In calculating the consumption of grain, the following aver-
age figure is taken per person in a year in the city and in the
village: 14 poods 20 lbs. of wheat; 35 lbs. of rye; 41bs. of barley
(or buckwheat) ; 11 poods 22 lbs. of potatoes (4 poods of pota-
toes=l pood of bread) ; a total of 19 poods 14 lbs. or about
191/2 poods of grain products per person. These figures have
previously been used in statistical estimates in Russia.
From Table A, (see page 50) printed below, it is evident
that for the entire population of Far Eastern Republic, it is
necessary to have, in round figures:
Quantity in poods
Province Grain Products Potatoes
Zabaikal and Pribaikal. . . . 13,897,000 10,372,000
Amur 6,190,000 4,620,000
Maritime and Priamur. . . . 11,328,000 8,455,000
Total 31,415,000 23,447,000
Table B (see page 51) shows the approximate amount of
fodder necessary per year:
Province Fodder in poods
Zabaikal and Pribaikal 36,000,000
Amur 5,300,000
Maritime and Priamur 6,000,000
Total 47,300,000
Table C (see page 51) shows what the Provinces of the Par
Eastern Republic produced during the year of 1917.
49
Province Grain Products Fodder Potatoes
POODS
Zabaikal and Pribailtal 17,674,000 8,591,000 2,520,000
Amur 9,760,000 10,667,000 3,000,000
Maritime and Priamur.. 6,524,000 7,120,000 7,715,000
Total 33,958,000 26,378,000 13,235,000
In other* words, according to the figures of 1917 (see
Table D, page 51) the Provinces of the Far Eastern Republic
produced 2% million poods of grain beyond the requirements
of the population, but were short 21 million poods of fodder,
and over ten million poods of potatoes.
According to the average figures for 1911-1915, (Table E
page 52) the folldwing is the situation showing the production
in the Provinces.
POODS
Province Grain Products Fodder Potatoes
Zabaikal and Pribaikal 13,567,000 3,976,000 1,680,000
Amur 6,809,000 6,339,000 2,975,000
Maritime and Priamur.. 3,216,000 3,678,000 6,366,000
Total 23,592,000 13,993,000 11,121,000
Taking into consideration the reqquirements of the popu-
lation as shown above, the results are as follows: the popu-
lation of the provinces was short: — grain products about 8
million poods; fodder over 23 million poods, and potatoes over
12 million poods.
If the Provinces are considered separately the following is
the situation:
1. According to the figures of 1917 the Zabaikal Province,,
together with the Pribaikal Province (in former years these
two provinces were one), had a surplus of grain products of
over 314 million poods. It was short over 27 million poods of
fodder, and nearly 8 million poods of potatoes.
According to the figures of 1911-1915, there was a short-
age of grain products annually of over 300,000 poods, of fodder
over 32 million poods, and of potatoes over 8 million poods.
Thus it is evident that the Zabaikal region did not produce a
sufficiency of potatoes and fodder while of grain products there
was sometimes a surplus which to a certain degree covered the
shortage of fodder and of potatoes. The state of affairs in the
50
Zabaikal region in general is such that from two to three mil-
lion poods of grain have to be imported. This is explained by
the fact that the neighboring Irkutsk Province does not pro-
duce a sufficient quantity of grain and has to buy fro^m its
neighbor up to one-half million poods. Also, the consumption
is somewhat greater than the average, and that explains the
necessity of imiporting such a quantity of grain (from 30,000-
50,000 tons).
2. According to the figures of 1917, the Amur Province
had a surplus of grain products of over 31/2 million poods, a
surplus of fodder of over 5 million poods, and a shortage of
potatoes of over li/^ million poods. According to the figures of
1911-1915, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, the surplus of
grain products was 600,000 poods, of fodder over 1,000,000
poods, and a shortage of potatoes of over IY2 million poods.
These figures for the Amur Province are undoubtedly not ex-
act, as local statistics show a greater surplus of grain products.
The figures for the crops of 1918 (28,505,235 poods) shows a
surplus of over 8 million poods, over the crops for 1917. Com-
pared with the figures of the Ministry of Agriculture, the 1918
crop was 15,000,000 poods gi^eater than the average crop for
the years 1911-1915. It is clear that the Amur Province is not
only self-sufficient, but even with an unsatisfactory crop it pro-
duces a surplus. Part of the grain is shipped to the other side
of the Amur River for the Chinese, and part is exported to other
provinces, if the population of these provinces has the purchas-
ing equivalent. Otherwise the grain accumulates in the barns
of the peasants. The consumption of grain in the Amur Pro-
vince is greater than in the other provinces. It may be stated
with certainty that the Amur Province could always export up
to 3,000,000 poods of grain.
3. According to the figures of 1917 the Maritime Pro-
vince was short of nearly 5,000,000 poods of grain products,
and had a surplus of over 1,000,000 poods of fodder, and a
shortage of 700,000 poods of potatoes. According to the fig-
ures of 1911-1915 the shortage of grain products was 8,000,000
poods, of fodder over 2,000,000 poods, and of potatoes over
2,000,000 poods. Thus the Maritime Province had to import
from, 4,000,000 to 8,000,000 poods. The shortage of individual
51
years is partly covered by tlie surplus of fodder which equals
from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 poods. The Maritime Provincial
Zemstvo estimated that the shortage of wheat for the rural
population of the province for 1919 was 1,800,000 poods. To-
gether with the city population it can be considered from
4,000,000 to 4,500,000 poods. Grain products used to be ex-
ported from the Maritime Province to Kamchatka and some-
what to the Kolym region (of the Yakutsk Province). Be-
cause of this it was necessary to import another 500,000 poods
of grain. On the average it may be considered that the Mari-
time Province has to import from 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 poods
of grain.
Adding to these figures the imporation of the Zabaikal
and Pribaikal provmces of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 poods, there
is the necessity of importing from 7,000,000 to 9,000,000 poods
of grain. Part of these requirements could be, and are, covered
by the surplus of the Amur Province. On the average it may
be necessary to import from Manchuria from 5,000,000 to
7,000,000 poods, i. e., 80,000 to 120,000 tons, of grain products
annually. Thus the Far Eastern Republic is confronted by
the problem, not only of increasing the area of cultivation, but
also of introducing agricultural machinery in the Zabaikal,
Pribaikal and Maritime Provinces, so that the standard of their
production would at least equal that of the Amur Province.
This undoubtedly would at once end the necessity of importing
grain from Manchuria, for covering the shortage not speaking
of the possibility of exporting the surplus.
TABLE A
Population and Consumption of Grain Products
(annual requirements according to statistical estimates)
Rural & Urban
Province Population Rye Wheat Barley Potatoes
Zabaikal and
Pribaikal .... 898,000
Amur 400,000
Maritime and
Priamur 732,000
785,750
13,021,000
89,800
10,371,900
350,000
5,800,000
40,000
4,620,000
640,500
10,614,000
73,200
8,454,600
TOTAL ..2,030,000 1,776,250 29,435,000 193,000 23,446,500
Remark: The average requirements per person per year are: wheat — 14 poods 20 lbs.;
barley — 4 lbs.; rye — 35 lbs.; potatoes — 11 poods 221bs. (equal to 4 poods
of grain) ; total requirements per person per year — 19.5 poods of grain.
52
TABLE B
Quantity of Cattle and Consumption of Food by Them
(according to Agricultural Census of 1916)
(in thousands of heads and poods)
Horses Work
Rest Large
Medium — Small
Age
Animals
Animals
Total incl
A
A
A
Total Req.
Req. for
horses in
Quant.
Quant.
Quant.
feed cattle
Thous. feed
Thous.
feed
Thous.
feed
in villages
in cities
Province heads poods
heads
poods
heads
poods
poods
poods
Zabaikal and
Pribaikal 610 12,200
1,400
14,000
1,910
9,550
33,750
■36,000
Amur 147 2,940
137
1,370
164
820
5,130
5,300
Maritime and
Priamur 122 2,440
213
■2,130
210
1,050
5,620
6,000
TOTAL 879 1,750 2,284 47,300
Remark: In this table the average requirement is based on the following: working
horse requires 20 poods; other large animals 10 poods; medium and small
animals 5 poods of fodder.
TABLE C
Average Crop of the Principal Grain Products and Potatoes
(In thousands of poods)
Total G
rain Prod.
Total F adder
Potatoes
Buck-
A
A
■-\
r
Aver.
f
Aver.
Aver.
Rye
Wheat
Wheat
1911-
Oats
Barley
1911-
1911-
1917
1917
1917
1917
1915
1917
1917
1917
1915
1917
1915
Zabaikal with
Pribaikal
11236
4484
2054
17674
13567
7026
1565
8591
3976
2520
1680
Amur
554
8959
147
9760
6809
10600
64
10667
6339
3000
2975
Maritime with
Priamur
184
3431
2909
6524
3216
7120
• • • •
7120
3678
7715
6366
TABLE D
Surplus and Shortage
(according to the figures of the Ministry of Agriculture for 1911)
(in thousands of poods)
Net Crop Consumption
Province
Products
1917
Requirements
Surplus
Shortage
Grain
17,674
13,897
3,777
Zabaikal and Pribaikal
Fodder
8,591
36,000
27,409
Potatoes
2,520
10,372
7,852
Grain
9,760
6,190
3,570
Amur
Fodder
10,667
5,300
5,367
Potatoes
3,000
4,620
1,620
Grain
6,524
11,328
4,804
Maritime and Priamur.
Fodder
7,120
6,000
1,120
Potatoes
7,715
8,455
740
53
TABLE E
Surplus and Shortage
(according to figures of Ministry of Agriculture for 1911-1915)
(in thousands of poods)
Province
Zabaikal and Pribaikal
Amur.
Maritime and Priamur.
Net Crop Consumption
Products 1911-1915 Requirements Surplus
Grain Prod. 13,567 13,897
Fodder 3,976 36,000
Potatoes 1,680 10,372
Grain Prod. 6,809
Fodder 6,339
Potatoes 2,975
Grain
Fodder
Potatoes
Prod.
3,216
3,678
6,366
6,190
5,300
4,620
11,328
6,000
8,455
619
1,039
Shortage
330
32,024
8,692
1,645
8,112
2,322
2,089
54
CHAPTER VII.
APICULTURE.
In the Maritime Province apiculture is gradually beginning
to prove a source of income to the farmer, and peasants are
beginning to give serious attention to it. During the yar 1912,
42,858 poods of honey were produced, and 21,670 poods of
honey were sold, value of v^hich amounted to 130,020 gold
rubles. The vv^ax produced was 4,301 poods, of which 2,351
poods were sold, the value being 42,318 gold rubles. Since that
time the production increased up to 70,000 or 80,000 poods.
Chemical analysis of Ussuri honey showed that it is one of
the best in the world. In 1914, the number of bee hives was
200,000. The average number of bee hives is from 150,000
to 225,000.
55
CHAPTER VIII.
CATTLE BREEDING.
Cattle breeding in the Far Eastern Republic occupies a
very important place in the economic life of the country. It
gives an opportunity to export hides, wool, fats, bristle, hair,
casings. The Zabaikal and Pribaikal Provinces, which are
neighboring with the cattle breeding Mongolia, are considered
the principle cattle breeding provinces. In the Amur and Ma-
ritime Provinces the number of cattle is increasing, but it is
far behind the number of cattle in the Zabaikal region. The
following table gives the census of cattle in the various pro-
vinces of the Republic in 1916.
TABLE I.
Zabaikal Maritime
Kind of Animal and Amur and
Pribaikal Priamur
Horse 606,162 146,862 121,695
Horned Animals.. 1,392,331 136,798 212,338
Sheep 1,314,684 22,917 4,101
Goats 249,772 514 3,465
Pigs 334,882 140,051 145,466
Varia 9,979 9 4,957
Total.... 3,907,800 447,151 492,022
Thus, according to the census of 1916, the total number
of cattle in the Republic was 4,846,973. Adding to it the calves,
and city horses, the number will exceed by far 5,000,000.
The number of cattle per peasant holding, and the quan-
tity of hay consumed, is evident from the following table:
... 56 .
TABLE 2
Classification of Animals
A
Working
Sheep
Province Horse Cows & Goats Pigs
No. Per Peasant Holding
Zabaikal and
Pribaikal . 3.4 3.8 11.5 2.4
Amur 3.1 1.4 0.7 3.4
Maritime and
Priamur .. 1.4 1.2 0.2 3.4
Total
28.7
11.8
8.8
% Hay fields
compared
ivith
Acres Cid- total culti-
live ted vated area
for Hay
Per Peasant Holding
19.8
11.1
2.7
192.3
27.3
54.4
From this table it is evident that the Zabaikal Province
occupies the first place in the number of cattle, the Amur Pro-
vince the second place, and the Maritime Province the last. As
compared vdth the Siberian Provinces outside of the Far East-
ern Republic, in cattle breeding the Zabaikal Province is second
only to Semipalatinsk Province, v^here per each holding the
average number of animals is 31.9. In the number of v/orking
horses the Amur Province is very close to the Zabaikal, which
is explained by the fact that the Amur Province as a producer
of grain products requires the greatest number of vv^orking
horses. The relation of areas under hay cultivation and the
total cultivated area also clearly demonstrates the character of
the various provinces of the Far Eastern Republic in regard to
cattle breeding.
Cattle breeding as part of the agricultural industry is con-
stantly growing in the Amur Province as well as in the Ma-
ritime Province, in quantity as well as in quality. As compared
with 1910, the number of cattle in the Amur Province in 1917
increased by 45%. The sheep breeding is developed only in
the Zabaikal Province. The sheep are mostly of Mongolian
extraction, more rarely of Manchurian. There are also sheep
of breed mixed with merino. Of farm horses, the Amur horse
is of a very good quality and large size. The Amur Molokans
(a religious sect which emigrated from southeastern Russia
where good breeds of horses are raised) are responsible for the
good breed of the Amur horse. In the Amur Province there
are known to be 200 thorough-bred stallions and 500 mares
which greatly facilitated the improving of the breed of local
57
horse. Milch cows of the Republic are mostly of local breeds;
of Manchurian and Mongolian, and in the southern part of the
Maritime region, the Korean breed. The cows of these breeds
give little milk. There are cows of cultured breeds: Simental,
Holland and others. The frosts are very bad for the good breed-
ing of cows. The best cows are those brought from western
Siberia, primarily from Tomsk. They do not require special
care, give a sufficient quantity of milk, especially if properly
cared for. The pigs are principally of Manchurian breed, al-
though there are some of the mixture of cultured breeds, such
as Yorkshire and Berkshire. This breed produces very good re-
sults; a four month old pig of mixed breed is equal in weight to
a year old pig of local breed.
Deer breeding can become a very profitable source of in-
come in the agricultural life of the Amur and Maritime Pro-
vinces because of the demand for the horns of deer while in vel-
vet (used in medicine). In the Maritime Province this branch
of animal breeding is already being developed by some people.
The price of a pair of deer horns (including the forehead) is
from 100 to 800 gold rubles. The meat of deer is also used for
food.
Until the present time the Russian Far East did not com-
pletely meet its requirements of meat, which are about 35,000
tons. The shortage was supplied from Mongolia. To the
Amur gold mines cattle and meat were shipped across Man-
churian cities Aigun, Sakhalyan (which is located on the Chin-
ese side of the Amur River opposite Bla.goveshchensk), and
floated on the river Sungari. To the Maritime Province meat
and cattle were shipped across Manchuria and partially through
the port of Vladivostok from' Chinese ports. It was also shipped
through the city of Hunchun which is close to the frontier, and
where there is a special Russian plague quarantine station for
animals.
The Zabaikal Province can produce 120,000 poods and
more, of sheep wool for export, but this amount cannot be
taken as an average, as it depends on conditions. This is evid-
ent by comparing the figures of exports of wool for 1919 and
1920. According to the figures of the railroad freight during
the year 1919 from the Zabaikal Railroad to the Ussuri Rail-
58
road there were carried to Vladivostok for export 112,402 poods
of sheep wool and 11,029 poods of camel wool.
During 1920, the year of disorders in the Zabaikal Region
because of the athrocities of Semonoff and the Japanese, the
situation is altogether different.
WOOL EXPORTED THROUGH VLADIVOSTOK IN 1920.
Kinds of Wool Exp. to Japan Exp. to U. S. Total
Poods
Caimel Wool 800 . SOO
Sheep Wool 20 66 86
Goat Wool 10 — 10
Mongolian Wool 35 270 305
Lamb Wool — 800 800
Total to other countries. . — — 1,161
Total 865 1,136 3,162
The same situation may be observed in regard to hides
and horse hair and bristle. While in the pre-war years over
150,000 poods of hides were exported, during the latter years
the quantity was greatly reduced.
During the year 1920 the following quantity of bristle was
exported : Total to
Exp. to Exp. to Other
Kind of Bristle Japan U. S. Countries
Poods
Bristle, Unsorted 462 — 462
Bristle, Raw 77 25 102
Bristle, Uncleaned ... 980 — 980
Bristle, all sorts 2,775 166 2,941
Unsorted, exported
generally abroad ... — — 13
Uncleaned, exported
generally abroad ... — — 108
All kinds, exported
abroad — — 846
Total 4,294 294 5,555
The year 1920 was a very difficult year for the Russian
Far East. The various provinces were separated from each
59
other, and Vladivostok was cut off from the producing regions.
In connection with this all production in the producing regions
was greatly diminished. Business was also very poor during the
first nine months of 1921, January to Septem'ber, and through
Vladivostok there was exported only 100 long tons of wool. The
improvement in the exports through Vladivostok may be ex-
pected only with the departure of the Japanese troops, when the
population will feel secure from one day to the next.
60
CHAPTER IX.
INDUSTRIES OF THE FAR EASTERN REPUUBLIC.
The vast area of the Republic which is fit for agriculture
and cattle breeding, the wide forest areas, the colossal mineral
wealth, and the inexhaustible fishing resources in themselves
presuppose the future of the RepubUc, at least in the nearest
future, as a country primarily of the basic industry type rather
than of the manufacturing industry type.
The utilization of 3,500,000 acres of land out of the
54,000,000 acres fit for cultivation on the one hand, and the
shortage of grain products on the other, make it imperative to
increase the area of cultivation. The existence of the neighbor-
ing vast Manchurian grain market limits the development of the
area of cultivation of grain products to the requirements of the
Republic. This neighboring market makes the farmer interested
in the production of technical plants, such as flax, hemp, and
tobacco. This is also facilitated by the already achieved success
and the favorable soil and climatic conditions. This is particular-
ly true as regards flax. This increase in the cultivation of flax
puts forward the issue of the vegetable oil industry which
at the present time is in its infant stages in the Republic. The
considerable size of the cattle breeding industry will make it
possible in the near future to develop the preparation of animal
products to a considerable extent. This development is al-
ready taking place in the Zabaikal region, in the Amur Pro-
vinces, and in the Maritime Province, but did not attain the size
possible in proportion to the existing resources. This is true
in regard to the leather, wool and soap making industries. The
forest area, which is over 300,000,000 acres, is abundant with
first class pine, spruce, larch, cedar, oak, etc., and opens wide
possibilities for the timber industry, for paper, match and oil
industries. The latter industry (preparation of cedar nut oil)
61
up to the present time was developed on a very small scale.
The export of timber did not exceed a few million gold rubles
annually, while the resources are such that, if properly deve-
loped, the revenue for the government treasury can nearly cover
the annual budget of the country. The mineral wealth m)akes
it possible to develop industries such as the gold industry, which,
since the time of the revolution, has fallen oft considerably;
the presence of vast resources assures a great future to this in-
dustry. The same thing may be said in regard to the iron and
silver-lead industries. There is only one iron manufacturing
plant, the Petrovsk works, the capacity of which is 4,000 tons
of iron and iron products, while the requirements of the repub-
lic are 70,000 tons annually. The presence of the market on
one hand and the resources (ores) on the other, create a basis
for the development of the iron industry. This will be facil-
itated by the tremendous requirements of the neighboring mar-
ket of the rest of Siberia. Regarding the existing lead-silver
industry, it may be stated that it is very small if the 500 known
deposits are taken into consideration. The coal industry, for
which resources of coal are known to be about 40,000,000,000
poods (not including Sakhahn), prior to the war produced about
65,000,000 poods annually, and now produces about 50,000,000
poods. This also cannot be considered as a satisfactory stage
of development. The production during the period between
1905-1919 of 8,580 poods of tungsten with the known large de-
posits indicates the infant stage of the development of this
mining industry. At the present time even this small mining
of tungsten has practically ceased. The exploitation of the vast
resources of Sakhahn oil did not even begin.
This remarkable contrast between the mining industry
and its possibilities has its justification: the absence of capital
and technical equipment and the shortage of technical per-
sonnel. If to this should be added the unfavorable conditions
created by armed intervention, then the picture Is clear. The
vast resources of fish in the waters of the Republic make pos-
sible not only the suplying of the population, but also the ex-
portation of over 100,000 tons annually. The canning industry
which was just beginning to develop was destroyed by Japanese
aggression, and will undoubtedly become one of the important
62
industries of tlie Republic after the departure of the Japanese
from the coastal territory of the Far Eastern Republic.
Thus from this brief sketch it is evident that speaking of
the industries of the Far Eastern Republic it is necessary to
speak not so much of the present, when the industries are prac-
tically in their embryonic stages, but of the future, and of the
resources and possibilities that would follow the application of
sufficient capital.
THE ZABAIKAL AND PRIBAIKAL PROVINCES.
Comparing the figures printed below for the years 1898-
1910, which give the number of going enterprises, it is evident
that the industry of this province (including the Pribaikal Pro-
vince) was begining to develop and grow.
Industry No. of Enterprises
1898 1910
Manufacturing from Vegetable Products 36 187
Manufacturing from Animal Products... 85 96
Since that time up to 1916, although the development was
slower, it was steadily increasing, especially during the war,
but since 1916, and espevially since 1917, the first year of the
revolution, the number of industries declined.
The causes of the retarded development from 1910 to 1916
are as follows:
1. Lack of technisal equipment for the industrial enter-
prises.
1. Lack of technical equipment for the industrial enter-
3. Lack of free capital among the local population which
could place enterprises in their proper standing so as to be able