154 GRASSES OF IOWA. 



Dr. C. Hart Merriam, who has been considerably interested 

 in the geographical distribution of animals and plants, has 

 divided the United States with reference to cereal production 

 and the geographical distribution of plants into boreal, trarsi- 

 tion, upper austral, lower austral, gulf strip of lower austral 

 and tropical. The tropical, of course, is confined to the south- 

 ern portion of Florida, reaching Texas on its southwestern 

 boundary for only a short distance, on the western coast of 

 America, up the gulf of lower California to Arizona. The boreal 

 does not strike the state of Iowa but lies chiefly to the north of 

 the United States and extends down through the mountain 

 regions of the western coast and the Rocky mountains. It is of 

 some extent also along the Atlantic coast. The transition 

 zone occupies an area chiefly through northern Wisconsin, 

 Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and 

 scattered areas in the Rocky mountains and in the Pacific coast 

 region. This zone extends into northern Iowa. The greater 

 part of the state of Iowa lies in what is known as the upper 

 austral. This includes most of the prairie states, including 

 some area in the Rocky mountain states and some of the Paci- 

 fic coast. It embraces a portion of Ohio, West Virginia and a 

 small areafrom Virginia to Alabama, thence northwest through 

 Tennessf e and Kentucky, northern Arkansas and a portion of 

 Oklahoma. The lower austral occurs along the Atlantic coast 

 from Virginia southwest to Mexico, extending as far north as 

 southern Kansas, western Kentucky and Tennessee and only a 

 very limited area in southern Missouri. The gulf strip of the 

 lower austral is chiefly confined to a small strip along the gulf 

 coast including the greater part of Florida. 



Prof. C. S. Plumb, under the direction of Dr. C. Hart Mer- 

 riam, has gathered together some facts on the distribution of 

 the cereals. It may be of interest to state what he has found 

 with reference to some of our chief cereals. The flmt corns, 

 such as Longfellow and King Phillip occur ia the transition 

 and upper edge of the upper austral. The dent corns like 

 Hickory king, Blooiy butcher, St. Charles white, occur in the 

 upper austral; Hickory king in the upper austral and upper 

 part of lower austral; Mjsbey's prolific, lower austral; pride 

 of the north, transition; Stowell's evergreen, upper austral; 

 pop, all varieties, upper austral; winter wheat, Clawson, 

 transition and upper austral; FuUcaster, Turkey red, upper 

 austral; spring wheat, Ladoga, Saskatchewan, fife, transition; 



