Travoseyanie in Russia circa 1900 with particular reference to Moscow province

Abstract

From the late 19th century, peasant communes in Moscow province started a transition from the traditional three-field system to a new multi-field system using travoseyanie [grass-sowing], and this transition was supported by the zemstva. This quantitative expansion of travoseyanie was an attempt to stem the decline of the peasant economy, but the results did not entirely meet the expectations of the zemstva. Among other things, travoseyanie revived the cultivation of linen, which had cased to flourish under the three-field system. In this way, it made it possible to restore the peasant economy in the communes by enhancing the peasants' attachment to their land. Nevertheless, grass was mostly sold outside the households rather than used inside. Deviation from the crop-rotation in the multi-field system was prevalent. Even in the villages where the multi-field system with grass-sowing was introduced, the traditional dual structure of agriculture and seasonal migration still remained. In this way, the chance of reviving the peasant economy through travoseyanie was greatly limited by the commercially purposed introduction of travoseyanie and by the widespread deviation from the rule of crop-rotation.