The American steppes : the unexpected Russian roots of Great Plains agriculture, 1870s-1930s
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The American steppes : the unexpected Russian roots of Great Plains agriculture, 1870s-1930s
（Studies in environment and history）
Cambridge University Press, 2020
- : hardback
Available at / 2 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Beginning in the 1870s, migrant groups from Russia's steppes settled in the similar environment of the Great Plains. Many were Mennonites. They brought plants, in particular grain and fodder crops, trees and shrubs, as well as weeds. Following their example, and drawing on the expertise of emigre Russian-Jewish scientists, the US Department of Agriculture introduced more plants, agricultural sciences, especially soil science; and methods of planting trees to shelter the land from the wind. By the 1930s, many of the grain varieties in the Great Plains had been imported from the steppes. The fertile soil was classified using the Russian term 'chernozem'. The US Forest Service was planting shelterbelts using techniques pioneered in the steppes. And, tumbling across the plains was an invasive weed from the steppes: tumbleweed. Based on archival research in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, this book explores the unexpected Russian roots of Great Plains agriculture.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I. Contexts: 1. Settlement
- 2. Barriers
- 3. Bridges
- Part II. Transfers: 4. Wheat
- 5. Soil science I
- 6. Soil science II
- 7. Shelterbelts I
- 8. Shelterbelts II
- 9. Tumbleweed
- Conclusion
- List of archival collections cited
- Index.
by "Nielsen BookData"