1038 General Notes. [December, 



The State of Kansas forms a rectangular parallelogram, which 

 measures about 400 miles from east to west, and about 200 from 

 north to south, and contains over 82,000 square miles. Though 



less elevated plateau, which slopes eastward at an appreciable 

 angle. The highest, or western portion of the State, is about 4000 

 feet above the level of the sea, while the average height of the 



water course is the Arkansas river, which has a fall of about six 

 feet in the mile. In spite of the absence- of hills, Kansas is singu- 

 larly free from marshland or swamps. This is due, in part, to the 

 friable nature of the soil, and in part to the natural slope of the 

 land towards the cast. What is known as the " Great Arkansas 

 Valley of South-western Kansas," embraces a width of fifty miles, 

 nearly the whole of which is sloping upland. The soil here is a 

 sandy loam, of alluvial origin, and of great depth and fertility. 

 A remarkable peculiarity of the Arkansas river is that it never 

 overflows its banks, but, so to sav, underflows them. The water 

 filters through the gravelly stratum underlying the surface-soil of 



meteorological point of view. Ka ;- is m i\ > • s°iid to be divided 

 into three distinct zones, marked off bv'the amount of rainfall. 



In the extreme east the rainfall as.u'mila't. s itself to that of Mis- 



in character. The third and last /one lies in the western and 

 south-western portions of the State. Mere the climate resembles 

 that of Colorado, and the rainfall is insufficient for agriculture, 

 though sum ientforgraz purp It u Is. m howeve. 



ccedmg westward, as civili/ lt i„n a Iv'ano s.' 'I wentv five years ago 

 the frontier of agricultural production was placed at about the 

 ninety-sixth degree ol , r it had ad- 



vanced to the nmctv-seunth, live vears later 'to the nmety-eighth, 

 wh.Ie to-dayitmay be said to extend to the one hundredth. Along 

 with tins advance the character of the flora of the country has 

 appreciably changed. The " blue stem " grass and other plants, 



grass," which is the natural co\ 11s. Whether 



the procession westward of the ramf, II will continue as heretofore, 

 once it has reached the meridian of ioo°, may fairly be open to 



the south and so ith west. But 'tern limit of 



the Gulf of Mexico is in the nintv-eighth meridian, it follows that 

 these winds must blow over the arid and thirsty soil of Mexico, 

 and will contain therefore but little moisture. Hence this west- 



