ASSISTANCE TO FARMING 149 
1914 and the early part of 1915 passed satisfactorily. At that time 
there were even districts in which area under cultivation was larger 
than it had been in 1918 (for example the districts of Verkhoturie 
and Okhana in the province of Perm). Later on, when the repeated 
mobilizations had taken about 35 per cent of the men of working 
age, the situation naturally became more difficult. The shortage of 
labor began to make itself felt more acutely and community relief 
was granted on a less extensive scale. The enthusiasm of the first 
year of the War was waning. At the same time the entire structure 
of peasant farming was beginning to show alarming symptoms of 
deterioration. 
Effects of the War on Peasant Farming. 
Many of the zemstvos kept a close watch on the economic develop- 
ments in the rural districts, the Moscow zemstvo showing excep- 
tional zeal and foresight in this direction. By repeated statistical 
inquiries on the spot and by summarizing the replies to these in- 
quiries obtained through its numerous correspondents, the district 
zemstvo boards were in a position throughout the War to watch the 
life of the peasantry very closely and to submit from time to time 
valuable reports to the meetings of the boards. Similar work was 
accomplished by many other zemstvos, and gradually a picture of 
alarming deterioration began to unfold itself in rural Russia. It 
was evident that the calamity was spreading rapidly. It was affect- 
ing an ever increasing number of peasant households and it de- 
manded imperatively a drastic remedy. On the surface, the situation 
appeared to be fairly normal. In fact, as far as the condition of the 
individual peasant was concerned, there seemed to be even something 
like an improvement. On every hand it was observed that money was 
flowing freely into the villages and it was found that, whilst the 
cities were already beginning to feel the pinch of a food shortage, 
rural districts, upon the whole, were living better than ever before, 
for the peasants were now consuming more and more of their home 
produce and were becoming increasingly averse to selling grain. Of 
course, this was more common in the producing regions, but there 
was evidence of it also, for instance, in the province of Moscow. At 
the same time it was noticed that savings banks deposits were ris- 
ing rapidly. 
However, along with these manifestations of outward prosperity,