The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-08-03


ACenpsrasivsly Unhaswn ceantry which
u ~ No Means - Arctic Waste
u Is hardly necessary 10 shy that . |
country which has IN area Of 1--WE and |
half million square miles. and which |
extends In latitude ns far as from the |
southern extremity Of Greenland 70 tho
island Of Cuba. must present great d.
versities OF climate, topography and
vegetation. and can not be everywhere
barren arctic waste. A mere glance
q map Is sufficient 70 show that
considerable part Of Western Siberia
lies farther south than Nice. Venice
or Milan. and that the suburban bound
airy Of the Siberian province Of Semir-
echinsk il nearer the equator than Ma
pies. In country which thus stretches
from the latitude OF Italy TO the lati-
tude Of Central Greenland one would
naturally expect 70 find, and a. q mat
ter OF fact one does find. many varie-
ties Of climate and scenery. In some
parts Of the province Of Yakutsk the
mean temperature OF the month OF JAM
nary is more than so degrees below
zero, Fahrenheit, while in the province
| OF Semipalatinsk the mean temperature
Of the month Of July Is ~ degrees
| above; and such maximum tempera-
lures as So and 100 degrees in the shade
are comparatively common. On the
Taimyr peninsula, east Of the Gulf o.
OBJ. the permanently frozen ground
thaws out in summer to depth OF only
few inches. and supports but scanty
vegetation Of berry bushes and moss
while in the southern part Of Western
Siberia watermelons and cantaloupes
are profitable crop. tobacco Is grown
upon thousands Of plantations, and tho
peasants harvest annually more thar
5O,0OO,0O0 bushels Of grain The fac
which / desire especially to impress
upon the mind OF the reader is that 81
IBERIA is not everywhere uniform and no
,nogeneous. The northern part Of tn
country differs from the southern par
: quite as much rs the Hudson Bay terri
tory differs from Kentucky; and It Is q
great mistake to attribute the col
and barrenness OF the Lena delta to tn
whole OF Siberia as it would be TO a
tribute the cold and barrenness OF Kin
William Land to the whole OF Mort
America.
To the traveller who crosses tn
. Trials for the first time in June nothin
Is more surprising than the ferve'
: heat OF Siberian sunshine and the g
J. traordinary beauty and profusion
Siberian flowers. Although we hs
been partly prepared by our voyage y
= the Kama for the experience whit
g awaited us on the other side OF u
II mountains. we were fairly astonish'
u upon the threshold OF Western Siber
by the scenery. the weather and u
4 flora. In the fertile. blossoming cou
try presented TO US as we rode swift
. eastward into the province Of Tcbols
b, there was absolutely nothing even
~ motely TO suggest an arctic region.
we had been blindfolded and trax
&c ported to II suddenly in the middle o
lis sunny afternoon. we could never ha
guessed to what part Of the world
?" had been taken. The sky was AS Gle
lie and blue and the air as soft as the
and air Of California; the trees We
all in full leaf; birds were singing o.
II the fowery meadows and in the clun
w Of birches BY the roadside; there w
to . drowsy hum Of bees and faint 4
as GRANGE OF flowers and verdure In
air; and the sunshine was as warm
ne bright as that Of June afternoon
Wv the most favored part Of the temper'
Gone George Kenndn, 81 Century.