The Economics of the Russian Village

by Isaac A. Hourwich

Wheat planted.	Dessiatines.			Average yields.
	Yields stated.	Yields not stated.	Per cent.	Regardless of class of property.		With regard to class of property.
				Chetverts[171] from 1 dessiatine.			Bushels per acre.	Comparative percentage rates.
				Manured.	Not manured.	Regardless of manure.
By noblemen	3609	166			5.4	5.3	11.7	97
By capitalists	768	30		8.4		8.1	17.8	148
	4377	196	4
U.S. 1880-89[172]							12.0	100

It appears from these figures—

1. That on the estates of the nobility the average yield of wheat amounts to what can be got from the soil without the application of manure, while on capitalistic farms the average is nearly on a par with that which is raised from fertilized land.

2. That the average yield of wheat per acre on a capitalistic farm in the district of Voronezh outruns by about one-half the American average, while the noble landlord is barely able to keep on a level with the American producer. Taking into consideration that the farm laborer of middle Russia, with his 50 kopeks a day (25 cents in gold) in the summer, is well fitted to underbid the Chinese cooly, so large an advance in productivity seems to justify the prediction of Mr. Paul Lafargue, viz., that Russia will soon become a successful competitor of America on the international grain market.[173]

The rise of the income from agriculture, as above shown, goes hand in hand with the development of stock breeding. Thus where the nobleman would have all his land tilled with peasant live stock, the capitalist draws a benefit from cultivating a part of his estate with his own stock, and this part is relatively greater than on the largest estates owned by the nobility. The evidence is presented in the following table:

Estates with large farming.	Number of estates.	Total extent.		Average Dessiatines.	To 1 horse, Dessiatines.
		Dessiatines.	Per cent.
Property of the nobility:			100
With working horses	88	78814	87	896	62
Without working horses	35	11409	13	326	..
Property of the capitalists:			100
With working horses	54	17597	91	326	44
Without working horses	13	1794	9	138	..

The displacement of the laborer’s live stock and implements by the owner’s stock, while it fosters the introduction of improved implements,[174] replaces on the other hand the small farmer by the proletarian. In fact, proletarian labor is employed by the capitalist on estates where the noble owner would confine himself to the services of the small farmer:

Estates with large agriculture.	Number of estates.	Average size, (Dessiatines).	Permanently employed (males).	To 1 laborer (Dessiatines).
Property of the nobility:
Proletarian labor employed	112	783	1956	45
”” not employed	11	233	..	..
Property of the capitalist class:
Proletarian labor employed	50	351	398	48
”” not employed	17	108	..	..