The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-14

hemmed in by the Ural mountains on the
east running from The Baltic sea to the
Black sea and the Caspian, ana nowhere
having auy hills more than ], 100 feet high.
Such hills as there are, are few, and they
lie north of the center Of the country and
make a water shed, so that from them
by the most gradual fall the water
runs from these both north and
south. Russia is well watered, and
great rivers cut their way through the
land, giving her irrigation and transporta-
ton facilities. The irrigation is as yet only
begun, but the rivers and canals have for
generations formed almost the only means
of shipping goods throughout the country.
Ii is wonderful how cheap fl Fights are and
how far-reaching this water communication
is The Nolga is as big as the Mississippi
and il is 2.3pO miles long. 1t runs through
the eastern part of European Russia and 1t
has such branches that it forms trade ar
terry for central and south Russia and ST.
IBERIA. 1t is connected by canal with the
Neva and goods can be taken oy water from
Astrakahn 10 st. Peters burg, and by hun
dreds of its branches and connections cap
be shipped from the Baltic TO the most out
ot-the-way regions of the country Inc
Don, which flows into the Black sea, runs
for part OF It's course not far IRON the
VOlga, and there are a hslt dozen navlgable
rivers which 90 into the Black sea. North
Russia is filled with lakes and streams, and
it is only in the south that the lack Ct water
is felt. Here IN the great black plain a
drought causes bad crops, and it was a
series of droughis that brought about the
famine az this year. This, however, might
have been avoided by deeper pIoughlng, Tor
| am tolo that wherever the farmers
ploughed as deep as we do they had excel
lent crops.
RussIA's FoUa LAND zoSEs.
This part Of Russia is known as the black
land zone and one gels some idea of the
country in looking at 1t in such divisions.
There is as much difference in the climate
Of this land as there is difference in that Of
the various parts Of the United States, and
4 In ST. Petersburg / Wore two suits OF
underclothing and an overcoat, while here
( | am roasting in my shirt sleeves. Northern
Russia is covered with forests, and the
car has PROBABLY more wood than ell the
rest of Europe put together. From the
Baltic TO Moscow there is little else than
forests. There are vast woods through
which you might wander for hundreds and
hundreds of miles and never ind any signs
OF nabiLatious, and which are not pene-
trated by railroads, and l travelled for
hours from Petersburg TO Moscow through
woods more wild than any in America.
! This is known as the forest zone of Russia.
IL includes more than 400, QUO. 0O0 acres, and
takes in tee most OF the northern part of
Russia in Europe. Below this zone of for
ests comes the black lands zone where
now ana, and below this and running par
allel with it across Russia is the arabic
steppes zone, bringing forth good crops,
but which needs manure to help it, and
which in its character is much like our
western prairies II is USED largely for
grazing and it grows wild grasses which
are often seven and eight feet high. This
zone has as much land as Texax. and it Is
said that Texas could feed the whole
United States. l am told that the soil in
that part of Russia is much like that OF
Texas, and when Russia is well opened ur
by railroads this zone viii be an important
factor in the agricultural markets of the
world. AS it is now only about one tenth
of even the black lands region is cultivated
and Russia already supplies the greater
part of the food Of Europe. Germany anC
the other countries of the continent have
been much affected by the prohibition Of
the grain exports from Russia during the
famine, and it is this more THAI anything
else that has set the Germans to studying
and experimenting on our corn to sec i
they cannot get some combination Of corr
and rye which viii feed their army anC
leave them independent of Russia AS il il