ALABAMA 



125 



ALABAMA 



sides are rocky tablelands separated by deep 

 river valleys. To the southeast of the Appala- 

 chian valley is the Piedmont region, drained 

 chiefly by the Tallapoosa, which unites the 

 Coosa to form the Alabama River. Ages ago 

 the Piedmont section was worn down by ero- 

 sion almost to sea level, and then by a great 

 natural change was uplifted to form a plateau 

 (see PIEDMONT REGION). 



Tins varied northern section, including moun- 

 tains, plateaus and many valleys, comprises 



ALABAMA 



Map shows boundaries, locates the highest 

 <>f lainl in the state, the principal cities, 

 rivers, and sections where coal Is found. 



only two-fifths of the state; the remaining 

 its belong to the coastal plain. In th< 

 central part of the state the plain has an alti- 

 tude of 600 to 700 feet, but it gradually slopes 

 the southwest, until in thr vimuty of Mo- 

 it is practically at sea levrl It is not 

 flat, however, for at irregular intervals 

 stone ridges, soran 

 * wide. Here tin- rains ami rivers have 

 washed away the surface sands and clays. 



i has several belts of yellow pine and 

 woods, which supply not only lumber 



i pentino and resin. 



In all parta of the Htato, but especially in tin- 

 mountains and <>n, the cli- 



mate is delightful. Extremes of temperature 

 are unusual, as the prevailing winds from the 

 south and southeast are cooled in summer and 

 warmed in winter by their passage over the 

 Gulf of Mexico. The lowest temperature ever 

 recorded in the state was 17 F., in 1899, and 

 the highest was 109, in 1902. The mean tem- 

 perature for the state is 42 in January and 

 84 in July. Snow falls occasionally in the 

 north, and perhaps once during the winter on 

 tin- coastal plain. The rainfall is everywhere 

 abundant, ranging from an average of fifty-two 

 inches a year in the north to sixty-two in< 

 in the south. 



Agriculture. Alabama is primarily an agri- 

 cultural state. More than three-fifths of tin 

 total area is occupied by farms, and a slight ly 

 larger percentage of the people make farming 

 their occupation. Through the central part 

 of the state, as also in Georgia and Mississippi, 

 runs a belt of rich black soil containing con- 

 siderable lime. This is the "cotton belt," with 

 its center at Montgomery. For many years 

 Alabama has produced more than 1,000,000 

 bales (about 240,000 tons) of cotton annually, 

 and sometimes its crop is nearly 2,000,000 bales. 

 The value of the crop ranges between $50,000,- 

 000 and $100,000,000, giving the state usually 

 third or fourth rank among cotton producers. 

 Not long ago cotton and cotton seed were 

 worth nearly twice the total of all other crops, 

 but now they are almost rivalled in importance 

 by the cereals, of which corn is the foremost. 

 About 60,000,000 bushels of com and 10,000,000 

 bushels of oats are produced, but the wheat 

 crop seldom reaches 1,000,000 bushels. Cereals 

 are raised chiefly in the Piedmont region and 

 in the Tennessee valley, where the soil is a 

 rich red or yellow loam. Here melons, apples, 

 peaches, strawberries and other fruits are also 

 urown, and in the south the cultivation of figs 

 and pecan nuts flourishes. Sweet potatoes, 

 sugar cane and peanuts are important. 



Mining and Manufactures. Though Alabama 

 is still mainly an agricultural state, the most 

 Mnkitm feature of its growth since the War 

 of Secession is the unparalleled development 

 of it ! resources, followed by the intro- 



duction ,t" manufacturing on a large scale. 

 Thr northeastern part of the state, and the 

 central part as far south as a line from Tuaca- 

 loosa to Columbus, Ga., is rich in iron and coal 

 deposits, and also has asbestos, limestone, 

 and petroleum in paying 

 I Though the existence of large min- 

 eral deposits has been known for many years, 



