General view of the steppe from state house

S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky's comment:

Golodnaya [Golodnaya is hungry in Russian] Steppe. Here we can see a little blue line - it is the canal — Aryk, flowing out of Imperor Nicolaus I canal. The steppe is called Golodnaya [hungry] only by prejudice. In fact the steppe is satiated but it has no water, it has places which don't require fertilizers. The cotton planted in this place is superior quality. This palce is very rich but, unfortunately, little irrigated — everything is burnt by the sun.