129

THE SOUTHERN STATES.

(WESTERN SECTION.)

—+o+-—_.

Surface. — Along the coast of this section
there is a belt of low flat land, from forty to
sixty miles wide. Back of this coast plain
lie vast rolling prairies. In the west and
northwest the surface consists of rugged
plateaus and low mountain ranges.

fiwers.—This section has many
long rivers. The Mississippi
is a famous highway of com-

  
  
   

the southeast the rainfall is very heavy,
because moist gulf winds sweep over that
part.
Timber. — There is plenty of timber in the
eastern half of this group of states. Thick
forests of cypress cover
Many square miles in the
southeast. Oak, cot-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

merce. The Red river and the
Arkansas also are broad and
deep. Every day in the year
steamboats ply on these
streams.

  
   
  
 
 

tonwood, cedar, mag-
nolia, walnut and
pecan trees thrive
in the river bot-
toms. Texas has
millions of acres

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of yellow pine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

steamers
go up the |
Mississip-
pi to New
Orleans. |
In the
rainy sea- 5
son all the
large rivers in the
south can be used
as water routes.
Climate-—These
states are mainly
in the warm belt. In

 
 
  
 
  
  
  

woods. (See map,
page 95.)
Agriculture.
;- — Most of the
soil in this
group ot
yStates is
very rich.
Nearly
g every kind
of crop
raised in
the United
States can

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

summer cool breezes blow
inland from the gulf. The climate of the
great prairie region is dry and bracing. In
the north snow ‘sometimes falls, yet the
winters are mild.
Rain enough falls in all parts of this
section, except in the extreme west. There
the crops sometimes suffer from drought. In

 

 

 

 

be grown
The leading crop is cotton. Other
products are sugar, rice, corn and wheat.
(See maps, pages 93 and 94.)

Minerals. — Coal is mined in Arkansas,
Indian Territory and Texas. (See map, page
97.) There are beds of iron ore in the central
part of this section, but they are not much

here.