26 " THE LEAVES OF THE TREE IVCre FOR THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS. 



ecorchingly hot in summer, burst with full fury on the great plains. In summer 

 their blasts are capable of withering the corn in a few days and with them come 

 sand storms, which turn fertile land into permanent deserts. The unfortunate 

 experience of Central Asia, which once was a garden of fertility and now is a des- 

 ert peopled by nomads only, are repeating themselves. 



DRIFT SAND FROM THE DESERT. "In the province of Astrachan an area of 800 

 square miles is covered by drift sand ; in that of Strawropol whole villages have 

 disappeared, and in 1885 soldiers had to be summoned to clear the sand from the 

 houses. In the produce of Tauris the sand now covers 150,000 des<jaetines 

 (1.00925 hect); the same disastrous effects took place in the north, where, after 

 the destruction of the forests in the provinces of Samara, Woronesh and Tchern- 

 igow, hundreds of S'^nd hills arose, which gradually covered the fertile land. A 

 further consequence is that the rivers become shallower. In winter there is noth- 

 ing to hold the snow, which is blown together into large heaps; these with the 

 thaw dissolve into temporary torrents, washing away acres of tillage, and carrying 

 off all moisture before it has had time to soak into the soil. 



THE DRYING UP OF THE RIVERS. "The river beds cannot contain all this 

 water, and inundations occur ; but when it has swept down there is no further 

 supply. The Woronesh, on which Peter the Great built his first ships, is now a 

 mere rivulet; the Worskla, which fifteen years ago was a beautiful river, sur- 

 rounded by woods and pastures, has absolutely disappeared ; the Oka has become 

 so shallow chat barges coming from Nishegorod were stranded upon its sands. At 

 Dorogobush the Dnjepr can be crossed by carriages; on the Dnjepr the navigation 

 had to be stopped, as its depth was reduced to 2 or 3 feet; 0nd even on the Volga 

 steam navigation is interrupted in many parts, the river not being able to carry 

 away the sandbanks; it is calculated that the volume of its water has decreased by 

 24,000,000 cubic meters. It is evident that even the most costly works for open- 

 ing the channels will be of little avail; the cause lies in the devastation of the for- 

 ests; the law by which the government interdicted the ruthless fall of timber has 

 come too late, and replanting is slow work, although it is the only remedy against 

 the evil." 



The following reliable outline with copies of photos of an American 

 mischief creating Sahara, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle of 

 April 9, 1893. The writer, a Mr. Frederick I. Monsen, recently returned 

 to San Francisco after a three months exploration tour through " Mojave 

 Desert and Death Valley," about which he now writes: 



"Death Valley is known as the region of lowest depression in the world, besides 

 claiming the flattering appellation of being the hottest place on earth. It is 430 

 feet below the level or the sea. The valley is seventy- five miles long and from eight 

 to fifteen miles wide." (A splendid breeding field for insect plagues and their broad- 

 cast distributing whirlwinds.) On the ea^t the valley is bounded by the Funeral 

 mountains, which attain an elevation of from 6000 to 8000 feet, and on west it is in- 

 closed by the Panarnint rage, which reaches a height of from 8000 to 10.000 feet. 

 "The valley is an independent drainage basin, and the eastern part is filled with 

 a wash of rock and gravel, the result of cloudbursts. Immense fields of borax and 

 soda cover a large section of country in the eastern part of the valley, and salt 

 marshes of the almost pure chloride extend over a vast area of land. From a spring 

 in Furnace creek wash, the entrance to this arid country, the Pacific Coast Borax 

 Company cultivates about thirty acres of land in alfalfa, the only evidence of civili- 

 z.itiqn in the entire district. Were it not for this ranch it would be well nigh im- 

 possible to make the trip across the valley, as by no other means could feed for the 

 horses be obtained. The nearest accessible point to Death Valley is Daggett, a 

 small station on the Atlantic and Pacific Railway. It is 105 miles distance from 

 this point to the valley, and requires a journey of seven days to cover the ground. 

 On the road there aie but three springs, two of which are sixty miles apart. Travel- 

 ers are, therefore, compelled to carry water for themselves and beasts, and when 

 it is added that one has an inordinate thirst on the desert the burden can be con- 

 sidered no light one. A man will drink three gallons of water a day and the 



