In the Russian Empire, the growth of popularity of agronomic science was
promoted by reformatory activity of Empress Catherine II. The lift ing of bans
on the export of Russian grain and the signing of the Manifesto’ On Freedom
of Entrepreneurship in 1775 turned agriculture from a traditional occupation
of the population into a profi table part of the state’s economy. The educational
activities of the Free Economic Society were aimed at popularizing the ideas
of enlightenment among the reprsentatives of the nobility. Due to the reception
of the Western European agronomic society, there was an awareness of
the value and practical signifi cance of the new science among landowners.
The formation of agricultural management institutions in the Russian Empire
was infl uenced by the initiatives of prominent political and public figures.
Governmental and public initiatives aimed at the development of agricultural
industry in the country were refl ected in the pages of books and magazines.
Simultaneously with the translations of foreign scientifi c literature, the journals
of the Free Economic Society begin to be published in the country. In the first
half of the XIX century — in the form of instructions and recommendations
based on the personal experience of rural owners, later — as serious scientific
research of Russian agricultural scientists. Th e use of the diachronic method
in presenting the material of the article makes it possible to determine the
change in approaches in understanding the problems of improving agricultural
productions. The study of these sources allows us to trace the evolution of
approaches to the modernisation of agricultural production in the refl ection
of public thought.