GRODNO, one of the former Lithuanian Governments of western Russia, which, since the war of 1914-18, has been, as regards its northern part, in dispute between Poland and Lith uania. The Government of the Polish republic has occupied prac tically the whole area and has created the new administrative county of Bialystok (q.v.). In view of the international difficulties, it may be found useful to maintain, in the present edition, some account of the area as it formerly was. Its area was 14,926 sq.m and its population was somewhat under two millions, mainly White Russians (54%), with large Jewish (17.4%), and Polish (1o%) elements, also Lithuanians and Germans. Prior to when it was annexed by Russia, it had been Polish for centuries. Grodno is called, by the Lithuanians, Gardinas. In Jan. 1929 the Soviet Government made overtures to Lithuania and Poland (in connection with the Kellogg Peace Pact), to the effect that these three countries should send a declaration to the Powers that the conditions of the Peace Pact have always been binding on them, and there was no need to await the ratification of the treaty on the part of the other signatories. It was boldly stated by some of the Russian newspapers that the Soviet idea was to obtain sanc tion by such a treaty for the annexation of certain territories, but others asserted that it was nothing more than a move toward the consolidation of the Baltic States. Immediately after the revolu tion there was much shuffling of provinces and territories; for some years the districts and areas bordering on Russia were in a state of flux; by a system of gradual assimilation some of the terri tories were absorbed with the Soviet Union—others were simply annexed.
Except for some hills (not exceeding 925 ft.) in the north, it is a uniform plain, and is drained chiefly by the Bug, Niemen, Narev and Bobr; all navigable. There are also several canals, the most important being the Augustowo and Oginsky. Granites and gneisses crop out along the Bug, Cretaceous, and especially Ter tiary, deposits elsewhere. The soil is mostly sandy, and in the district of Grodno and along the rivers is often drift-sand. Forests, principally of Coniferae, cover more than one-fourth of the area. Amongst them are some that, before 1914-18, were of vast extent, e.g., those of Grodno (410 sq.m.) and Byelovitsa (Bialowice) (376 sq.m.), embracing wide areas of marshy ground. In the last mentioned forest the wild ox survived, having been jealously pre served since 1803. Peat bogs, sometimes as much as 4 to 7 ft. thick, cover extensive districts. The climate is wet and cold, the annual mean temperature being F, the January mean and the July mean 64.5°. The rainfall amounts to 212 in. ; hail is frequent. Agriculture is the predominant industry, and over 24 million acres are arable. The crops principally grown are potatoes, rye, oats, wheat, flax, hemp and some tobacco. Horses, cattle and sheep are bred in fairly large numbers. There is, however, a cer tain amount of manufacturing industry, especially in woollens, dis tilling and tobacco. There are also other factories which produce silk, shoddy, and leather. The district is crossed by the main lines of railway from Warsaw to Leningrad and from Warsaw to Moscow.