Show RUSSIA THI THE HEIRESS OF FAMINES never in times have so many old world nations felt the pinch of hunger at once yet suffering from want of food Is no fiew story to wady many of them especially has krutisia been the elie luckless heir to periods of near starvation writing to the national geographic society A graves tells of altus famines of the past as follows next to the of india and china the elie itus sian peasant has felt the pinch of po poverty an and hunger blinger cuore keenly anti and more frequently than any other oilier citizen on earth one of the elie earliest famines families in russia of which there is any definite record was that of 1600 which continued for or three bears ears with a death toll of peasants cats logs dogs and rats were eaten the strong overcame oser came the weak eak and in tile the shain shambles bles of the pub lie ile markets human flesh was sold multitudes of the dead were found with their mouths months stuffed with straw three russian famines of comparatively a recent date were among the most severe in the history of the conn colin try they occurred in 1891 1801 1000 and 1911 during the ten years following the alist of these periods of dearth the elie government allotted nearly for relief work but the sums were not always judiciously expended in hi 1000 the government gave 40 pounds of flour almonth it month to all persons person under eighteen and over fifty nine years of agg age all peasants between those ages and infants under one year of age received no allowance and it became nee necessary essary tor for tire lounger and older mern members bers ot of the family to share their bare lAt pittance tance with those hose fw whom no provision was made the suffering was intense and the mortality exceedingly heavy but the available statistics ire are not dot wholly reliable the famine of 1011 extended over over one om third of tile area of the hie empire in europe and affected more orless ales directly 8 people while wore were reduced to starvation woods weeds the bark of trees and bitter bread made from acorns constituted the llie eliot diet for the die destitute this AN was anas as tile the most i ides proad ali most inot secie famine that has bas befallen a european nation in ill modern 4 times im CS I 1 |