6 



i 



of the Steppe Goveinments in Southern Russia, 22,8^0 acres have 

 been planted within the last 8 years. There are 762 forest stations 

 under the charge of a like number of Foresters, and as wo jour- 

 neyed over the prairie regions of Russia, we were continually 

 coming across some Forestry Station with its surrounding planta- 

 tions. Like the Beet sugar factories they are scattered all over 

 the otherwise treeless plains. Unlike the plantations in Germany 

 the Russians have planted not only their native forms of the 

 Silvestris Pine and Norway Spruce, but largely of Pedunculata 

 Oak, Ash and Basswo , and somewhat of Larch, Birch and 

 Poplar ; also in the Southern Steppe regions, Yellow Locust, 

 Maple, Elm, Honey Locust and others. 



The Imperial Forestry Association was in session at Moscow 

 at the time of our visit. Delegates from all parts of European 

 Russia had assembled under the Presidency of Dr. Arnold, 

 Director of the Agricultural College at Petrovskoe Rasumoskoe, 

 near Moscow. They me^^t biennially. We drove to the Govern- 

 ment forests in coaches holding eight persons each, on side seats, 

 back to back, driven by four stallions abreast. After luncheon I 

 was called upon (my friend, Mr. Budd, was not present that day) 

 to plant an oak, which is the joint property of the Canadian and 

 ' United States Governments, and which may be worth several 

 hundreds of dollars some centuries hence. 



These Foresters are a fine set of men. It was one of this staff 

 who, of his own accord, and at his own expense, accompanied us 

 through the fruit-growing peasant villages of Kazan, sharing our 

 discomforts and sleeping upon a bundle of hay when necessary. 



As to the climates of the places I name, I must refer to my 

 report on " Russian Fruits.'' Had I had more time I would have 

 shown what these climates are. not from Meteorological tables, 

 but from the flora in their Botanic Gardens. I would merely say 

 that the mildness of Central Europe one may judge by the trees 

 growing in the well-sheltered Botanic Gardens at Warsaw. Here, 

 in latitude 52^, we find Sophora Japonica 10 or 12 inches in 

 diameter of trunk, growing from an old stump which had grown 

 to a diameter of 2^ feet; Juglans Regia had grown up with two 



