blackfoot-valley

and mountainous regions, except that in the Eurasian region the plains are found in the western part and the mountains in the east, while the reverse is the case in America. Both the Eurasian and North American regions are dry, more specifically semi-arid. Both show great temperature ranges from summer to winter, with extremes of heat and cold naturally greater in the Eurasian steppes simply because Asia is the larger continent and its interior therefor lies further from the moderating influences of the oceans. As a whole, in this vast Asian region, just as in the American one, the predominant natural ground cover is “steppe” - that is, short grasses - and the most characteristic human activity has been livestock raising. No coinci- dence this. In both regions, raising stock is simply the most sensible long- term use of most of the land, economically as well as environmentally. Yes, significant agriculture is carried on in both regions. Soviet Premier Krushchev’s ambitious “Virgin Lands” program in northern Kazakhstan dur- ing the 1950s and 1960s comes immediately to mind, and the Ukraine has for some time been a “breadbasket” for Russia. But this type of sub-humid to semi-arid environment is subject to periods of unpredictable drought with devastating consequences both to those dependent on agriculture and to the regional environment where it is practiced. The Asian “virgin lands” have fallen far short of the glowing promises made by the Soviets; there has been 41