The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

TEE MIE, OR COMMUNE. 461taiuly receded southwards during the last two centuries, for it formerly thrived inPodolia, 180 miles farther north than at present. It doubtless still grows thereand in Kiev, but the grape is too sour to produce wine. The vineyards of Astrakhan,often mentioned hy Alexander von Humboldt, have also nearly disappeared,and the total production in European Russia is now only 12,870,000 gallons. Butthe value of this is much increased by the process of conversion into " champagne "and other famous vintages. In 1870 the phylloxera made its appearance in theCrimea, but has not yet been very destructive, the vineyards here being wide apart.Russia is very rich in live stock, possessing more than any other Europeanstate, and taking the lead even for the relative number of horses to the population.This excess is of course duo to the relatively lower number of inhabitantsand the large area of unreclaimablc land. Hence in Russian Central Asia thenumber of horses actually exceeds that of the people. Thanks to the progressof agriculture, the horned cattle are increasing, though not so rapidly as thepopulation. Weight for weight, also, the Russian cattle, badly fed and overworked,are greatly inferior to those of England or Switzerland, while the sheepconsist chiefly of low breeds, though considerable improvement is taking place inall these respects. The Russian wool crop is estimated at 180,000 tons, worthabout £8,330,000 ; and the total value of agricultural produce and the live stockcan scarcely be less than £300,000,000.*Since 1861 the producers of this wealth have been emancipated, and placed inpossession of a portion of the lands cultivated by them. The Crown serfs, whoenjoyed a relatively larger share of freedom than the others, have receivedallotments, for which they pay by increased taxation spread over a certain numberof years.The serfs of the nobles are bound to pay one-fifth of the sum by directinstalments, failing which the remaining four-fifths are paid by the State, whichrecoups itself by charging the peasant an interest of 6 per cent, on the sumadvanced for forty-nine years. On January 1st, 1879, the number of those whohad signed their final contracts was 8,370,000, representing a population of about20,000,000. At that date 1,768,000 old serfs, exclusive of women and children,were still temporarilybound to statute labour, and 723,725 " souls" registered asdomestics had not yet received their share of the lands. On the Crown estates860,000 altogether had obtained possession of their lots.The Mir,or Commune.Not only agricultural, but even industrial and commercial operations are stillconducted according to forms betraying the influence of the old communal system.Live stock in various European states :