1]S ^^lUElClA. 



Tbi' bucii iiiiivcs on a chernoziiuu -oii ainl iberefore this zone Is the most populated 

 and particularly characteristic of Western Siberia, between the middle course of the Tobol 

 and ibe upper waters of the Obi. This space embraces the so-called steppes- of Ishimsk, Akrao- 

 linsk, Kurudzbinsk, and iJarabinsk. Altb(Mif,'h it is usual to und*,'rsland by the word steppe an 

 absolutely treeless space, in Siberia with the exception id' the whole Kirghiz steppe region, 

 which also produces over large areas shrubs used a,s fuel in the mining works, all the remain- 

 ing plains are covered more or less thickly with birch patches or spinnies, in local languiige 

 k 1 k s, giving the locality a very peculiar appearance. These birch copses, mingling when 

 viewed at a distance, produce the effect of an unbroken forest. Traversing hundreds and thous- 

 ands of vcrsls by the Western Siberian tract, the; traveller sees everywhere on the horizon 

 as it were uninterrupted forests. Where here and there these birch spinnies are absent, it 

 is in the majority of cases due to their destruction by the axe and fire and the subsequent 

 pasturing of cattle. Thus the nomad population of the Akmolinsk territory with its numerous 

 herds is gradually thrusting back towards the north the line of forest vegetation in the steppes, 

 on which account the barren desert is ever advancing more and more from the south. 

 The care of preserving these groves in the steppes should be one of the chief duties of the 

 local authorities, especially now that a railway is being carried through this locality. The 

 distribution of birch patches over the steppe surface may for the most part be called ideal, 

 constituting precisely that combination of wood, arable land and pasture which is everywhere 

 and at all times desirable in the interests of agriculture. Thanks alone to this happy dispo- 

 sition of the forests in this part of Siberia, notwithstanding the not wholly favourable atmos- 

 pheric conditions and the mediocre soil, crops and grass thrive well. The population of this 

 zone would not know bad harvests, were it not that the grasshopper, always laying its eggs 

 in the treeless Kirghiz steppe, creeps thence into the rich crops of the cultivated fields. In 

 this the most densely inhabited zone the birch furnishes the peasant with everything, timber 

 and fuel and wood for every purpose. All the huts and farm buildings in the villages are made 

 of it, even the roofs are of birch bark. Birch is the exclusive fuel in towns and settlements 

 as in works, and furnishes the sole material for all farming implements. The consumption is 

 enormous, and the birch spinnies are melting away like spring snow. This zone is now being 

 cut through by the chief artery of the railway, which will call forth a still greater consump- 

 tion of birch fuel. 



The predominance of the hirch in the middle low lying cultivated zone is manifested 

 over the whole extent of Siberia from the Obi to the east. Here the birch zone continues 

 however with some interruptions caused by the contour of the locality. It shows a more char- 

 acteristic appearance in the Achinsk district and in Transbaikalia. 



Mountain Woodlands. 



The zone of mountain forests embraces the whole of Siberia from the south. FromSemi- 

 rechia to Vladivostok lies an almost uninterrupted chain of mountains, under various names, 

 Thian-Shan, the two Alatau, Tarbagatai, Altai, Sayan, Stanovoi range, Yablonovy, and 



