[154] Mr. V. V. himself, in the preface to his book, placed his confidence in Russian autocracy, which appeared to him particularly adapted to the carrying out of social reforms in favor of the masses. The Russian bicephalous eagle soars in his majesty high above the classes, whereas constitutional government is avowedly a class rule promoting the interests of the bourgeoisie. This was a correct translation from the Prussian into the Muscovite of Rodbertus’ motto: “Christlich, monarchisch, sozial!” Whether this declaration of allegiance was not inspired to the peasantist author rather by the reading of the Statute of Censorship, is open to question. It is sure, however, that the adherents of the doctrine within the ranks of the “party of the Narodnaya Volya” (“The Will of the People”) did not share in this enthusiasm for the blessing of autocracy bestowed by history upon the chosen Russian nation.
[155] With regard to the condition of agriculture on a large scale, reference will be made in this chapter to the Statistical Reports for the Gubernia of Voronezh, vol. I., district of Voronezh. The tables contain detailed data, (62 columns) on each of the 279 estates of the district, which exceed in size 50 dessiatines (135 acres).
| Division of the fields on large estates. | Farmed by the landlord. | In small tenure for money rental. | Tilled for share in crops. | In all. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dessiatines. | Dessiatines. | Dessiatines. | Dessiatines. | Per cent. | |
| I. Winter seed— | |||||
| Rye | 12615 | ||||
| Wheat | 4573 | ||||
| 17188 | 7221 | 917 | 25326 | 33 | |
| II. Spring seed | 19995 | 6787 | 1194 | 27976 | 36 |
| III. Left unsown | 24292 | 24292 | 31 | ||
| Total | 77594 | 100 | |||
This classification bears upon 89.5 per cent. of the total area of ploughland; the deficient 10.5 per cent. concern the land which is held in large tenure, but yearly re-rented in small plots to the peasants.
[157] This is the comparative development of stock breeding on large estates and on peasant farms, in the district of Voronezh:
| To 1 head of big cattle. | Dessiatines of tillage land. |
|---|---|
| On peasant farms | 2.0 |
| On estates over 50 dessiatines | 7.9 |
We know that the fields of the peasants are very insufficiently manured. The opportunities for large estates do not appear more favorable. The extent to which land is fertilized on the estates is shown by the following figures:
| Arable land. | Dessiatines. | Per cent. |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly under culture | 61882 | 100 |
| Yearly manured | 3431 | 5.5 |
The fertilizing of 1 dessiatine requires 6 heads of big cattle (op. cit., p. 92.) Thus we have: