The Island of Chortiza, Russia

 The Island of Chortitza, Russia

Following  article by Henry Bernhard Pauls 1904-1995, late of Leamington, Ontario, a well-known artist and writer. Chortitza was Pauls’ place of birth.

Chortitza Island, on the Dnieper River, is about 12 Kilometers long and between two  and three Kilometers wide. The upper part was more hilly, with high rocks and steep river banks, some up to 40 meters. It was in places very sandy, so the people planted pine trees and fast-growing willow bushes to prevent the sand from blowing. The middle part was more suitable for farming, especially further down, in what was called the cherry garden plots.

 The lowest part of the Island was flat and was flooded almost every spring which made good hay land. Here there were many trees, where the land was a little higher,  like large oaks, stately elms, poplars, linden trees and many others. On the Island there were many valleys near the river. Again many trees, bushes and many, many flowers grew wild. These were ideal places for all kinds of birds to build their nests; it was nature at it’s best. The Russians would say, “Hoeppner has chosen for himself the best place in all South Russia”.

 During the pioneer years, our people kept many sheep and cattle. The result was overgrazing. After that, they had more grain and kept cows. More farmers planted fruit trees and had excellent results. Some experimented with irrigation and had raspberries and strawberries for the market. Better farming methods, like the introduction of summer fallows, and the spreading of manure, along with good markets for all farm produce in the city across the river, all helped to make a better living for our people.