SOIL AND CLIMATE OF OREL. 19 



and all the American strains, but earlier than No. 16, to which later 

 experiments may show it to ])e superior under certain clinuitic and 

 soil conditions. 



Of the other three Russian varieties, Nos. 17 and IS were secured 

 from the following sources: No. 17 (S. P. I. No. I()oo3) was grown by 

 M. Legsdin, near Shlobin (52° 50' N., 30° E.) in the valley of the Dnie- 

 per, in the southern ])art of the Mogileff government, and was pur- 

 chased from Mr. Ileinrich Goegginger, of Riga. No. 18 (S. P. I. No. 

 10534) was obtained through Fr. Lassman, of Riga, and was pro- 

 duced near Neuhof (24° 35' E., 56°.53' N.), in the Baltic Provmce of 

 Courland, on the estate of M. Sellin. 



SOURCE FROM WHICH RUSSIAN SEED NO. 16 WAS OBTAINED. 



The seed of the ])romising hairless clover No. 16 (S. P. I. No. 10532), 

 to wliich it is desired to call special attention, was obtained by Dr. 

 E. A. Bessey through H. Goegginger, of Riga, and was produced on 

 the estate of a German grower near Yeletz, in the eastern part of the 

 Orel government. The grower made a practice of saving his own 

 seed, and hence this strain had been grown on the same estate for a 

 number of years. 



According to Mr. Goegginger, the government of Orel furnishes the 

 best red clover seed obtainable in Russia. Its chief crops are winter 

 rye and oats, and it is in rotation with these that the clover is grown. 

 A small quantity of winter wheat is also grown. 



THE SOIL AND CLIMATE OF OREL. 



Yeletz is situated about longitude 38° E. and latitude 52° N., and 

 lies well within the famous "Black Earth" or Tchernozom region of 

 Russia. This region, comprising about 250,000,000 acres of the 

 most fertile soil in the world, resembles strikingly in many features 

 of both soil and climate our own Great Plains region. According to 

 Sibirtzew " the Tchernozom extends from the Austrian and Rou- 

 manian frontier m a general east by northeast direction, forming a 

 great band, varying in width from 250 to 650 miles, across the whole 

 empire. The climate of this wonderfidly fertile area is typically 

 continental. The average mean annual rainfall of this region varies 

 ordinarily between 16 and 22 inches and the temperature ranges from 

 30° F. or more below to more than 100° F. above zero. 



According to Murchison, Verneuil, and Keyserling,'' the black soil 

 of the eastern part of the Orel government is especially rich in marl 

 and limestone. In the light of our knowledge on the general bene- 

 ficial effects of liming, it appears altogether probable that this factor 



a Etude des Sols de la Russie. Compte Rendu Congres Geologique International, St. 

 Petersburg, 1899, pp. 7.3-125. 



b The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains, London, 1846, Vol. II, pi. 6. 



95 



