Abstract

Prior to the Revolution three systems of farming were practised in the U. S S. R.: (1) large estates; (2) small peasant farms; (3) peasant land farmed by the peasants under the Mir, the village council or commune of very ancient origin. Some of the large estates were run on good modern lines, some were put into the hands of managers whose business it was to extract all they could for the owner, others were moderately well managed. The peasant farms were smali holdings owned by the individual farmers, which had resulted from the various agrarian reforms, the most important of the later ones being those of Stolypin (1905), who had a Danish adviser and was aiming at the Danish model. The peasant land under the commune (nadiel land) belonged to the body of peasants but not to any individuals, it was parcelled out into many strips which were periodically distributed by the Mir among the peasants in accordance with the size of femily, etc. These strips were scattered over the whole area so that each man should have his share of good and of bad soil. In the time of the Revo- lution it was estimated that about 45 per cent of the cultivated land was in the hands of the pessants

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