Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-06-15
THE WAR PRIMER
By National Geographic Society


Crimea is deserted; for Crimea is
the playing grounds of Russia, and
where are few in the mighty Empire
who now have time for play" says a
bulletin issued by the National Geo
graphic Society today. "A bower of
fafrest fruits and most beautiful flow
ers'-the statement continues "Cri-
meap the sunny peninsula jutting into
the northern waters of the Black Sea,
IS the lOvliest gem in the Russian
d1adem of conquered lands. The Tar
tar jewellers in Crimea call this land
the Little Paradise, while the world
at large speaks of it as the Russian
Riviera. It is a fairyland of mild sun
shine, delightful scenery, and luxuri-
Gus fruttfulness.
THE Russian Riviera reaches along
the southeast coast from Cape Sarych
TO Feodosiya, and the way is streWn
with summer bathing resorts, enchant-
ing gardens, reposeful parks, inviting
pfomenaaeS, cOZy, picturesque villas,
and fine palaces of the Russian imper-
lal family and of Russian mobiles. The
season of these resOrts-Alupka, YaIta,
Cfursux, Alushta, Sudak. Feodosiya-is
now just in the dawning. This strip of
coastland, sloping from the green
Smothered mountain ribs behind into
the tideless waters of the Black Sea, is
putting on its Garden of Eden dress.
fCr1mea also, has a. winter season.
About this time in May in the years
before the war, the Crimean Riviera
,coast has been in the midst of it's
preparations for the new seasons en-
tertainment; garden and parks were
being trimmed and planted, villas and
hotels and pensions were being paint
ed and repaired, and Fairgrounds all
along the coast were being put in or
Ger. Ancient ruins, Greek and medic
wal. nestle in the hills back from the
water, and around them and before
them spread groves of bays, expresses,
fmulberries, figs, olives, pomegranates,
and many sorts of nut trees while
deeper-toned forests of oak, beech, elm,
pine and fir form a rich background to
the picture. And. in prOfuse abandon,
magnolias, Oleanders, tulip trees the
Japanese plum and cherry, begonias,
myrtleS, camelliaS n1imosa, and MANY
varieties of fruit trees grow in the
public gardens, brighten the private
parks, and cluster about the isolated
villas.
THE Crimean peninsula, covering an
area of $500 square miles, is about
the size of New Hampshire It's
Cnorthern part, where it joins the main
land' is steppe, and, in summer, is
often scorched and dreaTy. The pen
Ursula measures 200 miles from east
to west and 10 miles from north to
south, between the most widely separ-
ated points. Sevastopol the great mil
itary port at the southwestern foe of
Moscow, with which it is connected nv
trunkline railway. Where the stepDe
ceases and the hill country begins, is
the boundary of the famous play
country. The mountain scenery of
Crlmea is very beautiful, in parts
widely rent and riven, and surm0unt-
ed here and there by peaks of 5000
feet or more.
'Crimea is a treasure trove for his
torlans, psychologists, and anthropoI-
C -tf1 =, E
through tWenty-four centuries, though
there are blank chapters here and
there. Thousands of small caverns i'm
some OF it's mountain groups suggest
prehistoric jewellers. Crimea. is men
toned in the Homerian songs who
speaks of a lonely land and gloomy
ceils and OF a 'dusky nation of Chin
er1ans'. Scythians, Asiatics, were es
taolished here, when Herodotus, the
prince OF Greek travellers, came to
Cr1mea around the year 400 B. G.
Southern Crimea is a garden land
us fruits are famous in the northern
russian markets, and from its cranes
a full-bodied, spicy wine is made,
vineyards cover more than $4,000 acres
of the Crimea, and from them about
100000 gallons of fine quality wine is
made each year. The waters around
the peninsula abound in delicate fish
such as red and gray mullet, herring |
mackerel, turbot, soles. plaice, whiting,
pteaHn' nduuock, plIcnaru, species of
pike, whitehall, cells, salmon and stur-
geon. Much of the Crimean fish take
is put up in cans and sold throughout
the Empire Wool, leather, meat.
grains, and some minerals are pro
duced in Crimea, and a moderate
amount of manufacturing is done In |
general, however, Russia has reserved |
this delightful country as a place to |
rest in between hard tasks, as a place |
wherein to forget the sacrifices de- |
manded by progress in a vacations |
caTA4ASS, plA~