156 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. The cut logs, when the river-courses are suf- ficiently large, are transported to different sec- tions of the country in huge rafts. 404. The Prairie Region—West of the Mis- sissippi Valley, to the Plateau of the Great Plains, the comparatively scanty rainfall pro- duces extensive prairies, covered with grasses and flowering herbs. Forests are wanting, ex- cept along the river-courses. 405. The Steppe Region—From the western limits of the Great Plains to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, lie the elevated plateaus of the predominant mountain-system. Here the rainfall is irregular and scanty, and’ the vege- tation presents the peculiarities of a true steppe. But few species of plants occur; the cactus and wild sage are characteristic. 406. The Pacific Region—From the western limits of the steppe region to the Pacific coast, lies a region whose features, in some respects, resemble those of the forest region. In Washington and Oregon dense forests of fir and spruce trees occur. The cedar, larch, maple, oak, and chestnut are common. In California the periodical rainfall nearly excludes the forest from the valleys and plains; but on the mountain-slopes, where rains are more frequent, well-marked forests abound. The pine, fir, and oak are characteristic. On the slopes of the coast mountains and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, dense forests of pine and fir trees are found. In some parts of these regions the trees frequently attain an immense size, many of them exceeding 300 feet in height. The largest are the celebrated “‘ mam- moth trees of California,’ a species of pine. Some of these trees are 350 feet high, and have a circumference of 110 feet at the base. In some of the fallen trees, the hollow, decayed trunks readily permit the passage of a man and horse. _ 407. Animal Life—The large animals now found in the United States are principally those which have been domesticated, such as the horse, cow, sheep, mule, goat, and the dog. In some of the sparsely-settled regions of the East, and over large areas in the West, a few wild animals are yet to be found. In parts of the Appalachian system, the black bear, panther, and /” deer are found. The moose is found in the north¢ ern parts of the United States. The immense herds of buffalo that once roved over the Plains west of the Mississippi are nearly extinct./ The grizzly bear and the wolf are found on the’ moun- tains of the Pacific slope. In the South, the warm, sluggish waters of the lower courses of the rivers and swamps, harbor numerous alligators. A number of species of serpents occur, but only two, the rattlesnake ands the ¢ fe are venomous. Nort pir The manatee, or sea-cow, a curious herbivorous animal with paddle-like legs, found in the shal- low waters of the coast of Florida, sometimes attains a length of ten feet. Some species of the manatee in the North Pacific, off Alaska, reach thirty feet in length. : —10 S640-0——_. CEA PERV. Agricultural and Mineral Produc- tions. 408. Agricultural Productions.*—The princi- pal agricultural productions of the United States are wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, hay, hops, potatoes, flax, tobacco, rice, cotton, and sugar. 409. The Cereals, wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, and buckwheat, are grown principally north of the 36° of north latitude. According to the census of 1890, the States giving the largest yield of corn were Jowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska, while those yielding the most wheat were Min- nesota, California, Illinois, and Indiana. The yield of corn is greater than that of any other cereal; the corn-crop of the year 1893, in the United Fig, 132, Corn-Field, States, amounted to 1,619,496,131 bushels. The wheat- crop of 1893 amounted to 395,131,725 bushels. * For Synopsis of Census Reports, see Table, page 175.