000), but for the contracts that were made there. This fair bore some resemblance to foreign produce exchanges, and its business was principally done in sugar, spirits, wheat, seeds, agricultural produce, etc., and in the purchase, sale, and leasing of land. Bankers, manufacturers, agriculturalists, and others met at Kief during the fair to settle their outstanding accounts, and make contracts for future fulfillment. It was also customary for the stockholders of most of the sugar factories within a wide radius to assemble at Kief for their annual meetings. This fair has now lost most of its importance, however.

The enormous timber trade of Russia is still largely conducted through special fairs, of which the most important are those held at Kozmodemiansk, Kazan Government, from June to August, and at Tomel, Mohilev Government, in January. The average turnover of each of these fairs is $1,500,000 to $1,800,000.

Some 5,000 horse fairs are held throughout Russia each year, the largest being at Simbirsk, with a turnover of about $75,000, and cattle fairs are held in the steppe Provinces of Voronezh, Kharkof, and the Don. From 3,000 to 15,000 head of cattle are annually sold to salters at these fairs.

FORESTS

Russia now occupies first place among the nations of the world in the extent of its timber resources, the value and quality of two-thirds of which are practically unknown. The total area of the Empire is about one-seventh of the land surface of the globe, and 39 per cent of it is under forests. Those in European Russia cover an area of 474,000,000 acres; in Finland, 50,500,000 acres; in Poland, 6,700,000 acres; and in the Caucasus, 18,600,000 acres; a total of 549,800,000 acres, exclusive of Siberia. In the Ural Provinces, forests cover 70 per cent of the area, in the northern Provinces 68 per cent, and in the four lake Provinces 57 per cent. It is estimated that in western Siberia alone, there are 465,000,000 acres of virgin forest, and eastern Siberia, while not so richly endowed, has sufficient timber to supply the world's demand for years to come.

The Government owns 285,598,941 acres of forest land in European Russia, 12,826,387 acres in the Caucasus, 360,519,435 acres in Asiatic Russia, and 288,742,000 acres in the Amur region, a total of 947,686,763 acres. Twentythree per cent of the forest land belonged to landed proprietors and 9 per cent to the peasantry in 1910.

The principal timber lands of eastern Siberia are in the valleys of the Amur River system, which cover an area of about 2,000,000 square miles. Of this area, only about 400,000 miles is considered available for timbering, but according to local calculations, allowing 45 merchantable trees to the acre, this would give some 11,520,000,000 trees. As the time required for these trees to mature is placed at 100 years, 115,200,000 trees could be cut per annum without diminishing the forests, with proper reforestration methods.

The timber areas of Siberia are now being rapidly exploited together with

the fisheries, particularly by foreign capitalists. The Forestry Department places the total timber land in Siberia at 810,000,000 acres, of which twothirds can be successfully placed on the market.

JOINT MEETING OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS

TH

HE second joint meeting of the Association of American Geographers and the American Geographical Society was held in New York City on April 9th and 10th. It was attended by nearly half the members of the Association of American Geographers and by members of the American Geographical Society and teachers of geography in New York City. Nine papers were given, dealing with various phases of physiography and human geography. The fields discussed included the islands in the South Seas, Argentina, southwestern United States, Labrador, Alaska, and Europe. The topics included coral reefs, oases, desert basins, glaciers, and glaciated mountains. Man's activities as influenced by geographical factors were discussed in connection with agricultural industries, with war and the weather, with race geography, and with the relations of geography and history. The papers by W. M. Davis on The Coast of New Caledonia, by M. L. Fernald on The Natural History of Ancient Vinland and. Its Geographic Significance, and by Bailey Willis on Argentina and the Argentines were of especial interest. An evening session at the residence of Mr. George A. Plimpton was devoted to an exhibit of early American text books of geography. Among these were many rare books of very early date; there were text books made up entirely of questions and answers, text books written in verse, a geography written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and several geographies published in the Confederate states during the Civil War. Owing to the fact that the number of papers read at the meeting was small there was an unusual opportunity for discussion. The map exhibit by the American Geographical Society included sets of large scale topographic sheets issued by the general staffs of the larger European countries and illustrating every section of the world in which fighting has taken place during the present war. There were also maps showing the topography and geology of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and sheets from the new agricultural atlas of the United States now in preparation by the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture. L. M.

FOREIGN COMMERCE OF THE LEADING PORTS

(Combined exports and imports mostly for 1912. U. S. figures are for 1913.)

The March National Geographic Magazine is almost wholly devoted to a superbly illustrated article on "Washington: Its Beginning, Its Growth and Its Future," by Ex-President Taft. There are 32 pages and two Panoramas in colors, and scores of half tones.

There is also a delightful paper on "Impressions of Palestine" by the Honorable James Bryce.

The National Geographic Society is the largest and richest Geographical society in the world, with nearly 400,000 members and assets of $370,000.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

NORTHERN PATAGONIA, Character and Resources. By Bailey Willis. Copyrighted (1914) by the Author for the Ministry of Public Works of Argentina. Published by Chas. Scribners Sons, N. Y. Text volume (464 pp.) $6.00 net. Map volume, $2.00.

This volume has grown out of the studies and surveys made by Mr. Willis's party for the Argentine government. The text volume includes upwards of a dozen maps and the map volume contains 13 folded maps, mainly topographic. The text is illustrated with 37 plates, about half of which are beautifully executed photogravures.

The book contains a great deal of good geography and it is to be regretted that the price places it out of reach of most teachers.

Speaking of agricultural conditions the author says: "Were the farmers of the United States transplanted to Argentina they would find congenial climates and products to accord with their experiences at home in different sections of the country." The river provinces along the Parana and Paraguay and the provinces to the west and southwest are declared to be the heart of the nation, the region which will always be the seat of Argentine wealth. and commerce. Irrigation to a limited degree along the Andean foothills is possible and will be profitable. Vast areas are suited only to grazing, yet much of the land now devoted to grazing will become agricultural land. Without coal, the country has little prospect of developing manufactures: "Agriculture, grazing and commerce are the activities clearly indicated as those which the Argentine nation must develop on the basis of the physical resources of the country." The forests are limited, and the valuable quebracho wood is being rapidly cut to make tanning extract. "The mate or Paraguayan tea takes a more important place in Argentine life than does coffee in North America." The conservation and proper utilization of the water resources form one of the greatest of the economic problems. The introductory chapter deals with Argentina as a whole but the remaining chapters hold rather closely to detailed descriptions of various parts of Northern Patagonia.

COLLEGE PHYSIOGRAPHY, by Ralph Stockman Tarr. 8vo. 837 pp. The Macmillan Company, 1914. $3.50.

This admirable volume is one of the latest fruits of Professor Tarr's tireless labors in the field of geography. His manuscript has been edited by Professor Martin, who has added the book and map lists, has written the seven chapters dealing with the earth's magnetism and the atmosphere, and has illustrated the entire work. It need hardly be added that to the junior author the task was a labor of love, in thus completing a worthy monument to the memory of a distinguished student of earth science. The volume is worthy to fill a large place in college instruction and is an indispensable source of help to every teacher of geography in the secondary schools.

Introductory chapters deal with the relations of the earth sciences, the history of physical geography, and fundamental facts in the fields of astronomy,