Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/504

 480 RUSSIA North Russia) from Kursk and Voronezh to Archangel, and -including what was formerly known as Muscovy, from its centre Moscow ; Little Russia, or Ukraine (Kiev, Tchernigov, Poltava, and Kharkov) ; South Russia or New Russia, comprising Bessarabia, Kherson, Tau- rida, Yekaterinoslav, and the territory of the Don Cossacks ; West Russia, comprising Lithu- ania, Volhynia, Podolia (part of Red Russia, the bulk of which is in Galicia), Vitebsk and Mohilev (White Russia), and Minsk (Black Rus- sia); the Baltic provinces, comprising Cour- land, Livonia, Esthonia, and St. Petersburg (Ingria); the Volga provinces; and the Ural provinces. The census of Russia for 1722 gave 14,000,000 inhabitants; that of 1815, 45,000,- 000; that of 1835, 55,000,000; and that of 1851, 65,200,000. But the data of the censuses of former times were very imperfect, and con- quests have greatly swollen the total of nearly every census since 1722. For the years 1860 to 1865 the number of births was on an aver- age a little above 3,000,000 a year, the num- ber of deaths about 2,000,000, and the average yearly increase of the population was estima- ted at H P er cent. The number of illegitimate births is given at 90,000 a year, and the excess of females over males in the population is esti- mated at 750,000. In European Russia the average density is about 35 inhabitants to the square mile ; in Asiatic Russia the average does not reach 2 to the square mile. St. Petersburg and Moscow, the present and former capitals of the empire (the latter, however, still ranking as capital for some purposes), have respective- ly 667,026 (1869) and 611,970 (1871) inhabi- tants. Only four other cities have more than 100,000, viz. : Warsaw, 279,502 (1873) ; Odessa, 162,814(1873); Kishenev, 103,998 (1867); and Riga, 102,048 (1867). Of the other cities and towns, 8 number from 50,000 to 100,000. Al- though many portions of the empire in point of productiveness compare favorably with the most fruitful countries in Europe, agriculture is generally still at a low stage ; the govern- ment and proprietors of large estates, how- ever, have of late done much to improve it, and agricultural machines are largely imported from the United States. The wealth of the landed proprietor formerly consisted less in the extent of his land than in the number of serfs attached to it. The best cultivated land is to be found in the southern portion of the Baltic provinces, in the governments near Mos- cow, and in Poland ; but even in these most favored provinces there are many uncultiva- ted tracts of land. According to Lengenfeldt (Rustland im neunzehnten Jahrhundert, Ber- lin, 1875), in European Russia, 20'3 per cent, of the entire surface is arable land, 11*8 mea- dows, 40 - 5 forests, and 27'4 pastures and un- cultivated land. The arable land amounts to 20'9 per cent, in Russia proper, 50 in Poland, and only 1*2 in Finland. The forests cover 40'3 per cent, in Russia proper, 25-20 in Po- land, and 53'3 in Finland. The forests for- merly constituted an inexhaustible source of riches, but from reckless administration they now produce comparatively little. The old three-field system of husbandry, by which one third of the land is always in fallow, is still in general use ; and in Great and Little Russia, owing to the depth of the soil, no manure is necessary. All the cereals are produced in such abundance as to leave a large surplus for export. Maize is chiefly grown in the coun- tries about the Black sea ; flax, hemp, and hops are of excellent quality; the potato is grown in all parts of the empire. The cultivation of the beet root has been greatly advanced, and a large number of sugar houses are already sup- plied by it. The culture of the vine in the Crimea, Bessarabia, and other southern prov- inces furnishes an average of 54,000,000 gal- lons, valued at 11,610,000 rubles. Tobacco is grown on the Volga, in Little Russia, and on the Don, and yields annually about 70,000,000 Ibs., of which about live sixths belongs to Bes- sarabia, Poltava, Tchernigov, and Samara. Horticulture, except in the vicinity of the great cities, is neglected. Of late many agricultural societies have been formed, and a number of schools established. Horses are very numer-. ins in Russia, and highly valued. In the 8. W. provinces the breed is particularly fine. In general the horses of Russia are hardy and strong, but not so well taken care of as in other countries. The best studs are in the governments of Tambov, Kharkov, Voro- nezh, and Kiev. Russia sells a large num- ber of horses annually to Austria and Prussia. The breeding of sheep is very extensive ; the wool of the common Russian sheep is hard and coarse, but of late years the breeding of fine-wooled sheep has been steadily on the increase, especially in the Baltic provinces, in Poland, and in the southern governments. Hogs are most abundant in Great Russia, Lith- uania, and throughout the western provinces. The number of domestic animals in 1874, ac- cording to the reports of the statistical cen- tral committee of St. Petersburg, was about 20,000,000 horses, 28,500,000 horned cattle, 64,500,000 shtfep, and 11,000,000 swine. Of the sheep about 14,000,000 were of the fine- wooled sort, principally found in the govern- ments of Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, and Bes- sarabia (about 7,000,000). Bee culture is most extensive in Poland, the Lithuanian govern- ments, and those on the Volga, especially Nizhegorod, Kazan, and Simbirsk; altogether it yields annually about 7,000,000 Ibs. of wax and 21,000,000 Ibs. of honey, arid leaves con- siderable surplus for exportation. The culture of silkworms was introduced by Peter the Great, and was especially developed in the government of Astrakhan and in the south- ern part of the Crimea. Since 1864 it has greatly suffered by a disease among the silk- worms. The southern provinces yield an an- nual average of nearly 20,000 Ibs. ; in Trans- caucasia silk to the amount of about 4,000,000