Down the Volga. 189 



natives of the Don at the westward preyed upon the commerce of the Volga 

 for over one hundred years. These hills are now divided into little free- 

 hold estates, on which fruits and vegetables are grown for the Volga trade. 



At Samara the bluffs reappear on the east banks for a few miles as an 

 island remnant of the past flood periods in connection with the rise and fall of 

 the Caspian. Samara has been a central station of the caravan trade between 

 Asia and East Europe for centuries, and it still holds to some extent its old 

 traffic, though much modified by recentextensions of railways over the ancient 

 caravan routes. With its lessened eastern trade, its ancient business of man- 

 ufacturing the " koumiss " for the refreshment of the Caravan traders of the 

 far east has increased to a wonderful extent, but the fermented mare's milk 

 is diverted to a new use, as the place has become a fashionable Saratoga, 

 where rich and fashionable invalids run into all excesses while curing some 

 ill of the body, real or fancied, by the use of the famous "koumiss." 



Below Samara for many miles we find rich and prosperous colonies of 

 German Mennonites, who have occupied their present lands since the time 

 of Peter the Great. These Germans much surpass their neighbors, the Cal- 

 muck Tartars, in the regularity and expression of their towns and cities, 

 their system of schools, and their modes and methods in agriculture and 

 horticulture. Yet they do not equal the Tartars in the breeding and man- 

 agement of horses, which are not excelled in speed, beauty and endurance 

 by any breeds of the world. 



Passing many interesting cities and evidences of very ancient occupa- 

 tion by a dense population of this black soil region, we reach Saratov, also 

 on the bluffs of the west bank, which are here rounder, smoother and richer 

 than farther north. Though an old city, its expression is new and clean on 

 account of continued application of paint or lime washes to everthing ex- 

 posed to the air, and the extreme durability of these washes in this dry 

 interior climate. The streets are regular, wide, well paved, and systematic- 

 ally planted with trees. By methodic planting is meant that as we pass from 

 street to street we meet a constant succession of change of species and ex- 

 pression of foliage. This note on methodic planting of street trees brings to 

 mind the fact that we did not see a tree in the valley of the Volga which we 

 had reason to believe was planted by Dame Nature, except the willows, 

 alders, birches and elms on the sand-bars of the river, and these seedlings 

 are constantly utilized for systematic planting on the prairies. 



At Saratov are located the largest and best flouring-mills we saw in 

 Europe, and they are not excelled by any we have unless it may be by some of 

 the mills at Minneapolis. On the table-lauds west of the city are found the 

 largest apple orchards we saw in Europe. One of these contains 24,000 trees 

 in one connected plantation, all of which are systematically watered in time 

 of need with water pumped by steam or wind mills from the valley below 

 into great cisterns on the highest points of the orchard. The estimated cost 

 of watering each tree twice during the growing season is only five cents, and 

 the increase in the size and quality of the fruit is said to average one dollar 



