The American Steppes: The Unexpected Russian Roots of Great Plains Agriculture, 1870s-1930s

Cover
Half-title
Series information
Title page
Copyright information
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
List of Figures, Maps, and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Notes on the Text
	Place Names
	Names of Plants
	Transliteration from Cyrillic
	Archival References
Dramatis Personae
List of Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
	Comparing the Great Plains and the Steppes
	American and Russian Attitudes to Their and Other Grassland Regions
	Transfers between the Steppes and the Great Plains
	Sources and Methodology
	Historiography
	Structure of the Book
Part I Contexts
	Chapter 1 Settlement
	Chapter 2 Barriers
		Introduction
		Competition in World Grain Market
		American Perceptions of Russian ''Backwardness''
			American Famine Relief in the Steppes
			The Persecution of Jews in the Russian Empire
			Opposition to the Tsarist Autocracy
		American Ignorance of Russian Agricultural Sciences before c. 1900
		Language Barrier
		American Suspicion of Communism after 1917
		Resistance to Change
		Conclusion
	Chapter 3 Bridges
		Introduction
		Recognition of Similarities between the Steppes and Great Plains: Travelers' Accounts
			Travelers from Russia in the Great Plains
			Americans in the Steppes
		Immigrants in the United States from the Russian Empire and Soviet Russia
		Russian and American Studies of the Other's Grassland Agriculture
			Russian Studies of American Agriculture
			American Studies of Russian Agriculture
		Contacts between Scientists
		Building Bridges: Conclusions
Part II Transfers
	Chapter 4 Wheat
		Introduction
		Wheat and Other Cereals in the Steppes
		Wheat and Other Cereals in the Great Plains to the 1870s
		Mennonite Immigrants
		USDA Plant Explorers
		Contacts between American and Russian/Soviet Agricultural Scientists
		The International Grain Trade
		Conclusion
	Chapter 5 Soil Science I
		Introduction
		Russian Soil Science in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
		Soil Science in the United States in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
		The American Reception of Russian Soil Science to 1914
		Conclusion
	Chapter 6 Soil Science II
		Introduction
		The Dissemination of Russian Soil Science in Europe and North America: Konstantin Glinka and Curtis Marbut
			International Conferences of ''Agrogeology'' before 1914
			Glinka's Book in German
			Marbut's Appointment to Head the U.S. Soil Survey
			Marbut and Glinka's Book
		Marbut's Field Work in the Great Plains and the Origins of a New Classification System
			The Great Plains
			Towards a New Classification System
		Marbut Leads a ''Russian Revolution'' in U.S. Government Soil Science
			The Reaction Inside the Bureau of Soils
			Interludes Away from the Bureau of Soils
			Marbut's Tactful and Cautious ''Russian Revolution''
			Marbut Wins over Soil Survey Workers
			The ''Russian Revolution'' Accomplished
			Intervention by Russian Émigré Soil Scientists
			Russian Soil Science in the United States Outside the USDA Soils Bureau
		The International Congresses of Soil Science in the United States and Soviet Union in 1927 and 1930
		Conclusion
	Chapter 7 Shelterbelts I
		Introduction
		Russian Forestry and Shelterbelts in the Steppes to the 1930s
		American Forestry and Shelterbelts in the Great Plains to the 1930s
		The Introduction of Trees and Shrubs from the Steppes to the Great Plains
		The Transfer of Russian Experience and Expertise to the United States to the 1930s
		Conclusion
	Chapter 8 Shelterbelts II
		Introduction
		Launching the Shelterbelt
		Planning the Shelterbelt
		Debating the Shelterbelt
		Conclusion
	Chapter 9 Tumbleweed
		Introduction
		Tumbleweed (Perekati-pole) in the Steppes
		The Introduction and Spread of Tumbleweed in the Great Plains
		Consequences
		Efforts to Control and Eradicate Tumbleweed
		Conclusion
Conclusion
	Introduction
	The Transfers and their Legacies
	The Fate of Russian/Soviet–American Cooperation
	How the Great Plains and the Steppes Resemble Each Other, but Differ from the Eastern United States and Western Europe
	Unexpected Russian Roots of Great Plains Agriculture?
		Perceptions
		Global and Longer-Term Contexts
	Contrasting the Great Plains and the Steppes
	Conclusion
List of Archival Collections Cited
	Kazakhstan
	Russian Federation
	Ukraine
	United States of America
Index