32 RURAL NEW YORK 



• The most important ti'ibutary to the Hudson is 

 the Mohawk River that occupies the broad valley be- 

 tween the Adirondacks and the Catskill Mountains 

 and whose course forms part of a very important 

 thoroughfare of travel. Both the Hudson and Mo- 

 hawk Eivers head in the southern foothills of the 

 Adirondacks, and receive the drainage from the 

 north and east sides of the Catskill Mountains and 

 from the slopes east of the Hudson, including tlie 

 Hoosic River as. the largest tributary. 



The St. Lawrence River receives the drainage of 

 the northern third of the State, including that which 

 flows into the Great Lakes. 



The drainage of the southern highland is mostly 

 reversed from that of the general slope of the coun- 

 try and instead of passing northward is carried to 

 the south into the Delaware, Susquehanna and Alle- 

 gheny systems. The exception is the Genesee River 

 in the middle western part which cuts entirely 

 across the State from south to north and empties 

 into Lake Ontario above Rochester. A little drain- 

 age also goes out in that direction through the 

 Finger Lakes. 



The headwaters of the three south-flowing rivers 

 mentioned are located on the very brink of the up- 

 land overlooking the Great Lakes plains. The water 

 within three or four miles of Lake Erie flows south 

 into the Mississippi system. These main lines of 

 drainage guided the course of early emigration and 

 the overland paths between drainage systems are 



