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6. The Atlantic Plain is a long belt of lowland between the Eastern Highland and the ocean.

It is widest at the south, but narrows rapidly towards the mouth of the Hudson River, where it almost disappears. Farther east it again widens to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The rivers of the Atlantic Plain cross it at right angles to the line of the highland, in which they have their

sources.

Most of them are navigable till interrupted by falls or rapids at some distance from the sea. These falls furnish valuable waterpower, and have determined the location of many important cities.

The Atlantic Plain is drained by numerous short, separate, and parallel rivers, and all the rest of the country by a few great river systems.

7. The climate of the low eastern half of the United States is in general much cooler than that of the Western Highland in the same latitude.

Frequent rains are brought at all seasons

by the moist winds from the Gulf of
Mexico, the Atlantic, and the Great
Lakes. The rain-fall on the Atlantic
coast increases towards the south; on
the Pacific coast towards the north;
Lower California in Mexico is almost
rainless. The winters of the eastern

half are long and severe in the north,
but mild in the south; the summers are
generally hot.

8. The fertile soil, warm summers, abundant rains, and great range of latitude make the eastern half of the United States, in the quantity, variety, and value of its agricultural productions, the richest large section of the globe inhabited by a single nation.

Dense forests cover the Atlantic Plain, the Eastern Highland, and the neighboring parts of the Great Central Plain, except where cleared for the purpose of cultivation.

If from Toledo on Lake Erie two lines be drawn, one to Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico, and the other to the head-waters of the Red River of the North, nearly all the forests in the United States east of the Cascade Mountains will be east of these lines. The southern portions of both plains constitute the region of abundant summer showers; without these cotton could not be cultivated. Rice, sugar-cane, Indian corn, and tobacco are also characteristic agricultural productions. (See Rain Map.) Immense prairies occupy the rest of the Great Central Plain.

The prairie region is broad in the north and narrow in the south.
It has long and frequent summer droughts. These do not pre-

The value of these advantages is greatly increased by the other physical conditions already considered. The average fall of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and their chief branches in the Central Plain, is only about four inches to the mile; that of the St. Lawrence, including the Great Lakes, is still less: this opens the whole region to steam navigation. The generally level face of the country makes it easy to construct railroads. canals, and common roads. Of railways there were in 1889 over 154,000 miles in operation, or two thirds as many as in all the rest of the world. It will therefore be seen that

9. The physical geography of the eastern half of the United States gives it agricultural and commercial advantages unequalled by those of any other country on the globe.

10. The eastern half of the United States may be divided into two regions differing remarkably in vegetation, in consequence of difference in rain-fall.

vent the extensive cultivation of wheat and other grains, which are produced in enormous quantities. The prairies are rapidly being converted into farms covered with hedge-rows, orchards, and forest trees.

11. Large wild animals, such as wolves, wild-cats, panthers, bears, and deer, once abounded. Though still found in some districts, they are greatly reduced in numbers. The country now contains millions of domesticated animals, among which are cattle, sheep, swine, and horses.

Questions (I.)-1. What is the character of the eastern half of the United States? In what two particulars? What subdivisions does it contain?-2. How does the Eastern Highland compare with the Western? In what is it remarkably rich? By what is it intersected? What valleys in this depression? What does it form?— 3. How does this highland divide the lowlands? What name is given to each ?4. Where is the Great Central Plain?-5. What is said of the Mississippi River? Of the Missouri River?-6. What and where is the Atlantic Plain? How do its rivers cross it?-7. What is said of the climate of the eastern half of the United States ?[For the remaining questions on this section, see page 29.]

is the extent of the Great Central Plain? In what valley does it mostly lie? What else does the Mississippi Valley include? To what has it been likened?-5. What is said of the Amazon system?-6. Where is the Atlantic Plain widest? Where narrowest? What is said of the navigation of its rivers? Of what use are these falls? In what respect does the drainage of this plain differ from that of other portions of the country?—7. What cause the frequent rains in the low eastern half of the United States? In what direction does the rain-fall increase on the On the Pacific coast? What part is almost rainless? Atlantic coast?

What is said of the winters? Of the summers?-8. What is said of the average fall of the Mississippi and its branches? Of the St. Lawrence? What advantage results from the level face What is the effect of this? of the country? How many miles of railways in 1889 ?-10. What two lines separate the treeless regions of the West from the forest regions of the East? What important production particularly depends upon frequent showers? What are the other agricultural productions? What is the form of the prairie region? What is said of its climate? What are the staple productions? What change are the prairies undergoing?

6. Connecticut.

1. No. Dakota.. 2. So. Dakota.. 3. Nebraska... 4. Kansas 5. Indian T. 6. Oklahoma T. 7. Texas.

1. Montana. 2. Wyoming. 3. Colorado.

1. Idaho.

1. Alaska T.

2. Nevada.

2. Washington.

3. Utah T.

3. Oregon.

4. New Mexico T.

4. Arizona T. 4. California.

NOTE.-The North Atlantic States are often called the Eastern States, or New England; the Middle Atlantic States, the Middle States; the five South Atlantic States and the five South Central States, together with Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, the Southern States; and the rest, the Western States. Many other terms in frequent use require no explanation; as, the Gulf States, Lake States, Mississippi States, Alleghany States, Cotton States, etc. For the sake of convenience, the territories are grouped with the states in this table.

6. There are forty-four states, six territories, and one federal district, called the District of Columbia.

All but thirteen of the states are in the low half. All the territories are in the high half. NOTE.-The District of Columbia covers only 70 square miles, and is not represented on the map.

map

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