For in spite of their monotony when viewed from the standpoint of scenery the steppes of Little Russia are perhaps the richest agricultural region in the world. Their fertility is due to the famous tsherno zemli or "black earth" which covers the underljTng strata for more than a yard in thickness — a deposit which except for certain sandy stretches, extends over nearly the entire southern portion of Russia from the Dnieper to the Caspian. In many places the name popularly given this rich soil is no exaggeration, for when newly turned by the plow it is almost as black as coal. The composition of this natural garden soil is due to a centurylong process. Layers of decaying vegetation are deposited by the natural crop of grasses with which these plains are covered ever^' season when left uncultivated. The Russian peasant firmly believes that even without manure or artificial fertilizer the richness of this land is inexhaustible. In many parts scientific investigation seems to bear out his contention that manures are not only superfluous, but detrimental. By plowing to a depth of only six inches the black earth is capable of giving phenomenal crops for five or six years in succession after which if allowed to lie fallow during a few seasons all its fertility appears to return. It is this natural richness of soil which has brought about the dangerously improWdent forms of agriculture to which the Cossack farmer is wedded. Indeed, his inability to compete with more skillful farmers from less fertile localities lies at the bottom of his slow expropriation by the latter whenever they meet in open competition. If fertility were the only question to be considered in the black earth region, the plains of South Russia would be an agricultural paradise and the Cossacks and peasants inhabiting them the happiest of men. Unfortimately, however, these vast plains are the scene of such sudden and violent changes of weather that no human ingenuity may forestall their effect. So powerful are the rays of the southern sun that disastrous droughts frequently result from a seasonable rainfall deferred but for a few days. Again, under normal winter conditions these plains are covered by snow for five months of the year, forming a necessary protection against the biting frost which otherwise destroys the autumn sowing. But in many parts of the "black earth" region (notably towards the east) the violent winds of winter blow unchecked by hill or forest, carrying away the snowy covering, thereby allowing the soil to freeze sometimes to a depth of a yard or more. In such cases the whole process of sowing must be begun over again in the spring. The preference of the Cossack "old-timer" for cattle raising and breeding, even on such fertile pastm'age, is therefore readily to be understood.
In the face of great natural forces wholly beyond his control, fatalism and faith in the omnipotence of a higher power are outstanding characteristics of the Cossack farmer. These qualities carried beyond a certain point are, however, curiously liable to resemble indolence and improvidence. Moreover, these faults are especially dangerous when they do not carry with them the inevitable punishment meted out to men of northern climes. The recent development of the coal and iron fields underlj'ing the agricultural riches of South Russia have done much to change the character of the country and its inhabitants.
The journey from Kiev to Kharkov lies through a classic land of old Cossack histor}" and romance. Yet there is little to remind one of this vanished ciiHization until the shores of the Don are reached. The contrast between Kiev — its pious silhouette of domes and convent towers rising from the plains of the Dnieper — and Kharkov, the commercial and industrial center of South Russia, is wholly significant of the changes which have overtaken all the western Cossack steppes. Once a mere Cossack settlement, Kharkov lies at the apex of the triangle formed by the great industrial region of South Russia, the Krivoi-Rog. Thus, the iron fields to the north of the Dnieper and the relatively new industrial enterprises of the Donetz coal basin are at its doors. Here center the three essential elements of a modem commercial and industrial El Dorado, i.e., coal, iron and population.
The country in which these rich deposits are found, instead of presenting the barren and unattractive landscape so often associated with mining districts, is covered with wheat-fields and pasture lands. Here it is no uncommon spectacle to see great factories and work shops trailing their plumes of black bituminous smoke across acres of ripening grain — cultivation of which ends only at the foot of their dingy walls.