178 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



The Turin-Urga region has another commercial asset 

 in the enormous colonies of marmots which inhabit the 

 country for hundreds of miles to the north, east and 

 west. The marmots are prolific breeders — each pair 

 annually producing six or eight young — and, although 

 their fur is not especially fine, it has always been valu- 

 able for coats. Several million marmot pelts are shipped 

 every year from Mongolia, the finest coming from 

 Uliassutai in the west, and were American steel traps 

 introduced the number could be doubled. 



Urga is just being discovered as a fur market. Many 

 skins which have been taken well across the Russian 

 frontier are sold in Urga, and as the trade increases it 

 will command a still wider area. Wolves, foxes, lynx, 

 bear, wildcats, sables, martens, squirrels and marmots 

 are brought in by thousands; and great quantities of 

 sheep, goat, cow and antelope hides are sent annually 

 to Kalgan. Several foreign fur houses of considerable 

 importance already have their representatives in Urga 

 and more are coming every year. The possibilities for 

 development in this direction are almost boundless, and 

 I believe that within a very few years Urga will become 

 one of the greatest fur markets of the Orient. 



As in the south the Chinese farmer cultivates the 

 grasslands of the Mongols, so in the north the Chinese 

 merchant has assumed the trade. Many firms in Peking 

 and Tientsin have branches in Urga and make huge 

 profits in the sale of food, cloth and other essentials to 

 the Mongols and foreigners and in the export of furs, 

 skins and wool. It is well-nigh impossible to touch 



