— 54 — 



however, maintains (1. c. p. 123) that saline soil must be washed 

 for two winters before it is fit to be tilled. 



Batpak or Batliak, according to Choroshkin (cited by 

 MusKETOW p. 655), must be closely related to Ssor. These 

 are swampy depressions with efflorescent salts, and they are 

 nearly always found by salt-lakes and may be partly covered 

 by water. It must be areas of this kind which Borszczow 





Fig. 3. To the left Salt-desert with scattered Halostachys caspica. The 



soil to the right of the mound has been irrigated once and is covered with 



a thick growth of Aeluropus littoralis. Near Buchara in May. 



has described as "Salt-deserts" and whose brilliancy of co- 

 lour he admires so much. Antonow's "Swamp-lakes" must 

 also be of this same type. 



If the above assumptions are correct, Batpak must be 

 more swampy than Ssor. Only near Chiwa have I seen 

 salt-swamps which can be classed in this category. These 

 are small, shallow, stinking salt-lakes, surrounded by a snowy- 

 white salt-steppe which is flat or slightly undulating. The 

 salt-plain is similar to the Ssor described above, and has 

 large tracts without any plants, but in most of the depres- 

 sions are found fresh green groups oiSalicornia or Halimocnemis. 



