Evening star., 1920-11-23
LEASE QUEER
LAND TO YANKEES"
Kamchatka vividly Pictured
by Geographic Society
Bulletin.

Kamchatka and the neighboring coui-
try Of northeastern Siberia, reported in
news dispatches from Europe to have
a syndicate of Americans for the de-
velopment of its natural resources. is
described in a bulletin issued by the
National Geographic Society:
1.-The Kamchatkan peninsula and the
Siberian country between 1t and the
Arctic ocean is a sort Of half.sister to
Alaska, which was also once Russian
territory. Alaska, the more comeiy SIS.
ter. Jared forth, SO to speak, was sold
into the family of the wealthy Uncle
Sam and has had hfe rich In excite
more homely sister, remained under the
Russian rooftree on the west side OF
Bering sea and has lived In seclusion.
"Kamchatka and the country north to
tundra or arctic plains; soft. spongy
morasses during the few months Of
summer; frozen, snow.covered wastes
in winter. In the higher land impene.
trable underbrush springs up In sum.
this season is done on the backs of
sturdy ponies. who must wade up the
shallow streams or plod through the
sticky swamps. -
Travel Easy In Winter.
I'm winter travel is easy. Teams
Of dogs and reindeer whisk laden
sledges over the frozen surface of the
streams and across the snow OF the
tundra at a rate. under favorable Cir
cumstances, of seventy-five miles or
more a day.. Trails that are virtual
ly highways are beaten down by the
teams of the natives bringing their
furs-the chief present resource Of
the country--to the trading posts.
I'm the summer the curse OF the
moist regions of the north strikes the
Kamchatkan country: swarms OF
mosquitoes and flies thicken the air
and make life miserable for all liv-
with their herds of reindeer to the
sea coast. where the breezes give
some relief.
Though the climate of Kamchat-.
ka is rigorous a westerner is likely to
consider the food Of the country more
some form is the universal piece de
resistance, the tongues and marrow
bones being prised- in particular.
From the stomach of slaughtered
reindeer the natives obtain their
greens in winter-half digested balls
these moss balls are somewhat like
spinach in appearance.
Cold Storage Eggs Popular.
the Kamchatkan tables. The eggs are /,
obtained from the nests Of gulls and
other wild fowls and are buried in
pits on the frosty north side of a hill
until needed. Frozen berries also exc 7
out the winter fare. ~
Soup balls carried by winter trav-
elers are likely to prove compensa-
tion to western palates. They are i
small balls Of reindeer sausage sur
rounded By a crust Of dough. the
whole about the size of an English.
walnut. These balls freeze and are
carried in bags like marbles. A hand
full dropped into kettle of boiling
water produces within a few min
utes a delectable and sustaining dish.
THE Kamchatkan peninsula proper
is about $50 miles in length. and the .
distance from its roots to Bering
strait is an equal distance. Kamchat-s :
ka lies in the same latitude as the
British Isles. while the country north
to the Arctic ocean is in the latitude
of Norway The Kamchatkan region
is bathed, by cold ARCTIC currents. i'm
stead Of the warm gulf stream, and ;.
its climate is therefore much colder
than that Of Britain and Scandinavia"