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The Ukraine Press, which has been for some decades totally forbidden, at the present time is flourishing. Besides the daily papers, there exist reviews, various periodicals, all kinds of special publications (pedagogical, co-operative, agricultural, medical, etc.). In spite of much technical difficulty, the printing of books during the Revolution attained an importance which it had never had till then. But, considerable as the number of printed books of these last years may be, they have been scarcely enough to satisfy the demands of the people.
The Ukrainian intelligenzia, whilst taking part in the political contests, have shown an extraordinary zeal in the development of national culture and for the instruction of the people, of which they understand the supreme necessity.
CHAPTER III.
ECONOMIC LIFE.
Geographically and economically the Ukraine is an autonomous country. The extent of its lands occupies the basins of the rivers which flow into the Black Sea, with which it is closely connected. It is universally known that this "Black Earth" district is one of great natural resources, and that it is the principal granary of Europe. Taking into consideration the nine governments of the Ukraine, without counting Galicia, but including the Kuban, which is ethnographically a part of the Ukraine, we see that the average annual quantity of the cereals throughout the years 1911–1915 was 275,000,000 quintals (quintal equals 220 lb.), to which must be added beet, more than 100,000,000 quintals, and potatoes, some 60,000,000 quintals. In the same period the Ukraine had produced 65,000,000 kilogrammes (kilogramme equals 2.2 lb.) of tobacco, of which 22,000,000 kilogrammes was of superior quality. Each year the production of oleaginous seeds attained to 6,000,000 quintals, whilst that
