The Journal "Siberian Farmer and Gardener" as an Information Channel of Agronomic and Ecological Knowledge in the Peasant Environment in the Early 20th Century

Abstract

The article presents a content analysis of the specialized agricultural magazine of the early 20th century «Siberian farmer and gardener». It is concluded that the publication has acted as an important information resource for the popularization of agronomic and agrotechnical knowledge in the peasant environment, as a platform for the presentation of the effectiveness of agricultural practices and exchange of experience. Materials of magazine articles, presented in an accessible form for peasants, touched upon all stages of the production cycle of grain farming, as well as descriptions of its risks in the natural and climatic conditions of Siberia and mechanisms to overcome them. This circumstance was facilitated by the collection of information on weather conditions in the macro-region, data on the yield of grain crops and forage grasses, etc. by the authors and the editors of the journal. It is noted that a new and seemingly exotic topic in relation to the "virgin" lands and forests of Siberia was the theme of ecology touched upon by the authors of the journal. To sum up, it is concluded that the fact of "intervention" of the printed word in the sphere of peasant farming, which traditionally was based on tradition and replication of the experience of previous worship, is evidence of modernization processes in the Siberian village.