western provinces of Tobolsk and Tomsk. As, however, these provinces become more settled, the wave of immigration will extend to Central Siberia.
Agriculture
The chief industries in Central Siberia are agriculture and stock rearing. Practically all the 560,000 peasants of the provinces are directly engaged in one or other of these pursuits. The rearing of live stock as a sole occupation on a large scale is dying out, as the Tartars on the Minusinsk and Abakansk steppes become more and more settled in habits. It is, in fact, only on the Tartar reserves in these steppes that live stock is the principal industry and the sole means of subsistence for the flock owners. Elsewhere settled agriculture is the order of the day, and the agricultural system, which is breaking up the Tartar ranches, utilizes live stock as an adjunct to cereal cultivation. It must not, however, be supposed that the head of stock in Central Siberia is decreasing, but rather that agriculture is greatly on the increase.
The richest agricultural areas are to be found in the Achinsk and Minusinsk districts. The former district is suited for rye and winter wheat on account of the early winter and the comparatively deep snow, while in the Minusinsk district spring wheat is the principal crop, for the warm dry summers enable the crop to mature before the autumn frosts. On the other hand, winter wheat fails to survive here on account of the cold winds and the absence of snow on the steppes. Occasional droughts in June or July stand in the way of good crops of spring wheat, although the average rainfall at Minusinsk is 285 mm.
