LIVESTOCK HERDS

Detailed information about livestock herds is available for the period 1885 to 1914. Data on livestock and animals in agriculture are to be found in various publications, the most important being the Statisticheski ezhegodnik Rossii, annual editions 1904 to 1914, section kolichestvo sel'skikh domashniykh zhivotnykh and Sbornik statistiko-ekonomicheskikh svedenii po sel'skomu khoziaistvu Rossii i inostrannykh gosudarstv, (Petrograd, 1915), vol. 7, same section title. Moreover, Vainshtein has published a major study of prewar livestock statistics with an evaluation of their reliability and has made estimates of total livestock herds, including animals owned by urban dwellers, for the period 1911 to January 1, 1914.

My estimates of the value of the stock of livestock herds in current and constant prices are calculated in the following manner: I begin by taking Vainshtein's estimate of the 1913 value of livestock herds including animals owned by city dwellers (some 2% of the total in 1913). This figure is based upon Vainshtein's recalculation of the official Central Statistical Committee's figures for 1913 on the basis of comparisons with the detailed agricultural census of 1916. In this manner, Vainshtein adjusts the official 1913 figures upward to obtain more complete coverage.

In his evaluation of prewar livestock statistics, Vainshtein concludes that, the official figures (gathered by veterinary authorities and by the Ministry of Interior) although they understate the total, are fairly reliable in capturing movements over time.