The Economics of the Russian Village

by Isaac A. Hourwich

[27] 1 pood = 1 quarter, 11 pounds and 2 ounces avoirdupois.

[28] Small and young cattle (sheep, swine, calves, etc.) are also included in this total, with a computation of ten head of small cattle to one head of big cattle (ox or horse).

[29]

Classes.	Households.	Working horses.	Cows.	Average per household.
				Horses.	Big cattle.
Ranenburg.
I. Former serfs	12,999	16,140	8,924	1.2	2.6
II. Former State peasants—
a. Agrarian communism	6,237	8,241	5,687	1.3	2.9
b. Quarterly possession	415	830	514	2	4
c. Mixed	1,224	1,781	1,195	1.5	3.1
Total	20,875	26,992	16,320	1.3	2.6
Dankoff.
I. Former serfs	9,989	13,576	6,485	1.4	2.5
II. Former State peasants—
a. Agrarian communism	3,082	4,092	2,189	1.3	2.6
b. Quarterly possession	1,765	3,126	1,406	1.8	3.3
c. Mixed	415	648	318	1.6	2.9
Total	15,251	21,442	10,398	1.4	2.7

(Former State peasants holding their land on the right of quarterly possession, are here noted separately in order to show that they enjoy about the same facilities for stock-breeding as do the rest of the peasantry).

[30] This is shown in the table below:

Communities.	Ranenburg.		Dankoff.
	Former serfs.	Former State peasants.	Former serfs.	Former State peasants.
Total	276	52	260	39
Forest allotted to	3	26	19	27

(Cf. Statistical Reports, Vol. II, pp. I-II., Appendices.)

[31] We read in the Appendix to the Statistical Reports for the Ranenburg District, p. 321: “Village Novoselki, former serfs of Barkoff. About 1877, pressed by the extreme need of daily bread, the peasants began sowing all the fields, without giving them rest for a single year (in Russia every field rests once in three years); the yield is now constantly going from bad to worse, and there is nothing to manure the soil with.”

[32] Statistical Reports for the District of Dankoff, p. 240.