The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-31

mostly Of steppes and marahlands. As
a large part Of the country is not
adapted to field tiilaga the people fol-
low eattle raising to a very great ex-
tent. The climate Of the country is
very similar to that of the semi-arid
west The summers are very hot dry
long and cloudless. The autumns and
springs are mild and rainy, and the
winters usually open with but little
snow. Severe frOsts sometimes occur,
but they are Of short duration The
evaporation is said to be greater than
the rainfall.
From May to September very little
rain falls, often only IL inches. and in
many parts Of the steppe regions,
which are removed from the noun
famous districts, there is absolutely
no rain during the entire summer sea-
son. Dry winds from the north and
northeast prevail during the summer.
with a temperature Of about $50 de-
grees f. Gao degrees Ceisius). which
generally dry up the whole Turkestan
basin until vegetation cannot exist
without irrigation. The extent OF wa
tered lands in Turkestan IS. In com
parison with its whole area, by no
means great, not more than 2is per
cent, which is altogether insufficient
for the subsistence Of its population
This deficiency is partially redeemed
by the growing Of wheat barley and
millet, which depend on the winter
moisture in the soil and a sufreient
fail OF rain during the spring.
The following extracts from an ar
tiele by Prince V. I. Massalski. OF the
Russian department OF agriculture,
show its great value to the arid re-
gions Of Russia than the European va
rieties:
Lucern clover (Medicago satiya var.
Turkestanica) is the chief forage in
use throughout Central Asia, and to
the settled population Of Turkestan is
Of the highest Importance, since dur
ing the summer it forms the chief
and in winter. prepared In the shape
OF hay, the only fodder for cattle. Il
is of all the greater Importance be-
cause, within the regions populated
BY settled Inhabitants. there are no
meadows. Soft herbs and other grasses 1
that grow up in the early spring in /
certain parts Of the steppes are quick
ly dried up by the hot rays Of the sun |
and give place to coarse, prickly stub /
Bile or, In any case, to less nutritive I
grasses that are in general untitled |
for sheep, camels. or steppe cattle, and \
still less fitted for horses or the cattle /
Of those who are settled in the oases
and are thus closely confined to the
loreland or rivers, in most cases far
removed from the steppes.
Massalski describes the native meth
DDS of cultivation and irrigation, and
contlnues The native lucern would
seem to be a cattle fodder that cannot
be replaced IN countries as dry and
hot as Turkestan and the Transcas-
plan province Parallel experiments
hat have been made In the Mery
bases, in the Transcaspian province.
n growing native and French lucern.
under widely different conditions Of
water supply have shown that the ma
i've lucern, particularly whore there is
i lack Of water, is vastly superior to
he French In the crop It yields. and
hat il is able to grow satisfactorily
With a minimum supply OF water,
supply so small that the European
ucern would perish with drought It
a very large root system, and
is leaves are covered with thick down.
This, in conjunction with a deeply
hanneled leaf. enables the plant, on
he one hand, TO imbibe the moisture
rom the deeper layers Of the soil. and.
N the other hand, to exhale It IN very
mall quantity.