drained by this river? Draw this river by tracing through tissue paper; indicate the water-partings. What river cuts its way to the Pacific through the western highland? What one cuts its way to the Gulf of California? What large river flows into Bering Sea? Of all the rivers of North America, which do you think are the most important for commerce? Why? Which do you think have more waterfalls, rapids, and high rocky banks? Which must have more ice? What two lakes are drained into Hudson Bay through the Nelson River? Trace the waterparting between the Hudson Bay Basin and the St. Lawrence Basin; between the Hudson Bay and Mackenzie basins; between the Mackenzie and Yukon basins. These are typical scenes in the West India Islands. Describe them. Trace the Primary Highlands of North America. Locate and tell in what direction they extend. Trace the principal rivers to the sea. Towards which ocean does the long slope of the continent extend? Towards which the short slope? What effect have the slopes upon the length and speed of the rivers? Trace the highlands in the eastern part; tell the direction in which they extend. Trace the streams carefully on the inner slope of both highlands. In the channel of what river do the inner slopes of the Pacific and the Atlantic highlands meet? Trace one eastern and three western tributaries of this river. Which is the largest? Place tissue paper over the Mississippi River system and trace it; indicate the water-partings. (Page 81.) What large river has a northerly course? It is of little importance to mankind. Can you tell why? What large river cuts the Atlantic Highlands? What five lakes belong to this river basin and are west, along the western coast to the Isthmus of Panama on the southeast. They are highest in the Mexican Plateau, which is nearly 8000 feet above sea-level. From this plateau the highlands gradually descend northward to the Arctic Ocean and southward to the Isthmus. The highlands are widest in the United States, narrowing as they extend northward and southward. These highlands consist of two mountain. systems-the Rocky Mountain System and the Sierra Nevada System. The Irrigation is the process of storing the rain which falls, or of turning the water of a river into Rocky Mountain System occupies the great reservoirs, either to be pumped out on the land or let into ditches, as needed for watering the land. The Sierra Nevada Range extends along the western border of the plateau region into Mexico where it takes the name of Sierra Madre. It unites with the Rocky Mountain Range at the volcano Popocatepetl, in the southcentral part of Mexico. A Pueblo, or Indian Village, built of stone or dried brick. There are many such homes in southwestern United States and in Mexico. The Cascade and the Sierra Nevada ranges have many peaks of great height. Many of them were once volcanoes. The Coast Range consists of low foothills bordering the coast. Between the ranges of the Rocky and the Sierra Nevada systems is a vast plateau region. This region is so dry that the people are obliged to irrigate the land for cultivation. (See next page.) The Primary or Pacific Highlands are comparatively young in the mountain history of the earth. They were thrown up into folds more recently than many other mountains of the world. We know this because of their great height and bare, jagged peaks. They were once much higher than at the present time; but the streams and the weather have been reducing them to a lower level. They have rich mineral deposits which have developed many mining towns and cities. Upon what other industries do these towns and cities depend? The Secondary or Atlantic Highland, or Appalachian System, lies along the eastern coast, and extends from the Peninsula of Labrador southwestward to within three hundred miles of the Gulf of Mexico. It consists of several parallel ranges which are broken up in the northeast. The Appalachians are cut through, or eral wealth. Many manufacturing and mining cities and towns are located in this region. Lay tissue paper over the Appalachian Highlands, and trace them. Also trace the rivers partings. Tell the general direction of the rivers which flow down each slope. Indicate the water of the Atlantic slope. On the rivers of the Atlantic slope are many manufacturing cities and trade centers, which are connected with each other, and with numerous seaports, by railroads. The farmers of the great plateau region irrigate their land to provide moisture to make it productive. gapped, by the St. Lawrence, and three other rivers which are unnamed on your maps of N. A. Find them. North of New York Harbor the highlands extend nearly to the seacoast, but south of this harbor or bay the Atlantic Coastal Plain gradually widens, until it merges into the wide Gulf Plain of the southern coast. The Appalachians are much older than the western highlands. We know this because of the rounded or flattened tops, and because rivers have had time to cut deep gorges in them. In some places these mountains are worn nearly to base-level. They have rich deposits of coal, iron, petroleum, and other min WHEAT FIELD. The Mississippi River drains one of the largest riverbasins in the world. Its largest tributary, the Missouri, is nearly as large as the main stream. As the Missouri drains snow-clad mountains, it carries a great amount of soil to the Mississippi. This soil is spread out over the flood-plain during flood-time. The Mississippi is navigable for steamers from its mouth, for nearly its entire length, to the Falls of St. Anthony in Minnesota. Its largest tributaries are also navigable. The Mississippi flows through a rich farming district, where the grains. of the cooler temperate sections and the warm current flows near the western coast? What one along the eastern coast? (Page 98.) The WINDS which blow from these dif ferent ocean currents warm or cool the shores on which they blow. The warm winds usually carry moisture. Tell the effect of the winds on the northeastern part of North America; on the southeastern shore; on the western shore. Which winds must blow over Canada and northern United States in winter? Which kind of wind Gulf of In sum mer all places near the seashore are cooler |
