<JKK.MA.NY 



173 



coal obtained in tin- country is from rocks of a later 

 age. True coal-beds are found in Kln-ni-.li 1'nmnia. 

 The sedimentary rockB uf the liar/. .MountaiiiM are 

 chielly Devonian; to the south-east, near Ilarz- 

 gerode, they are Upi>er Silurian. They are all 

 greatly dislocated by granite and other intrusive 

 rocks. The Mar/ .\fountains an- surrounded by a 

 zone of I'riiiii.ui rocks. The strati I led rock* of the 

 Thttringenvald are also Devonian, renting on Lower 

 Silurian strata, the lower portion of which is highly 

 BMtamorpho*ed into quartzose schists; the re- 

 mainder consists of graywacke, slate, and sand- 

 stone, with limestone and alum slate**. There are 

 numerous fucoid and annelid impressions in the 

 older beds, and graptolites, orthoceratites, and 

 trilobites in the newer. The basaltic rocks, 

 trachytes, and other volcanic products are largely 

 developed in the Eifel, Sieltengebirge, Westerwald, 

 Vogels, Rhongebirge, and other mountain-systems 

 of c. -Html Germany. 



' 'I i mate. The climate of Germany presents less 

 diversity than a first glance at the map might lead 

 one to infer, for the greater heats of the more 

 southern latitudes are considerably modified by the 

 hilly character of the country in those parallels, 

 while the cold of the northern plains is mitigated 

 by their vicinity to the ocean. The average 

 decrease in the mean temperature is, in going from 

 south to north, about 1 F. for every 52 miles ; 

 and in going from west to east, about 1 F. for 

 every 72 miles. The line of perpetual snow 

 varies from 7200 to 8000 feet above the level of 

 the sea. The mean annual rainfall is 20 inches. 

 The rainfall is heaviest on the coast and in the 

 mountains ; least in Silesia, on the Danube at 

 Sigmaringen, in Rhenish Bavaria, and at Wustrow 

 in Mecklenburg. The rainfall in the Upper Harz 

 reaches 66 inches. The difference between the 

 greatest heat and the greatest cold in Germany is 

 about 130 F. January is the coldest and July the 

 warmest month. The following table shows the 

 mean annual records of the temperature at different 

 points of the continent : 



Annual mean. Summer. Winter. 



Hamburg 47 F. 64 F. 30 F. 



Dresden 48 67 29 



Frankfort-on-the-Main 48-5 66 31 



Berlin 46'5 66 27 



Hanover 48 63 33 



Konigsberg 43 62 24 



Products. The mineral products of Germany 

 are very rich and varied, and their exploitation 

 forms a most important industry. The chief min- 

 ing and smelting districts are in Silesia, on the 

 Lower Rhine, in the Upper Harz, and in Saxony. 

 Silver is found in the Upper Harz and Saxony. 

 Iron occurs in numerous mountain-ranges, especi- 

 ally in Upper Silesia and in Rhenish Westphalia. 

 Alsace and Lorraine contain a great part of per- 

 haps the largest iron-deposit in Europe, which 

 stretches into France and Luxemburg. The iron 

 of the Thuringerwald is fine, though not abundant. 

 The chief coalfields are in Silesia, Westphalia 

 (on the Ruhr), and Saxony the first containing 

 the largest coalfield in Europe. Prussia yields 

 nearly one-half of the zinc annually produced in the 

 world. Lead is found in the Harz, in other parts 

 of Prussia, and in Saxony. A little copper is mined 

 at Mansfeld. Tin and tungsten are yielded by the 

 Erzgebirge ; manganese at Wiesbaden ; quicksilver 

 in Westphalia ; antimony in Thuringia. Salt is 

 produced at Halle, Stassfurt, and other parts of 

 Prussia. Germany is rich in clays of all kinds, 

 from the finest to the coarsest : the porcelain of 

 Meissen, the i tottery of Thuringia, and the glass 

 of Silesia ann Bavaria are celebrated. Building 

 stone is well distributed ; marble, alabaster, slates, 

 and lithographic stones also occur ; and cobalt, 



arsenic, sulphur, saltpetre, alum, gypnurn, hummth, 

 pumice stone, Tri|toli slate, kaolin, emery, ochre, 

 and vitriol are all aiuonx the export* of Germany. 

 The following table shows the production of the 

 five yean* 1882-86, with the yearly average, and 

 the produce for I*s7 and 1894, of the chief mine- 

 rals of Germany (including the Duchy of Luxem- 

 burg) : 



Prod no* In Pra4M ! 

 17. 1M4. 



UlM. UMW. loft. 



Anthracite 281,072,600 66,334,600 60,334,000 76.772700 



Ignite 78,620,300 14,724,060 16,898,600 22 103 ,'400 



Salt 7.061,700 1,410,340 1,485,600 785,500 



Iron ore 48,669,300 8,733,860 9,361,100 12,408,800 



Zinc ore 8,390,300 678,080 900,700 728,600 



Lead ore 826,700 165,340 167,000 182,700 



Copper ore 2,890,100 678,020 607,000 688,200 



In the returns for 1894 there are also 1,643,600 

 tons of potassic salt and 290,500 tons of 'other 

 products.' Silver to the amount of 450 tons wa 

 prod need in 1893, with 3074 kilograms of gold ; and 

 nickel, bismuth, vitriol, and other chemical manu- 

 factures of a total weight of 29,098 tons. 



Cereals are extensively cultivated in the north, 

 but the value of the wheat, barley, oats, and rye 

 imported exceeds the value of that exported bv 

 2,500,000 a year. The export of potatoes exceed*** 

 the imports by 400,000. Hemp and flax, madder, 

 woad, and saffron grow well in the central districts, 

 where the vine, the cultivation of which extends in 

 suitable localities as far north as 51, is brought to 

 great perfection. The best wine-producing districts 

 are tne valleys of the Danube, Rhine, Main, 

 Neckar, and Moselle, which are, moreover, generally 

 noted for the excellence of their fruits and vege- 

 tables. The best tobacco is grown on the Upper 

 Rhine, on the Neckar, and in Alsace, but inferior 

 qualities are largely produced elsewhere. The 

 hops of Bavaria have a high reputation, and the 

 chicory grown in that country, and in the district 

 between the Elbe and Weser, is used all over Europe 

 as a substitute for coffee. Magdeburg is the centre 

 of a large beetroot-growing industry. According 

 to the survey of 1883, corrected for 1887, 48*7 per 

 cent. (65,779,920 acres) of the entire area of the 

 empire was given up to arable land, garden-land, 

 and vineyards. Anhalt had the highest proportion 

 of such land ; and, excluding the domains of the 

 free towns, Oldenburg had the lowest. About 20 '3 

 per cent. (27,361,428 acres) was occupied by heath, 

 meadow, and pasture, Oldenburg containing the 

 greatest proportion, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha the 

 lowest. The chief crops in 1887 were meadow- 

 hay, 14,778,650 acres ; rye, 14,605,700 acres ; oats, 

 9,525,610 acres ; potatoes, 7,295,368 acres ; wheat, 

 4,799,200 acres ; barley, 4,327,800 acres ; and 

 spelt, 926,790 acres. In 1887-88 tobacco occupied 

 53,665 acres; in 1881-82, 68,120 acres. Vines 

 covered 300,525 acres in 1887-88, and yielded 

 52,624,924 gallons of wine. The most extensive 

 forests are found in central Germany, while the 

 deficiency of wood in the north-west parts of the 

 great plain is in some degree met by the abund- 

 ance of turf. Germany in 1883 had :U. 770,995 

 acres (25 '7 per cent, of its area) in woods and 

 forest. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the highest 

 proportion of area devoted to forest ; and, excluding 

 the free-towns, Oldenburg had the lowest. The 

 largest forests are of firs and red pines (as in 

 the Black Forest, Upper Harz, Thuringerwald, and 

 Kie-engebirge), beech (Lower Harz and Baltic 

 coast ), pines ( east of Elbe, Bavaria, Franconia, and 

 on the Rhine), and oaks (Lower Rhine, West- 

 phalia, Odenwald, and Upper Silesia). 



Germany has long been noted for the good breed 

 of horses raised in the north : Saxony. Silesia, and 

 Brandenburg have an equal reputation for their 

 sheep and the fine quality of the wool which they 

 yield ; and the rich alluvial flats of Mecklenburg 



