236 SIBERIA 



the Kalmucks are able to sell their horses so cheaply. 

 On orie of the mountain slopes we saw a herd of 

 about 200 of them, besides a number of sheep and 

 cattle, while, in the neighbourhood of one Kalmuck 

 hut alone, the group of horses numbered from fifty 

 to sixty. I am quite sure that a large trade could 

 be done with Siberia when the projected railway 

 through the Altai district is completed, and that one 

 day the Siberian cattle-dealers may become as 

 wealthy as the famous rancheros of America. 



The country is an ideal one for cattle-breeding. 

 In the numerous level valleys the snow only falls 

 sparingly in winter, the vegetation is luxuriant, and 

 the mountains are a magnificent barrier against the 

 bitter winter winds, while their slopes are not too 

 precipitous to supply well-drained, succulent grass for 

 the cattle. As regards richness of pasture land this 

 country is vastly superior to Switzerland, and should, 

 under suitable conditions, produce in abundance the 

 finest cattle and the richest milk in the worlds 



As I have said elsewhere, a system of rapid transit 

 is an essential condition. Given that, Siberian pro- 

 duce will work a revolution in the agricultural 

 markets of the world, for no other country could 

 hope to compete with a region where labour is at 

 its cheapest and the pasturage at its best, both as 

 regards quality and abundance. 



iWe saw numbers of wild ducks and game birds of 

 every description. At times the sky was literally 

 blotted out by large flocks. Our driver kept a watch 

 on the birds, while my fellow-traveller held his gun 

 ready for a shot. We came across one large flock 

 on the water, where the spring floods had invaded 

 the low-lying portion of a valley, and my companion 

 proceeded to stalk it. He got within 30 yards, and, 

 as they began to rise, bagged one and wounded 

 another, which made off, flapping its wings on the 



