Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-08
A BUSINESS VISIT.
An Attache of the Russian
Ministry in Town.
HIS PLANS AND PROGRAMME
Emperor Alexander III Wants to
Know Our System of
Irrigation.

KNOW OUR SYSTEM VI
Irrigation.
Mr.. S. J. Rauner, OF st. Petersburg,
IN attache of the Ministry of the Russian
Imperial Household, is at the Nadeau
Hotel. Hearing that Mr.. Rauner was
here on important business, a HERALD
man called on him yesterday evening,
and was graciously accorded the pleasure
of an interview. The tourist, dis
tinguished-looking individual with the
characteristic brown curly beard and
honest blue eyes Of the Slav race, spoke
in broken, but perfectly ineligible Eng.
lish, as he warmly welcomed his visitor,
and a questit as to the object of his
Journey was answered by 81 am sent to
the United States by the Emperor to OBJ
tain information regarding cotton, wheat
and tobacco culture, and also to inquire
particularly into your methods of irriga-
ton in Southern California. The rea-
SONS for such an expedition are as fol-
lows: In 1884 TIL Southern boundary
line of Russia was, by military force I'M
der General Skobelof, extended toward
Afghanistan. This gives US now about
1000 900 acres of land in Western Turk
eetan, in the great hollow plains of the
Caspian and Aral Seas. 1t is just about
the same sort of country as what you
call your desert sections here, and has
about the same climate. Situated in
this is the ancient city of Merv, and a
thousand years ago it is certain q great
part of the country was under cultiva-
ton, for there are remnants of great irri-
eating bitches, similar to those found
around the Salt River, in Ari.
IONA. You will doubtless recall
that Timurleng, or Tamerland, as he
is more generally called, swept across
Central Asia at the head of ferocious
horde and destroyed the improvements
of this early civilization. No attempt of
any note has been made to build it up
again, although the Turcomans are an
intelligent class of people and can by no
means be classed amongst the rowing
tribes. They have their schools, churches
and their own language, and are willing
to go ahead, though they cannot
do much without outside help. Now
the Emperor has private estate
of 300, 900 acres in this Merv oasis, ss it is
called. and he is DESTROYS OF putting il
into cultivation. He has already made a
donation of 100000 roubles (about $500,
COO toward the cause, and has further
appointed me to fully investigate the ir-
rigation methods of other countries, and
render full report to him. There will
not be much difficulty about the water,
for the Murghab river. from the Hindoo-
Kooob inc r,1nc III rouub tho sic
into the desert beyond, where it finally
disappears"
THE LINE OF TRAVEL.
"My plans and route mapped out on
receiving the commission were as fol-
lows: It was eight months ago when l
left st. Petersburg, and came directly
to Washington, where l presented my
credentials to Baron Rosen, the Russian
Charge d'Affaires in the country.
He furnished me with letters to
the Governors of the different States
where desired to carry on my labors,
and then left for the South. looked
through the plantations of Georgia and
Alabama, and then went into Louisiana
and wiIteyed in New Orleans. am en-.
curing into the American methods OF
handling cotton, wheat and tobacco crops
simply with the desire of discovering what
improvements as regards their culture
have been made. You know Russia is
very much charmed with the American
methods of handling crops. and we
already have some OF your wheat har-
vesters over there. Now, if l see anything
new in the line of agricultural imple-
ments, 1 will carefully study their opera
ton, and report regarding them to tt g
Emperor. In Southern California my
mission is, as l said before, to look at
your methods of irrigation. l will re-
main here for few days, and will then
go to San Francisco to see Professor
Hilgard, who has kindly furnished me
with a good many hints as to how to
pursue my labors in this part of the
country. l will look over the northern
part OF the State for a day or two,
and then go directly to Paris; from there
to Algiers, and then to the banks of the
Nile, to gee the irrigation works there.
My next destination is Central Asia, and
then back to st. Petersburg. where 1
must report to the Emperor during the
early part of next year."
sis it intended to make this Merv
oasis a wheat section ?" asked the re-
porter.
"Well, We will undoubtedly produce
good deal of grain, but our principal crop
will be alfalfa, which is now raised ex-
tensively in Central Asia, aud has been
for 1000 years past"
CALIFORNIA; GOOD NAME.
"Did You ever hear of Los Angeles
whilst in Russia?" asked the HERALD
man.
"Yes, il was spoken of in st. Peters
b rg Is one of the phenomenal American
cities that sprung up in few years, and
by reason of having all the latest i'm
provements, is therefore more type Of
civilization than towns that have stood
for ages. But as to the State, why Cali
fornia is we'll known. One hears its
praises in our cities of st. Petersburg and
Moscow, and must say that they are
well-deserved. have only been here
few hours, but what l saw during
my journey into the town convinces me
that this is a wonderful place. 1 am
going over to Pasadena as the guest of
Governor Sheldon, whom l had the
pleasure of meeting on the train"
Chow are politics in Russia at the
present time ?" was the next question.
Everything is quiet. Russia is not de-
sirous of sweeping in any other coun-
tries; she has enough now. Why, our
boundary line along the Chinese En-
pire alone is 5 ,000 miles long. | am glad to
cnx, that Tho fNibilicpaj ie