Evening star., 1918-08-11

ters in the history of Russia's expan-
sion forty years ago. The Transcas-
plan railway. which was principally a
military enterprise, made this region
accessible, but there was too much
desert for 1t to become capable of
colonization. Nevertheless, some Rus
SLAMS altered in and are still there.
The province or district Of Turgal
extends northeast of the Aral sea and
on the map appears to consist chiefly
of rivers and lakes with steppes inter-
vening. some Of which are designated
as hunger steppes." This does not
Indicate large area capable Of sus-
tanning. people. and actually the popu-
Iation Is small. The same IL true of
Semiretchinsk.
Syr-Darya extends southeast Of the
Aral. While 1t is mostly sand deserts.
It nevertheless has some resources. due
TO the regions contiguous co the river
OF the same name and 20 other water
courses.
The Mohammedan character Of the
Turkestan republic is made clearer
TO readers of history by the names of
the three other provinces-Khiva.
Bokhara and Samaritan. They recall
the brightest pages of Mohammedan
history and also the darkest, because
of the attacks to. which their pros
perity left them exposed. The effect
of natural causes in compelling the
migrations of people by converting
fertile regions into deserts Is also IL
lustrated in this region. But this
historic chapter has little to do with
present day events.
A very large part Of these three
provinces is still desert region. "the
sea of sands" but at the same time
they comprise the principal produce
ing regions and the inclosed valleys,
which are fertile. In the summer the
normal temperature over these desert
lands Is 124 degrees Fahrenheit, but
when water can be obtained they are
productive. as is usually the case with
the desert.
Virtually all the cotton producing
districts of central Asia in this
tion, except the principal valley. That
is one of the economic bases for an
Independent government. 1t has the
means of raising great agricultural
staple although vast expenditures
must be made for irrigation before
creased. There Is also some wool and
this once formed the material aor a
famous article of commerce known as
the Bokhara rugs. That day Is past.
however, and the carpet trade has
fallen into decay, due to the enter
prise of native merchants in provid-
ing imitation rugs.
There are some copper deposits in
the mountain districts. but these are
not very important.
The inhabitants of the cotton grow
ing region are a conglomerate Of
races with diverse dialects. The
Tartar-Sart-Bok dialect Is the
prevailing one for the greater part Of
the region. The natives are said to
be pretty good farmers in q primitive
way. Chinese are brought into some
Of the cotton districts at certain sea-
sons.
These natives in the past have been
content with the Russian military
government- because they had to be.
Yet with all its drawbacks 1t was
much better than the lack of govern
ment which previously existed-a
state Of war between rival nomad
tribes and the rival khans or Moham-
medan rulers.
The common religion did not keep
them from fighting one another.
Sometimes they surged backward and
forward across the Oxus. At other
times they penetrated far into each
others country. The best known OF
these khanates were Khiva and Box
hara. Russia, after killing good
many thousand Turcomans in thu