moonlight the fish
are easily scared and retire to the mid
| lie of the pond, where it is impossible
to catch them. The fishers are armed
with strong nets about the size of
washing basin. but deeper and weight
ed. which are attached to long poles
| Approaching the pond as cautiously as
possible, the nets are dropped in and
| allowed to sink to the bottom. Then
everyone sits and waits in silence but
smoking furiously to keep away the
mosquitoes, which are both large and
venomous. Then men appear on the
scene suddenly, fiourishing large
torches over the surface of the water.
and the crayfish, retreating, walk into
the nets, which have to be cleared and
dropped again very promptly.
Women at Threshing Machine.
1t is most interesting to watch the
quick working of the threshng ma
chine, which is driven by steam. The
women never seem to cease-sheaf af.
ter sheaf is dropped in from above,
and on one side you see the chaff and
straw coming out, and on the other the
wheat dropping right into the sacks
awaiting it below. These again are
tied up by the men. l watched the
grain being separated from the chaff
for 40 minutes, and during that time
IL big sacks were tied up, labeled and
ready to put away in the granary