The Bounty of the Steppe
ALTHOUGH IT SEEMED TO the settlers that they were forgotten on the frontier, that they were ill-used, called upon to settle an untamed wilderness without means to prosper or the enforcement of laws for their protection, the Empress in St. Petersburg always kept an eye on the Volga lands.
Scholars, sent by her into the realm of the Volga, reported to her of her subjects’ hardships and, to do her justice, she opened her purse time and again in an effort to ease their tragic lives. But her money trickled through the Russian bureaucracy like water through sand. Years passed before the yoke of the settlers was lightened a bit. Until the year 1775 the villagers struggled to achieve just one good harvest, a harvest large enough to bless them with enough grain to satisfy their needs, leaving a surplus for seed. Their constant dream was to be independent of the Kontora and the government allotments of grain, which always came at the wrong time for planting. When they finally achieved this goal, a sterling accomplishment, it was cause to rejoice.
Apart from their newfound independence, another blessing was bestowed upon them by a remarkable change in climate. Christoph noticed immediately, at the end of 1774, that rain and snow arrived now at times when they were needed, and arrived in abundance. Soon they all knew that the land was undergoing a change in climate.
Henceforth rain and snow arrived at the proper time, and their crops thrived. The Meiningers had done everything required to produce a good harvest in their fields in 1774. With the proper moisture, they reaped an unprecedented bounty of hay, rye and wheat. This surplus enabled them to repay their advances to the Kontora, keeping enough surpluses in seed corn.
Now that they had their own seed grain, they were able to plant the next crop at the proper time in April instead of late May, when the Kontora usually handed out allotments. Planting early, their crops benefited from the winter’s ground moisture, germinating sooner for a better beginning. By now the villagers knew the weather conditions of this hard land well – conditions so unlike the mild Rhine regions whence they came. They prayed in their churches that this most beneficial climate change would become the norm or, at least, last for many seasons.
Coincidentally, but significantly necessary for a bountiful harvest, the local artisans had improved the farming implements used in Norka and surrounding villages. Early on it had become apparent that most implements handed out by the officials in Saratov were woefully inefficient. Martin and Kurt Halberstamm had complained from the beginning about the puny hand-sickles they were expected to use, cutting the wild meadow grass for hay and their often-meager crops of grain.
Although the Empress had strictly forbidden the artisans among the settlers to ply their trade, the villagers found different ways of circumventing her edict. In Norka, several clever smiths forged scythes with long handles, which they also equipped with wooden, curved cradles. Fashioned thus, the grain could be cut and laid out in windrows with just one sweep of the blade.
Not only did they introduce this improved scythe, but they also introduced the forge into the region. With their forges they worked moldboard plows with two and three bottom shares, thereby replacing the primitive Russian sokhas. Besides instituting these important improvements, the artisans constructed iron-toothed harrows. Every one of these improved and new implements allowed the farmers greater and better crop yields.
The smiths, however, were kept so busy with their tasks of making implements that they had no more time for their own tillage. At first the whole village joined in the task of working their fields. Yet soon, led by good business sense, the smiths leased their land, while also receiving compensation for their metal work in the form of grain, poultry, meat, and milk or money. As the villages grew, more young men came of age to claim land, leading to severe land shortages, and the idea of leasing land became more appealing.