172 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
Humboldt has given a sketch of the vegetation of the Andes, com- 
mencing at the level of the ocean and extending to the highest summits. 
A condensed view of this sketch may serve as a general illustratéon of 
the distribution of plants as influenced by climate, arising from altitude 
above the sea level. 
1. Tropical zone, or region of palms.—This region stretches from the 
level of the ocean to the height of 3,000 feet. Here flourish the mag- 
nificent family of palms, odoriferous and balsamic plants, the family of 
Scitaminec, laurels, mimosas, the sugar-cane, coffee-plant, and indigo. 
2. Temperate zone.—Above the region of palms is that of the tree 
ferns and cinchonas, the caoutchouc tree, camphor shrubs, passion 
flower, and a variety of useful and beautiful plants. At 8,000 feet is 
the region of oaks. Here also grow wheat, barley, oats, and the fruit 
trees of Europe. 
3. Alpine zone.—From 6,000 to 12,000 feet extends the region of Alpine 
plants. Here flourish the ranunculuses, gentians, and a variety of 
hardy plants. 
4, Arctic zone.—At the height of 15,000 feet all fiowering plants dis- 
appear, and lichens alone clothe the rocks and ground. Some of these 
appear to vegetate under the snow, for, at 16,800 feet, near the summit 
of Chimborazo, the Umbilicaria pustulata and Verrucaria geographica are 
seen growing on a shelf of rock; and these were the last organized 
substances adhering to the soil at so great a height which Humboldt 
and his companions were able to discover. 
5. Snowy region—The last region is that within the line of perpetual 
congelation, where eternal ice and snow hold their dominion. 
De Candolle calculated that in France every 540 feet of vertical eleva- 
tion are equivalent to a receding of one degree from the equator, while 
Humboldt estimated that in tropical countries every rise of 396 feet is 
equal to one degree of latitude north. Meyen, in his division of the 
horizontal range of vegetation into zones, extends : 
1. The equatorial zone to 15° on both sides of the equator. In this 
division we find the Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Ascension, and St. 
Helena, the republic of Liberia, the settlements in the Gulf of Guinea; 
and, on the western coast of Africa, Abyssinia, Zanzibar on the east 
coast, Mccha and Aden in the Red Sea, the northern portion of Mada- 
gascar, the Seychelles, Northern India, Ceylon, and the Nicobar 
Islands, Sumatra, Siam, Malacca, Singapore, Cochin China, the Philip- 
pine Islands, Borneo, Celebes and Moluccas, Java and Madura, Banca, 
the Johore Archipelago, Timor, and the eastern group of islands, with 
New Guinea, a large portion of Northern Australia, the Marquesas, 
Society and other oceanic islands. In South America we find Peru, 
Bolivia, Ecuador, New Granada, and Venezuela, Guiana, and a large 
portion of Brazil, Trinidad, Barbadoes, and mosi of the islands in the 
Caribbean Sea. This zone has a mean temperature of 784° to 824°. 
2. The tropical zone reaches from the 15th degtee on each side of the 
equator to the tropics, in 23° latitude. The mean temperatureis 734° to 
824°; summer temperature 80° to 86°; winter temperature in the east- 
ern coast districts, 59°. In this region we find the following countries : 
The Sandwich Islands, Canton in the province of China, Burmah, Cal- 
cutta, Bengal, Bombay, Madagascar, and Mauritius; the southern por- 
tion of Brazil, Cuba, San Domingo, Mexico, and Central America. 
The sub-tropical zone extends from 23° to 34° of latitude. A num- 
ber of tropical fruits may be found in this region. The winters are 
mild, and vegetation is green throughout the year. In the northern 
division of the zone palms and bananas grow on the plains. In this 
