The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-31

with nothing to mark them from beasts of burden but their speech. From such people a bright and intelligent yeoman class is not to be expected. Every crowd of moujiks came across have the same sluggish, bullish, coarse expression. The government Is trying to educate the settlers into the advan- tages of modern appliances. But when all that Is done Siberia will give but the scrapings of its wealth, for no gov- ernment and no machinery can alter the character of a race. And the great block to development for generations will be that the Russians have not the real qualities of agriculturists.
 Every day as I travel through this land and look at its possibilities find myself muttering, "Oh for one hundred families of my own north country peo- men to settle here to show what can be done, and in half a generation go home with fortunes made"
 Siberia is a good country for horses They are sturdy workers, and as hardy as you can find. In central Siberia there are eighty-five horses to every hundred of population. In the United States the proportion is twentytwo to the hundred, and in France seven to the hundred. The Siberian proportion Is only excelled by the Argentine Re- public, where the rate is one hundred and twelve horses to every hundded in- habitants. In the region of the trans Siberian railway, from Cheylabinsk to hkutsk it is estimated there is some will hn average peasant horse is worth twenty to thirty shillngs. The horses used for the post, which have enormous powers of speed and endurance, cost from two pounds ten shillings to three pounds The finest horses which would fetch about sixty pounds in England, are to be got from five to seven pounds.
 Under the impetus of the butter in- dustry it is likely enough the rearing of cattle will somewhat improve. At present beasts are small and lean. Bullocks are chiefly used for draught.
 IDEAL. PASTURE LAND.
 The vast tracts of natural pasture are ideal for sheep grazing. The fat7tail | Tartar sheep is the best. At present | these sheep are reared for the fat on | their tail. This fat grows all through | the summer, and a yearling will give twenty pounds of tallow. In the winter months the tall gradually disappears. It Is one of the provisions of nature. When no food is to be got because of he snow the animal gets sustenance by he gradual disappearance of the fat .ail When it is housed and fed in the winter months the tail remains. This 'at-tailed Tartar sheep Is now, howev 1T. very good for wool. An interior sheep is bred for this.
 It was the fine skins that the mo- made son of heads of animals with numbers of population Is interesting. The proportion of horned cattle varies rom sixty per one hundred in habi- ants in West Siberia to seventy per me hundred in East Siberia. As to heep there are eighty-fve to the hun lred in the west, but in the east there Ire one hundred and thirty-f1ve sheep O every one hundred inhabitants. In he towns I have inquired the price of neat. Fairly good beef and nut ton an be got for two and threepence a ,ound, and a good plump chicken can e bought for eightpence.
 It was the fine skins that the mo- made brought over the Urals that first ttracted Russian trade in Siberia. 1he most valuable is the sable. The ribes hunt for these in winter. founted on snow shoes, they go into , he forests and follow the trails. ometimes a sable gets into hole, and hen the hunter must wait, maybe for avs, before it will come out. But is Is : yorth waiting for; the skin will bring i'm from fifty shillings to nine pounds "a considerable sum to a nomad. The kin of the blue fox is also much prized. ome authorities say the blue fur Is he same as the white Arctic fox-only he summers are so short in the polar egions that the fox does not think 1t ,orth while altering his fur, while in ne south he does not put on his white UT because the summers are long. nly the piece by the paws is worn by