登陆注册
5382300000051

第51章 CHAPTER VII(8)

On this simple principle his system of farming is based. When spring comes round and the leaves begin to appear on the trees, a band of peasants, armed with their hatchets, proceed to some spot in the woods previously fixed upon. Here they begin to make a clearing. This is no easy matter, for tree-felling is hard and tedious work; but the process does not take so much time as might be expected, for the workmen have been brought up to the trade, and wield their axes with marvellous dexterity. When they have felled all the trees, great and small, they return to their homes, and think no more about their clearing till the autumn, when they return, in order to strip the fallen trees of the branches, to pick out what they require for building purposes or firewood, and to pile up the remainder in heaps. The logs for building or firewood are dragged away by horses as soon as the first fall of snow has made a good slippery road, but the piles are allowed to remain till the following spring, when they are stirred up with long poles and ignited. The flames rapidly spread in all directions till they join together and form a gigantic bonfire, such as is never seen in more densely-populated countries. If the fire does its work properly, the whole of the space is covered with a layer of ashes;

and when these have been slightly mixed with soil by means of a light plough, the seed is sown.

On the field prepared in this original fashion is sown barley, rye, or flax, and the harvests, nearly always good, sometimes border on the miraculous. Barley or rye may be expected to produce about sixfold in ordinary years, and they may produce as much as thirty-

fold under peculiarly favourable circumstances. The fertility is, however, short-lived. If the soil is poor and stony, not more than two crops can be raised; if it is of a better quality, it may give tolerable harvests for six or seven successive years. In most countries this would be an absurdly expensive way of manuring, for wood is much too valuable a commodity to be used for such a purpose; but in this northern region the forests are boundless, and in the districts where there is no river or stream by which timber may be floated, the trees not used in this way rot from old age.

Under these circumstances the system is reasonable, but it must be admitted that it does not give a very large return for the amount of labour expended, and in bad seasons it gives almost no return at all.

The other sources of revenue are scarcely less precarious. With his gun and a little parcel of provisions the peasant wanders about in the trackless forests, and too often returns after many days with a very light bag; or he starts in autumn for some distant lake, and comes back after five or six weeks with nothing better than perch and pike. Sometimes he tries his luck at deep-sea fishing. In this case he starts in February--probably on foot--for Kem, on the shore of the White Sea, or perhaps for the more distant Kola, situated on a small river which falls into the Arctic Ocean.

There, in company with three or four comrades, he starts on a fishing cruise along the Murman coast, or, it may be, off the coast of Spitzbergen. His gains will depend on the amount caught, for it is a joint-venture; but in no case can they be very great, for three-fourths of the fish brought into port belongs to the owner of the craft and tackle. Of the sum realised, he brings home perhaps only a small part, for he has a strong temptation to buy rum, tea, and other luxuries, which are very dear in those northern latitudes. If the fishing is good and he resists temptation, he may save as much as 100 roubles--about 10 pounds--and thereby live comfortably all winter; but if the fishing season is bad, he may find himself at the end of it not only with empty pockets, but in debt to the owner of the boat. This debt he may pay off, if he has a horse, by transporting the dried fish to Kargopol, St.

Petersburg, or some other market.

It is here in the Far North that the ancient folk-lore--popular songs, stories, and fragments of epic poetry--has been best preserved; but this is a field on which I need not enter, for the reader can easily find all that he may desire to know on the subject in the brilliant writings of M. Rambaud and the very interesting, conscientious works of the late Mr. Ralston,which enjoy a high reputation in Russia.

Rambaud, "La Russie Epique," Paris, 1876; Ralston, "The Songs of the Russian People," London, 1872; and "Russian Folk-tales,"

London, 1873..

同类推荐
  • 瑜伽集要焰口施食起教阿难陀缘由

    瑜伽集要焰口施食起教阿难陀缘由

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 类边长安志

    类边长安志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THUVIA

    THUVIA

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 荣进集

    荣进集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 道德真经集义大旨

    道德真经集义大旨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 我在机场等船来

    我在机场等船来

    “你知道两条平行线强行相交的结果是什么吗?如果没有停在交点只会越来越远。”没有开始又怎么会有结局,两个世界的人到底还是走不到一起。一个人的成全好过三个人的纠结.
  • 卑鄙的圣人:曹操6

    卑鄙的圣人:曹操6

    历史上的大奸大忠都差不多,只有曹操大不同!曹操的计谋,奸诈程度往往将对手整得头昏脑涨、找不着北,卑鄙程度也屡屡突破道德底线,但他却是一个心怀天下、体恤众生的圣人;而且他还是一个柔情万丈、天才横溢的诗人;最后他还是一个敏感、自卑、内心孤独的普通男人。
  • 曾国藩做人为官处世的大智慧

    曾国藩做人为官处世的大智慧

    曾国藩去世已经一百多年了,但是他影响了几代人,人们至今仍然对其顶礼膜拜。很多名人都对他推崇备至。梁启超说:“吾谓曾文正集,不可不日三复也。”毛泽东年轻时说:“愚于近人,独服曾文正。”即使是晚年,他还曾说:曾国藩是地主阶级最厉害的人物。而蒋介石则认为曾国藩可以做自己的老师,他把《曾胡治兵语录》当做教导高级将领的教科书,又将《曾文正公全集》常置案旁,终生捧读不辍。
  • 覆船山

    覆船山

    站在我这里,能看见整个会场,七八个男人围着一盏马灯坐着,有人指手画脚,有人一动不动。陈光中坐在左边第三个,他是他们当中最年轻的一个。空气中弥漫着硫磺与火焰的味道。这味道是从两个巨大的锅炉里发出来的,它们像妖怪一样叉腰耸立,突突直冒热气,那里面有各种铁,铁锅铁斧,铁耙铁镰,铁锤铁钗,这些铁家伙,一部分是按人头上交的任务,一部分是干部们深入各家各户,从门背后、床底下搜出来的“废”铁,还有一部分是根据举报线索,组织人马从池塘里捞上来的。炉前有人两天两夜没睡了,谁都不肯回去,怕错过出钢的光荣时刻。
  • 附身吕布

    附身吕布

    新书《回到古代当匠神》已发布一个二十一世纪企业高管,在即将踏上人生巅峰之际,老天却跟他开了一个玩笑,一场车祸,让他灵魂穿梭时空,附身于气数将尽,不久之后,将要城破人亡,被吊死在白门楼上的吕布身上。为了能在这个时代生存,甚至更好的生存下去,吕布开始了自己逆命改运的旅程(感谢疯魔提供的书友群,群号578078151,有兴趣的兄弟欢迎加入)
  • 大明英侠传

    大明英侠传

    本书讲述了锦衣卫指挥使徐正,武术世家伍文定,皇族遗落张水牛,叛逆之子武小尤四人在机缘巧合之下汇聚在王守仁麾下,共对宁王朱宸濠反叛之事,平定朱宸濠之乱后,其后西川真金教大起狂风,北方草原部落意欲南侵,在危险与云谲之中,五人只能直面不却……
  • 诸家神品丹法

    诸家神品丹法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 安胎养胎最佳方案(幸福爱巢)

    安胎养胎最佳方案(幸福爱巢)

    优生开始于择偶随着人们对于优生学认识的深化,对配偶的选择已不局限于品貌端庄、身体健康,而是更加重视遗传素质和其他的因素。因为择偶不仅仅是男女的结合、个人的幸福问题,而是关系到后代的素质和民族的强盛。所以说,青年男女选择对象是很需要有科学性的。
  • 腹黑相公很傲娇

    腹黑相公很傲娇

    苏珞璃最后悔的就是自己的自信。她以为自己作为穿越女主角,自带光环和各种优势,高富帅一定手到擒来。没错,高富帅果然出现了。可是摇身一变,却成了渣男。十里红妆,凤冠霞帔。这是苏珞璃期待的场面。可是,现在除了讽刺只是讽刺。贱人总是成双成对的。这是苏珞璃被毒死前最后的觉悟。手握着休书的她,决定如果有来世的话,她一定不会这么傻,让自己如此短命。浴火重生。她斗志盎然。气死后妈、贬死妹妹、揍死渣男。自己经历过的一切,她要他们加倍奉还!可是,她一定是在做梦!为什么她会怀了这个莫名其妙出现的丑寡夫的种?这不科学啊!“我会负责的。”某寡夫沉声道。“谁要你负责啊!”苏珞璃黑线。
  • 一婚之隔

    一婚之隔

    结婚一年,季筱和丈夫同床次数为零。当小三自杀闹到她面前的时候,她才发现自己原来是这段婚姻里的受害者。等来的情等不来,那买来的情呢?她醉意朦胧地扔出一叠钞票,对着这位抱住自己的男人轻笑,以为只是一场梦,所以她可以在梦里放纵,可次日醒来,梦却成为了现实!“你说,你是我丈夫同父异母的大哥?!”“你好,我叫景墨弦。”男人出现在她的家门外,轻轻勾唇,笑得意味不明。可他是景氏集团的继承人高高在上的天之骄子,她不过是一无所有的孤女。“景墨弦,我们之间隔得太远,不可以!”“不远,一张离婚证,再加一张离婚证,再加一张结婚证,就可以了……”