CHAPTER III 



WOODLAND CLIMATE AND GRASSLAND CLIMATE 

 IN THE WARM TEMPERATE BELTS 



i. General. 2. Subtropical Districts. Florida. South Brazil. Paraguay. 3. Warm 

 Temperate Districts without a Dry Season. Climate of the temperate rain-forest. 

 South Japan. West Chili. New Zealand. Grassland climate of the Falkland Islands. 

 4. Temperate South Africa. Rain-provinces and vegetation-provinces. The south- 

 west coast with winter rains. Climate of the evergreen sclerophyllous woodland. The 

 south and east coast with spring and summer rains. Climate of savannahs. Interior of 

 Eastern South Africa (Transvaal and Orange River Colony) with summer rain. Climate 

 of the steppes. 5. Warm Temperate Districts with a Moist Summer. Intermediate 

 climate in North Argentina. Park landscapes. Climate of the pampas. Climate of the 

 thorn-woodlands (espinal) of West Argentina. Climate of grassland in South-East and 

 East Australia. 6. Warm Temperate Districts with a Moist Winter. Climate of 

 evergreen sclerophyllous woodland. South-West and South Australia. Central Chili. 

 Mediterranean countries. California. 7. Conclusion. 



I. GENERAL. 



THOSE parts of the temperate zones bordering on the tropics and alone 

 meriting the appellation subtropical exhibit scarcely marked characteristics, 

 and ally themselves with tropical districts when the climate is very humid, 

 and with the true temperate districts when it is dry. With increasing 

 distance from the tropics a new factor intervenes, the cold of winter, which, 

 though acting more indirectly than atmospheric precipitations and sub- 

 ordinate to them, assists in determining the differentiation of the vegetation 

 in oecological districts. It is no longer, as in the tropics, a matter of 

 indifference whether the rainy season occurs in summer or in winter, but the 

 rainy season is responsible for an essential distinction in the oecological 

 conditions of the vegetation. 



Excluding the less characteristic subtropical districts, the warm temperate 

 districts may be subdivided into three groups, namely, those without any 

 dry season, those with a moist summer, and those with a moist winter. 

 Intermediate districts, usually of slight extent, with spring or autumnal 

 rains, sometimes ally themselves more to districts with a moist winter and 

 at other times to those with a moist summer. 



2. SUBTROPICAL DISTRICTS. 

 Temperate districts bordering on the tropics, up to about 30 latitude, are 

 chiefly occupied by desert. In them high-forest districts prevail over only 

 a limited area. Concerning the climatic condition of these high-forest 

 districts I cannot give a satisfactory account from the literature before me ; 

 a rainfall of 130-150 cm., with the corresponding atmospheric humidity, 

 appears sufficient for fairly rich forest growth. Nevertheless, countries with 



