NEBRASKA  , a See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state just N. of the centre of the U.S.A., lying approximately between 400 and 430 N. and between 18° 18' W., and 27° W. from See also:

• WASHINGTON
• WASHINGTON (or WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE)
• WASHINGTON, BOOKER TALIAFERRO (c. 1859– )
• WASHINGTON, BUSHROD (1762-1829)
• WASHINGTON, GEORGE (1732-1799)

Washington . It is bounded on the N. by See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

South Dakota, on the E. by See also:

• IOWA

Iowa and a corner of See also:

• MISSOURI

Missouri, on the S. by See also:

• KANSAS (known as the Sunflower State ")

Kansas, on the S. and W. by a corner of See also:

• COLORADO

Colorado, and on the W. by See also:

• WYOMING

Wyoming . The Missouri See also:

• RIVER

river extends along the eastern and See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north-eastern border . The extreme length of the state is about 430 m., and extreme breadth about 210 M . The See also:

• AREA

area is 77,520 sq. m., of which 712 are See also:

• WATER

water See also:

• SURFACE

surface . See also:

• PHYSICAL

Physical Features.—The state lies partly in the physiographic See also:

• PROVINCE
• PROVINCE (Lat. provincia; perhaps a contraction of providentia)

province of the See also:

• GREAT

Great Plains (covering more than four-fifths of its area) and partly in that of the See also:

• PRAIRIE (adopted from the Fr. prairie, a meadow-tract. Late Lat. prataria, Lat. pratum, meadow)

Prairie Plains, and slopes gently from the N.W. to the S.E . The altitudes of extreme See also:

• GEOGRAPHICAL

geographical points are as follows: Rulo, in the S.E. corner of the state, 842 ft.; Dakota See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city, in the N.E., 1102; Benkelman, in the S.W. in Dundy See also:

• COUNTY (through Norm. Fr. comae, cf. O. Fr. cunte, conk', Mod. Fr. comae, from Lat. comitatus, cf. Ital. comitato, Prov. comtat; see COUNT)

county, 2968; Kimball, in the S.W. in Kimball county, 4697; See also:

• HARRISON
• HARRISON, BENJAMIN
• HARRISON, FREDERIC (1831— )
• HARRISON, JOHN (1693—1776)
• HARRISON, THOMAS (16o6-166o)
• HARRISON, THOMAS ALEXANDER (1853– )
• HARRISON, WILLIAM (1534–1593)
• HARRISON, WILLIAM HENRY (1773–1841)

Harrison, in the N.W. corner, 4849 ft . There are three physiographic sub-divisions; the See also:

• FOOT

foot-hills (and See also:

• BAD, BCD

Bad Lands), the See also:

• SAND
• SAND, GEORGE (1804-1876)

sand-hills and the prairie—all three being portions of three great corresponding regions of the Great Plains and Prairie Plains provinces . The western portion of the state lies in the foot-hills of the Rocky See also:

• MOUNTAIN (0. Fr. montaigne; popular Lat. montanea, an adjectival form from the classical mons, montis, whence Eng. " mount," a form usually used along with the name of an individual mountain, e.g. Mt Everest)
• MOUNTAIN, THE (La Montagne)

Mountain See also:

• SYSTEM

system, and is much rougher than western Kansas . The surface of western Nebraska is characterized by high, barren table-323 lands, broken by canyons, dotted with buttes, and dominated by some bold and lofty ridges . See also:

• PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

Pine See also:

• RIDGE (a word. common to many Teutonic languages, meaning " back," whether of a man or an animal, cf. German Rucke)
• RIDGE, WILLIAM PETT (1864- )

Ridge, a picturesque escarpment of the Great Plains, cuts across the N.W. corner of Nebraska from Wyoming into South Dakota . A ridge of See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

low hills and bluffs, often precipitous, marked by buttes and deeply cut in places by canyons, it is the most striking surface feature of the state .

The See also:

• ALTITUDE (Lat. altitudo, from altus, high)

altitude in this region varies from 3500 to 5000 ft . In the See also:

• FORK (Lat. furca)

fork of the North and South See also:

• PLATTE (so named, from the• French, because of its shallowness), or NEBRASKA

Platte are the See also:

• WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

Wild See also:

• CAT
• CAT, CIVET
• CAT, HOUSE

Cat Mountains with contours rising to 5300 ft., in which Wild Cat Mountain, See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long reported as the highest point in the state, attains 5038 ft., Hogback Mountain 5082 ft., and various other hills—Gabe See also:

• ROCK
• ROCK (O.Fr. rake, Sp. rota, Ital. rocca; possibly from a Lat. form rupica, from rupes, rock)
• ROCK, DANIEL (1799–187t)

Rock (5006), Big See also:

• HORN
• HORN (a common Teutonic word, cognate with Lat. cornu; cf. Gr. Kipas)
• HORN (Lat. cornu; corresponding terms being Fr. cor, trompe; Ger. Horn; Ital. corno)
• HORN, ARVID BERNHARD, COUNT (1664-1742)
• HORN, PHILIP DE MONTMORENCY, COUNT

Horn Mountain (4718), Coliseum Rock (5050), Scotts See also:

• BLUFF (a word of uncertain origin; possibly connected with an obsolete Dutch word, blaf, broad)

Bluff (4662) &c.—rise to heights of 45oo to 5000 ft . In the extreme N.W. the See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

White river and See also:

• HAT

Hat See also:

• CREEK
• CREEK (Mid. Eng. crike or creke, common to many N. European languages)

Creek have carved canyons in deep lacustrine deposits, creating fantastic cliffs and buttes, See also:

• BARE

bare of vegetation, gashed with drainage channels, and baked by the See also:

• SUN
• SUN (0. Eng. sonne, Ger. sonne. Fr. soleil, Lat. sol, Gr. ijXior, from which comes helio- in various English compounds)

sun . The buttes—bare, pyramidal or conical, See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat-topped, precipitous hills, and often fantastic, towering pinnacles—are rather widely distributed through the foot-See also:

• HILL
• HILL (0. Eng. hyll; cf. Low Ger. hull, Mid. Dutch hul, allied to Lat. celsus, high, collis, hill, &c.)
• HILL, A
• HILL, AARON (1685-175o)
• HILL, AMBROSE POWELL
• HILL, DANIEL HARVEY (1821-1889)
• HILL, DAVID BENNETT (1843–1910)
• HILL, GEORGE BIRKBECK NORMAN (1835-1903)
• HILL, JAMES J
• HILL, JOHN (c. 1716-1775)
• HILL, MATTHEW DAVENPORT (1792-1872)
• HILL, OCTAVIA (1838– )
• HILL, ROWLAND (1744–1833)
• HILL, SIR ROWLAND (1795-1879)

hill region . They are never more than 600 to See also:

• I000

I000 ft. above the surrounding See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country . Nature is not See also:

• GRAND

grand in any See also:

• PART

part of Nebraska, but the Bad Lands are imposing, and in the wooded foot-hills there is an abundance of bold and attractive scenery, particularly in See also:

• SIOUX

Sioux county, and in See also:

• CHERRY

Cherry county around See also:

• VALENTINE, or VALENTINUS

Valentine and on the See also:

• CANYON (Anglicized form of Span. canon, a tube, pipe or cannon; the Spanish form being also frequently written)

canyon of the Snake river . See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East of the Bad Lands is the sand-hill region, which includes an area of possibly 20,000 sq. m . The sand-hills proper are scattered over an area of perhaps 15,000 sq. m., between the meridians of 98° and I03° W. long., lying mainly N. of the Platte; though there are some along the Republican river . In places they rise in tiers, one above another, like See also:

• MINIATURE

miniature mountains, and are 200 to 300 ft. high; but in See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general they are very low (25-50 ft. high) and are scattered over a See also:

• PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain . Their See also:

• PRESENT

present contours are wholly the result of See also:

• WIND
• WIND (a common Teut. word, cognate with Skt. vats, Lat. ventus, cf. " weather," to be of course distinguished from to " wind," to coil or twist, O.Eng. windan, cf. "wander," "wend," &c.)

wind See also:

• ACTION

action . See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

Save in rare instances, however, they have long ceased to be shifting See also:

• DUNES

dunes; for, with the cessation of prairie fires and the increase of See also:

• SETTLEMENT
• SETTLEMENT, ACT OF

settlement, they have become well grassed (ver and See also:

• STABLE

stable; although sand-draws, and even occasional " See also:

• BLOW, JOHN (1648-1708)

blow-outs" scooped by the winds in the summits or sides of the hills are still characteristic Iandmarks . All about and inter-penetrating the foot-hill and sand-hill regions are the prairies, which include three-fourths of the state .

They are sometimes characteristically flat over wide areas, but are usually gently See also:

• ROLLING

rolling . Stream valleys and bottom lands are the conspicuous modifying feature of the prairie region; but in general, owing to the See also:

• GENTLE (through the Fr. gentil, from Lat. gentilis, belonging to the same gens, or family)

gentle slope of the streams and the great breadth of the plains, erosion has been slight; and indeed the streams, overloaded in seasonal freshets, are See also:

• BUILDING

building up their valley floors . The water-partings are characteristically level uplands, often with shallow depressions, once lakes, and some of them still so . The valleys of the greatest streams are huge shallow troughs . The valley See also:

• FLOOR (from O. Eng. flor, a word common to many Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch vloer, and Ger. Flur, a field, in the feminine, and a floor, masculine)

floor of the North Platte in the foot-hills, the See also:

• FLOOD (in O. Eng. flod, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Flut, Dutch vloed, from the same root as is seen in " flow," " float ")
• FLOOD, HENRY (1732-1791)

flood-plain of an older river, is in places 700 ft. or more below the bounding tableland, and to to 15 m. wide; the present flood-plain being from I to 4 m. in width . Hundreds of small tributaries to the greater streams (especially along the Republican and the See also:

• LOGAN
• LOGAN, JOHN (1748-1788)
• LOGAN, JOHN (c. 1725-1780)
• LOGAN, JOHN ALEXANDER (1826-1886)
• LOGAN, SIR WILLIAM EDMOND (1798-1875)

Logan) complicate and beautify the landscape . No farming country is richer in quiet and diversifed scenic See also:

• CHARM (through the Fr. from the Lat. carmen, a song)

charm than the prairies of the eastern See also:

• HALF

half of the state . The Missouri is noteworthy for high bluffs cut by ravines, which border it almost continuously or at least one See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side . In the foot-hills there are typical canyons, as along the Platte forks, and in the See also:

• NORTHERN

northern edge of the sand-hills . Those of the upper Republican are the largest, those of the Bad Lands are the most See also:

• PECULIAR

peculiar; and the Niobrara tributary system is the most See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed . See also:

• RIVERS
• RIVERS, ANTHONY WOODVILLE, or WYDEVILLE, 2ND EARL (c. 1442—1483)
• RIVERS, EARL
• RIVERS, RICHARD SAVAGE, 4TH EARL (c. 1660—1712)

Rivers.—The Missouri skirts the eastern border for perhaps 500 M . It is not navigated, and save at Sioux City and See also:

• OMAHA

Omaha serves practically no economic purposes, See also:

• IRRIGATION (Lat. in, and rigare, to water or wet)

irrigation. being unnecessary in the counties on which it See also:

• BORDERS, THE

borders .

Its bluffs, cut for the most part in the See also:

• LOESS (Ger. Loss)

loess but at places in the rock, are frequently from Too to 200 ft. high . At See also:

• VERMILION

Vermilion, South Dakota, its alluvial plain, 1131 ft. above the See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea, is 330 ft. above the mouth of the Nemaha . The current is always rapid and heavily loaded with sediment,' and its See also:

• AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

axis is forever shifting . Large areas of See also:

• SOIL

soil are thus shifted back and forth between Nebraska and the bordering states, to the encouragement of border lawlessness and uncertainty of titles; some portions E. of the See also:

• THREAD (0. Eng. praed, literally, that which is twisted, prawan, to twist, to throw, cf. " throwster," a silk-winder, Ger. drehen, to twist, turn, Du. draad, Ger. Draht, thread, wire)

thread and apparently well within Iowa remain under the See also:

• JURISDICTION
• JURISDICTION, CRIMINAL LAW, DIVORCE

jurisdiction of Nebraska, or See also:

• VICE

vice versa; and See also:

• YANKTON

Yankton has been seriously threatened with a sudden See also:

• TRANSFER (from Lat. transferre, to bear across, carry over)

transfer from the South Dakota to the Nebraska side . The Platte system is also heavily loaded with sediment in Nebraska . The North and South forks both rise in Colorado; each, especially the latter, has a rapid See also:

• PRIMARY

primary descent, and a very See also:

• GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual fall down the foot-hills of the Great Plains ? Across Nebraska it maintains a remarkably straight course and an extraordinarily even gradient (about 6 ft. per mile) . In the See also:

• SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring freshets it is a magnificent stream, but in summer its See also:

• VOLUME

volume greatly shrinks, and it is normally a broad, shallow, sluggish, stream, flowing through interlacing channels among the sand-bars it heaps athwart its course . The underfiow is probably much greater than the summer 1 About 52 grains per See also:

• GALLON

gallon at low water, 404 at high . 2 The North Platte falls 3700 ft. in 510 m., the South, 7200 ft. in 427 m., above their junction; the latter falling 2692 ft. in 308 m. after leaving its canyon in the Rockies . surface flow in volume . The Loup system is remarkable for the even See also:

• DIP (Old Eng. dyppan, connected with the common Teutonic root seen in " deep ")

dip of its parallel feeders, which once joined the Platte separately, until the latter banked up, its deposits across the mouths of their more sluggish currents. he Republican and South Platte—the former an intermittent stream—suffer in their flow from the drain made upon their See also:

• WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters in Colorado for irrigation .

The upper course of the Niobrara above the Keya Paha is in a narrow See also:

• GORGE

gorge . Its immediate bluffs and the shores of some of its tributaries, notably the Snake, are modified by canons . This system is also notable among Nebraska streams for a number of See also:

• PRETTY

pretty water-falls . The White river, heading on Pine Ridge, falls 1 See also:

• LOO (formerly called " Lanterloo," Fr. lanturlu, the refrain of a popular 17th-century song)

loo ft. in 20 M . Some streams wholly dry up in the dry seasons, and in the foot-hills and sand-hills there are a few that disappear by sinking or evaporation . Surface Water.—Swamps and bogs, apart from purely temporary See also:

• WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather ponds, are confined to a few restricted regions of the Missouri river bottoms and the prairies of the S.E . There are some cut-offs or oxbow lakes along the Missouri, and many lakelets origin-ally such are scattered along the Platte, Elkhorn, Big See also:

• BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

Blue and other rivers . Scores of lakes are scattered about the heads of streams rising in the sand-hills, especially in Cherry county . Some of them are fresh and some alkaline . Springs also are numerous in the sand-hills, where they See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form considerable streams . They often flow with force and are known locally from this peculiarity as " artesian " springs, or sometimes, from this and their large See also:

• SIZE

size, as " See also:

• MOUND

mound " springs . The state See also:

• FISH (O. Eng. fist, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch visch, Ger. Fisch, Goth. fisks, cognate with the Lat. piscis)
• FISH, HAMILTON (1808-1893)

fish-hatchery is on springs at South See also:

• BEND

Bend; at Long Pine springs of large flow See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply the See also:

• TOWN

town and railway shops with water, and led to the See also:

• ESTABLISHMENT (0. Fr. establissement, Fr. etablissement, late Norm. Fr. establishement, from O. Fr. establir, Fr. etablir, Lat. stabilire, to make stable)

establishment here of See also:

• CHAUTAUQUA

Chautauqua grounds .

Underground Water.—The so-called blowing-See also:

• WELLS
• WELLS, CHARLES JEREMIAH (1798?–1879)
• WELLS, DAVID AMES (1828—1898)
• WELLS, HERBERT GEORGE (1866— )
• WELLS, SIR THOMAS SPENCER, 1ST BART

wells are peculiar . They occur over much of the state, but most frequently S. of the Platte, and are evidently sensitive to barometric conditions; alternately " blowing " or '' sucking " as these vary; so that, in See also:

• COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold weather water-pipes may be frozen too or more feet below the surface of the ground . Atmospheric pressure is probably the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal cause of their action; they are therefore termed ' weather wells " in some localities . Nearly all counties have a practically inexhaustible supply of ground water . Well-depths vary from 15 to 20 ft. in the stream valleys and from 30 to 35 ft. on the loess prairies to 100-400 ft. in the western foot-hill region and isolated prairie areas . Artesian water is also available in many parts of the state . At Niobrara, in See also:

• KNOX, HENRY (1750-1806)
• KNOX, JOHN (c. 1505–1572)
• KNOX, PHILANDER CHASE (1853– )

Knox county, a well 656 ft. deep, drilled in 1896, yielded for a See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time 2500 gallons per See also:

• MINUTE
• MINUTE (Lat. minutes, small; minuere, to make less)

minute at 95-lb pressure (in 1903 1900 gallons at 65-lb pressure), and furnishes See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power for a See also:

• FLOUR

flour-See also:

• MILL
• MILL (O. Eng. mylen, later myln, or miln, adapted from the late Lat. molina, cf. Fr. moulin, from Lat. mola, a mill, molere, to grind; from the same root, mol, is derived " meal;" the word appears in other Teutonic languages, cf. Du. molen, Ger. muhle)
• MILL, JAMES (1773-1836)
• MILL, JOHN (c. 1645–1707)
• MILL, JOHN STUART (1806-1873)

mill and municipal water and electric See also:

• LIGHTING

lighting See also:

• WORKS

works; the pressure forces the water about 210 ft. above the mouth of the well, i.e. to a height of 1450 ft . Another (1430 ft. deep), in the environs of Omaha, supplies a daily flow of 1,100,000 gallons under a pressure of 15 lb . In some small and exceptional regions the water is very alkaline, and in the counties of the south-east it is so generally saline that it is difficult, below 150 ft., to avoid an inflow of See also:

• SALT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch zout, Ger. Salz, Scand. salt; cognate with Gr. &Xs, Lat. sal)
• SALT, SIR TITUS, BART

salt water . Saline wells at See also:

• LINCOLN
• LINCOLN, ABRAHAM (1809-1865)
• LINCOLN, EARLS OF

Lincoln (2463, 1050 and 570 ft. deep) and at See also:

• BEATRICE

Beatrice (1260 ft.) are notable in this regard . See also:

• GEOLOGY (from Gr. yp7, the earth, and Abyor, science)

Geology.—The eastern part of the state is covered with a thick See also:

• MANTLE

mantle of See also:

• QUATERNARY

Quaternary (See also:

• PLEISTOCENE

Pleistocene), and the greatest part of the western portion with very thick deposits of See also:

• MIOCENE

Miocene and See also:

• PLIOCENE (from the Gr. sr?eiov, mere, and xatvbs, recent)

Pliocene (See also:

• TERTIARY

Tertiary) . To the Pleistocene belong the See also:

• ALLUVIUM

alluvium, loess and glacial See also:

• DRIFT (from "drive ")

drift, and in part the sand-hills .

The drift covers the eastern fifth of the state . In striking contrast to Iowa. the Nebraska See also:

• DEPOSIT (Lat. depositurn, from deponere, to lay down, to put in the care of)

deposit is very thin, seldom thicker than 1 or 2 ft . Above the drift there is usually a heavy covering of loess or " bluff deposit " (particularly typical in the neighbourhood of Omaha and See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

Council Bluffs) . Though thin and worn out in places, it averages probably too ft., and is often as much as 200 ft. in thickness, and runs diagonally across the state from the N.E. to the Colorado inset . The See also:

• OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion that it is of aqueous origin (and probably See also:

• DATES

dates from the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the glacial time) has the See also:

• WEIGHT

weight of authority . It was spread by the rivers: some et idences of wind action may be attributed to a later See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period . The sand-hills, which overlap the loess N. of the Platte, are probably mainly derived from the Arikaree, but probably also in part from the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early Pleistocene . See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West of 102° long. there are beds several See also:

• HUNDRED

hundred feet thick of See also:

• LATE

late Tertiary sands and See also:

• CLAYS, PAUL JEAN (1819-1900)

clays . The Arikaree (Miocene) and Ogallala (Pliocene) formations of the North Loup beds are superficial over much of the western half of the state, the former to the N., the latter to the S . The buttes are characteristically Arikaree or Gering formations topping Brule See also:

• CLAY (from O. Eng. claeg, a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Klei)
• CLAY, CASSIUS MARCELLUS (1810-1903)
• CLAY, CHARLES (1801–1893)
• CLAY, FREDERIC (1838–1889)
• CLAY, HENRY (1777–1852)

clay . The same is true of at least considerable parts of Pine Ridge . In the Bad Lands there are scanty outcrops of the Chadron formation (known also as " Titanotherium beds "), the See also:

• OLDEST

oldest of the Tertiary beds .

The thick superficial coverings over the state make difficult the determination of the underlying strata . There are only very scanty outcrops except along the rivers . No Archean rocks are exposed in Nebraska, and the sedimentary formations are undisturbed in situ . The Palaeozoic era is represented only by the Pennsylvanian See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of the Upper Carboniferous and a scanty See also:

• STRIP

strip of Kansas-Nebraska See also:

• PERMIAN

Permian, and is confined to the S.E. counties . But, though small in area, the Carboniferous is by far the most important formation as regards See also:

• MINERAL

mineral resources within the state . It is buried probably 2000 or goo ft. in central Nebraska, outcropping again only in the Rocky Mountains . Upon it, in the trough thus formed, See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest conformably the basal strata of the Cretaceous; the See also:

• JURASSIC

Jurassic and Triassic being wholly absent (unless in the extreme north-west), The E. limit ofthe Cretaceous extends across the state from N. to S. between 98° and 99° W. long . Its See also:

• GROUPS
• GROUPS, THEORY

groups include the Dakota formation, characterized by a very peculiar rusty See also:

• SANDSTONE

sandstone, and the See also:

• BENTON, THOMAS HART (1782-1858)

Benton, both of which are rather widely accessible and heavy; the Niobrara; the See also:

• PIERRE

Pierre shales, which apparently underlie about three-quarters of the state in a deep and heavy See also:

• BED
• BED (a common Teutonic word, cf. German Bett, probably connected with the Indo-European root bhodh, seen in the Lat. fodere, to dig; so " a dug-out place " for safe resting, or in the same sense as a garden " bed ")

bed; and, in the extreme west, the See also:

• LARAMIE

Laramie . There are almost no Cretaceous outcrops except on the streams, especially the Niobrara, Republican and Platte rivers—and in the Bad Lands . The superficial Miocene and Pliocene deposits in the west, above referred to, are underlaid by the White river groups of the Oligocene, whose outcrops of Brule clay and Chadron formation also have been mentioned . The Bad Lands are essentially nothing but fresh-water mud excessively weathered and eroded . They are often intersected by dikes of See also:

• CHALCEDONY, or CALCEDONY (sometimes called by old writers cassidoine)

chalcedony, formerly mistaken for See also:

• LAVA

lava .

The Bad Lands and the Arikaree are famous fossil See also:

• FIELDS, JAMES THOMAS (1817-1881)

fields, the latter being the source of the Daemonelix, or " See also:

• DEVIL (Gr. &a,3oXos, " slanderer," from &ctflisXX sty, to slander)

Devil's See also:

• CORK
• CORK (perhaps through Sp. corcha from Lat. cortex, bark, but possibly connected with quercus, oak)
• CORK, RICHARD BOYLE

cork-See also:

• SCREW (O.E. scrue, from O. Fr. escroue, mod. ecrou; ultimate origin uncertain; the word, or a similar one, appears in Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Schraube, Dan. skrue, but Skeat, following Diaz, finds the origin in Lat. scrobs, a ditch, hole, particularl

screw," a large See also:

• SPIRAL

spiral fossil, apparently a lacustrine alga . It was once generally supposed that the Pliocene See also:

• EPOCH (Gr. E7roxij, holding in suspense, a pause, from E1rxav, to hold up, to stop)

epoch in Nebraska was distinguished by the activity of geysers; but the so-called " geyserite " now known commonly and correctly as "natural See also:

• PUMICE (Lat. purnex, spumex, spuma, froth)

pumice " and " volcanic ash," which is found in the Oligocene and later formations, has no connexion whatever with geysers, but is produced by the shattering of volcanic rock . It occurs widely in Nebraska and adjoining states . Minerals.—Mineral resources are decidedly limited; the See also:

• TOTAL

total value of the mineral output (excluding See also:

• COAL

coal) in 1907 was $1,383,916, of which $953,432 was the value of clay products, $324,239 of See also:

• STONE
• STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
• STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
• STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
• STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
• STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
• STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
• STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
• STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)

stone, and $54,227 of sand and See also:

• GRAVEL, or PEBBLE BEDS

gravel . The state, however, is particularly See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich in See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good clays, which are probably its greatest mineral resource . See also:

• CALCITE

Calcite of excellent quality is the commonest mineral . Gravel is widely obtainable, and sand of the finest quality is available in inexhaustible quantities, and is an important See also:

• ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article of export . See also:

• FLINT
• FLINT, AUSTIN (1812-1886)
• FLINT, or FLTNTSHTRE (sir Gallestr)
• FLINT, ROBERT (1838- )
• FLINT, TIMOTHY (1780-1840)

Flint (valuable for railway See also:

• BALLAST (O. Swed. barlast, perhaps from bar, bare or mere, and last, load)

ballast) occurs in immense quantities about Wymore and Blue Springs . The underground salt water flow promised once to be a resource of value, especially in the vicinity of Lincoln, but has proved of little or no value in comparison with the great salt-beds of Kansas . A native See also:

• PLASTER

plaster is yielded by the Arikaree and Ogallala rocks, but though otherwise of excellent qualities it is ruined by slight exposure to the water . A diatomaceous See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

earth in central Nebraska, occurring especially in the region of Loup, is a good polishing See also:

• POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder, and is used for packing See also:

• STEAM
• STEAM (0. Eng. steam, vapour, smoke, cf. Du. steam; the origin is unknown)

steam pipes . See also:

• LIMONITE, or BROWN IRON ORE

Limonite in the form of ochre occurs in considerable quantity .

Of building stones limestones are the most abundant and important, the best comes from the Benton beds and when " See also:

• GREEN, A
• GREEN, ALEXANDER HENRY (1832—1896)
• GREEN, DUFF (1791—1875)
• GREEN, JOHN RICHARD (1837—1883)
• GREEN, MATTHEW (1696-1737)
• GREEN, THOMAS HILL (1836-1882)
• GREEN, VALENTINE (1739–1813)
• GREEN, WILLIAM HENRY (.1825–1900)

green " can be sawed into blocks . The Dakota formation, though its sand-stones are in general coarse or otherwise inferior, yields some of splendid quality . Its clays. which are of all See also:

• COLOURS, MILITARY

colours, are the most valuable of the state . The finest building stone is a beautiful green See also:

• QUARTZITE

quartzite rock of dense, See also:

• FINE

fine texture and lasting quality . It is related to the Ogallala beds and occurs only in small areas . The quarries and clay pits of the state are mainly in the Carboniferous region of the S.E . Cretaceous See also:

• LIGNITE (Lat. lignum, wood)

lignite occurs in small quantities in the N.E., and See also:

• PEAT (possibly connected with Med. Lat. petia, pecia, piece, ultimately of Celtic origin; cf. O. Celt. pet, O. Ir. pit, Welsh peth, portion)

peat more widely . The Carboniferous formations carry only thin seams of coal, never thicker than about 2 ft., and rarely readily accessible, and they can never be of more than small and merely See also:

• LOCAL

local importance . See also:

• FLORA

Flora.—Nebraska lies partly in the arid, or Upper Sonoran, and partly in the humid, or Carolinian, area of the Upper Austral See also:

• LIFE

life-See also:

• ZONE (Gr. 'WV77, a girdle, from 'wvvLvay to gird)

zone; the divisional See also:

• LINE

line being placed by the See also:

• UNITED

United States Biological Survey at about too° W. long . The most marked characteristic of Nebraskan vegetation is its immigrant See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, and the state has been called " one of the finest illustrations of the commingling of contiguous See also:

• SPECIES

species to be found anywhere in See also:

• AMERICA

America " (C . E . Bessey) .

Immigrant species have even come from See also:

• TEXAS

Texas and New See also:

• MEXICO
• MEXICO (Span. Mejico, or Mexico,)
• MEXICO, FEDERAL DISTRICT OF
• MEXICO, GULF OF

Mexico, from the Dakotas and the Rockies . From the last-named various species have crept two-thirds of the way across the state, one (the See also:

• BUFFALO

buffalo See also:

• BERRY, CHARLES ALBERT (1852-1899)
• BERRY, CHARLES FERDINAND
• BERRY, JOHN, DUKE OF (1340-1416)
• BERRY, or BERRI

berry) wholly covers it, and some have barely crossed into the border foot-hills from Wyoming . A very few trees and shrubs, and some See also:

• GRASSES

grasses, are strictly endemic to the plains and to Nebraska . Four floral regions lying in north to south belts across the state, and closely corresponding to—though in boundaries by no means coinciding with—its great topographic divisions are distinguished in the regions of the Missouri border, the prairies, sand-hills and foot-hills . In 1896 some 3196, and by 1905 fully 3300 species had been listed, " representing every See also:

• BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch and nearly every class of the See also:

• VEGETABLE

vegetable See also:

• KINGDOM

kingdom " (C . E . Bessey) . There are at least 64 trees and at least 77 shrubs growing native in the state; but of their See also:

• JOINT (through Fr. from Lat. junctum, jungere, to join)

joint number a See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere half-dozen or so can be classed as strictly endemic . Small See also:

• WOODS, LEONARD (1774-1854)
• WOODS, SIR ALBERT (1816-1904)

woods of broad-See also:

• LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

leaf trees (and red cedars) grow very generally along all the water-courses of the state; and coniferous species grow along Pine Ridge and the Wild Cat Mountains . In the East, various trees are readily grown on the uplands; in the West the See also:

• HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey-See also:

• LOCUST

locust, the Osage See also:

• ORANGE
• ORANGE (Citrus Aurantium)
• ORANGE, HOUSE OF

orange and See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian mulberry for windbreaks; the green ash, and red See also:

• CEDAR (Lat. cedrus, Gr. iapos)

cedar are perhaps the most valuable drought resisting species . The conifers are spreading naturally . In the sand-hills the sand-See also:

• BAR
• BAR (0. Fr. barre, Late Lat. barra, origin unknown)
• BAR, CONFEDERATION OF
• BAR, FRANCOIS DE (1538-1606)
• BAR, THE

bar See also:

• WILLOW (Salix)

willow of the rivers and the cottonwood growing naturally, See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence the good conditions of moisture; and the forestation of much of the region is undoubtedly possible .

See also:

• FOREST

Forest reserves were established on the See also:

• DISMAL

Dismal river in 1902 and millions of seedlings had been grown by 1906 for transplantation in Nebraska and other states of the Great Plains . Arbor See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

Day (the loth of See also:

• APRIL

April) was instituted by the Nebraska State See also:

• BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

Board of See also:

• AGRICULTURE
• AGRICULTURE (from Lat. ages, field, and colere, to cultivate)
• AGRICULTURE, BOARD OF

Agriculture in 1872 at the instance of See also:

• STERLING
• STERLING, ANTOINETTE (d. 1904)
• STERLING, JOHN (1806-1844)

Sterling See also:

• MORTON, JAMES DOUGLAS, 4TH EARL OF (c. 1525-1581)
• MORTON, JOHN (c. 1420-1500)
• MORTON, JOHN MADDISON (1811-1891)
• MORTON, LEVI PARSONS (1824- )
• MORTON, OLIVER PERRY (1823-1877)
• MORTON, THOMAS (1564-1659)
• MORTON, THOMAS (c. 1590-1646)

Morton, later secretary of agriculture of the United Mates (see ARBOR DAY) . It has been yearly observed by the public See also:

• SCHOOLS

schools of the state, and no state has done more than Nebraska for the forestation of its See also:

• WASTE (O. Fr. wast, guast, gast, gaste; Lat. vastus, vast, desolate)

waste and prairie lands . In such a purely agricultural state a large wooded area is not desired . Plums, grapes and the See also:

• DWARF (A.S. dweorg, D. dwerg, Icel. dvergr)

dwarf " sand-cherry " (Prunus demissa) of the sand-hills are prominent among many wild fruits . The flora is decidedly rich in species as compared with other states, but less so in the number of individuals . Grasses are perhaps the most noteworthy vegetable forms . Nebraska claims a greater variety of native See also:

• HAY
• HAY (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Heu, Dutch hooi; the root from which it is derived, meaning " to cut," is also seen in " to hew "; cf. " hoe ")
• HAY, GEORGE (1729—1811)
• HAY, GILBERT
• HAY, JOHN (1838–1905)

hay and See also:

• FORAGE

forage species than grow in any other state of the See also:

• UNION
• UNION (known locally as Union Hill and officially as Town of Union)

Union . No less than 200 grasses, at least 154 being wild or commonly cultivated, had been listed in 1904 . Of the total 200 species 150 (130 indigenous) are valuable for forage, 34 (20 indigenous) are classed economically as weeds, to are non-indigenous cereals and 6 are ornamental . The See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short buffalo-grass was originally everywhere abundant, but it had practically disappeared by 1890 from the eastern half of the state, and since then has steadily become more restricted in See also:

• HABITAT (a French word derived from habiter, Lat. habitare, to dwell)

habitat . The native prairie grasses have been in considerable part displaced by grasses introduced from more humid regicns .

Weeds are very numerous (about 125) ; and some, notably the sand-See also:

• BUR, or BURR (apparently the same word as Danish borre, burdock, cf. Swed. kard-boore)

bur (Soianum rostratum) See also:

• COCKLE
• COCKLE, SIR JAMES (1819-1395)

cockle-bur, and tumble-weeds among indigenous, and the Russian See also:

• THISTLE

thistle (Salsola tragus) and See also:

• PURSLANE

purslane among non-indigenous species, are agricultural pests . Nothing can surpass in beauty the See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank grasses and See also:

• BRIGHT, JOHN (1811-188g)
• BRIGHT, SIR CHARLES TILSTON

bright See also:

• FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers that grow on the lowlands and rolling uplands of a virgin prairie—now hardly to be found in the state . The See also:

• COMMON

common See also:

• SUNFLOWER

sunflower (the most conspicuous See also:

• WEED, THURLOW (1797—1882)

weed of the state) and allied flowers, which spring up in myriads even in the midst of unbroken prairie wherever this is disturbed, line the roads with yellow bands from See also:

• HORIZON (Gr. 6pfTwv, dividing)

horizon to horizon, enclose the broken fields and choke waste places . See also:

• FAUNA

Fauna.—The fauna of the state is not known with the same thoroughness and detail as the flora, but it too is varied . This is notably true of birds and of See also:

• INSECTS

insects . Of the latter there are probably 12,000 to 15,000 species, including 140 butterflies, at least 18o grasshoppers, several hundred bees, &c . The so-called " grass hoppers," true locusts, have done great damage at times in Nebraska . About a third of all the species known in the United States are found within the state or close to its borders, and of these, 9 or 10 are so common that their increase under conditions favourable to their development may be a danger Such conditions are found in dry years, unfavourable to their See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief parasitic enemies, favourable to their own breeding, and the cause of their migrations . There were locust plagues in 1874, 1876 and 1877 . Fungus parasites have been used with some, but on the whole rather slight, success, and See also:

• MECHANICAL

mechanical appliances with perhaps greater success, in combating these pests . Birds are more effective . As in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of See also:

• PLANTS

plants, western, eastern, northern and See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern avian species meet in Nebraska .

In 1905 some 415 to 420 species had been found within its borders, and more than half of these were known to See also:

• NEST

nest in the state; 120 had been counted in the See also:

• WINTER, JOHN STRANGE
• WINTER, PETER (c. 1755-1825)

winter . The lakes of the sand-hills are the breeding-See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place--less so as settlement increases—of myriads of water-See also:

• FOWL (Dan. Fugl, Ger. Vogel)

fowl . Before the See also:

• ADVENT (Lat. Adventus, sc. Redemptoris, " the coming of the Saviour ")

advent of the white See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man Nebraska was full of wild mammals, the buffalo, See also:

• ELK

elk, See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

black and white tailed See also:

• DEER (O. E. rigor, dfor, a common Teutonic word, meaning a wild animal, cf. Ger. Tier, Du. dier, &c., probably from a root dhus-, to breathe)
• DEER, CHINESE

deer, See also:

• ANTELOPE

antelope, bears, See also:

• TIMBER

timber wolves, panthers (pumas), See also:

• LYNX (Lat. Lynx, Gr. airy, probably connected with X hovewv, to see)

lynx, See also:

• OTTER
• OTTER (0. Eng. ate, otor, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch and Ger. Otter, Dan. odder, Swed. utter; it is to be referred to the root seen in Gr. 6&ep, water)
• OTTER, SEA

otter and See also:

• MINK

mink being common . Almost all that remain are black bears, foxes, coyotes (prairie wolves), mink, See also:

• MUSK (Med. Lat. muscus, late Gr. µbvXos, possibly Pers. mushk, from Sansk. mushka, the scrotum)

musk-rats, raccoons and prairie See also:

• DOGS, ISLE OF

dogs (or gophers) . Antelope were not uncommon in the west and northwest until after 1890 . The See also:

• COYOTE

coyote is still so common even in the east as to be a See also:

• NUISANCE (through Fr. noisance, nuisance, from Lat. nocere, to hurt)

nuisance to the See also:

• FARMER, RICHARD (1735–1787)

farmer; in 1907 a See also:

• BOUNTY (through O. Fr. bontet, from Lat. bonitas, goodness)

bounty See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law was in force which provided for the See also:

• PAYMENT (Fr. paiement, from payer, to pay; Lat. pacare, to appease, pax, peace)

payment of a state bounty of $5, on every See also:

• GREY, CHARLES GREY, 2ND EARL (1764-1845)
• GREY, HENRY GREY, 3RD EARL (1802-1894)
• GREY, LADY JANE (1537-1554)
• GREY, SIR EDWARD
• GREY, SIR GEORGE (1812–1898)

grey See also:

• WOLF
• WOLF (Canis lupus)
• WOLF, FRIEDRICH AUGUST (1759-1824)
• WOLF, HUGO (1860-1903)
• WOLF, JOSEPH (1820-1899)

wolf, $1.25 on every coyote and $1 on every lynx (wild cat) . A few rodents have increased in See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers; the prairie See also:

• DOG

dog especially is a pest in the See also:

• ALFALFA

alfalfa fields of the arid lands (as are See also:

• POCKET

pocket-gophers at places in the east) . See also:

• CLIMATE

Climate.—The climate of Nebraska is typically inland or See also:

• CONTINENTAL

continental; i.e. it is characterized by " winters of considerable severity, summers of unusual warmth, rainfall in limited quantities, marked and sudden changes of temperature, large seasonal and daily temperature ranges, and dry, salubrious See also:

• ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere, with a small percentage of cloudiness, and a large percentage of See also:

• SUNSHINE

sunshine."r The See also:

• AVERAGE

average wind velocity for the High Plains of Nebraska and adjoining states is about to to 12 m.; 25 M. is not uncommon; and a velocity of 40 M. and over is recorded a half-dozen or more times every See also:

• YEAR

year . In spring velocities of 15 to 20 M. are common . The average velocity of winds for the entire state for 11 years preceding 1906 was 9.8 m. per See also:

• HOUR

hour . The prevailing directions are those common to a large part of the western See also:

• MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi valley . The prevailing wind of the year is N.W.; but in the spring, the summer and much of the autumn its predominance is greatly reduced or overcome by S. and S.W. winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico (but deflected by the rotation of the earth) .

Sometimes these winds blow in the winter—causing the curious phenomenon of melting snows on the coldest days of the year; in the summer in seasons of drought, especially in the western part of the state, this wind from the Gult sometimes reaches Nebraska r See also:

• SENATE (Lat. senatus, from root sen-, as in senex, old; the root is the Sanskrit sana, cf. Gr. 'vos; the same element appears in senor, seigneur, seneschal)

Senate Executive Document 115 (vol . 10), 51 See also:

• CONGRESS (Lat. congressus, coming together, from congredi; cum, with, and gradus, step)

Congress, 1 Session (1890), Climate of Nebraska.wrung dry of its moisture and so hot that in a day or two it shrivels and ruins the crops in its path . Such calamities are, however, uncommon, and the belief that Nebraska is often visited by tornadoes is erroneous . The normal mean-See also:

• ANNUAL

annual temperature of the state is about 48.7 ° F, and the normals for the six approximately equal weather sections into which the state is divided by the See also:

• NATIONAL

National Weather Service are respectively about 48°, 50.5 48.6 50.40, 47`9° and 46.6° F . This illustrates the extraordinary homogeneity of See also:

• CLIMATIC

climatic conditions . But there is a considerable difference in the averages for different months—the normal means of See also:

• JANUARY

January and See also:

• JULY

July through 30 years being 20.9° and 74.6° F., and the means of spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively about 48°, 72°, 53° and 23.50 F . Thus there is for any particular locality a wide range in See also:

• ABSOLUTE (Lat. absolvere, to loose, set free)

absolute temperature through the year, which averages for the state probably about 120° (1897-1905) . Similarly, the range is large through the day, especially in the higher altitudes, where the nights are almost invariably cool and refreshing after even the hottest day . The number of continuous days with a mean temperature above 50° F., averages probably about 175 for the state . The actual growing-See also:

• SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season between frosts is, however, not so great . Temperature is of course See also:

• LOWER

lower as one moves to the N. and N.W., the initial planting and harvesting of each See also:

• CROP (a word common. in various forms, such as Germ. Kropf, to many Teutonic languages for a swelling, excrescence, round head or top of anything; it appears also in Romanic languages derived from Teutonic, in Fr. as troupe, whence the English " crupper "

crop progressing See also:

• WAVE

wave-like across the state in from one to two See also:

• WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks . Especially in the W. and N.W. there are in some winters occasional See also:

• ANTI, or CAMPA

anti-cyclonic or high-area storms known as blizzards—wind-storms preceded or accompanied by See also:

• SNOW (in O. Eng. sndw; a common Indo-European word; cf. in Teutonic languages, Ger. Schnee, Du. sneeuw; in Slavonic snieg', Lith. snegas; Gr. vi4a, Lat. nix, nivis, whence the Romanic forms, Ital. neve, Fr. neige, &c.; Ir. and Gael. sneachd; the original

snow-fall—which are very severe .

They continue from one to three days, and are habitually followed by very low temperature . They are the cause of great loss to the See also:

• CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

cattle owners . Such storms are, however, rare . In the S.E. portion of the state the winters are characteristically mild and open . Temperatures below zero are rare for any locality; and the same may be said of temperatures above 95° in summer . The normal mean-annual precipitation for the whole state is about 23.84 in. in See also:

• RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain and melted snow, the actual yearly fall varying through 30 years between 13.30 and 31.65 in . Such rainfall might seem inadequate for an agricultural country: moreover, the eastern half of the state is more favoured than the western, which belongs, indeed, to the semi-arid Great Plains on which the Reclamation Service of the United States See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

Government is active . But aridity is a. See also:

• MATTER

matter of the efficiency rather than of the mere quantity of rainfall, and in this regard Nebraska is very fortunately situated . Rain is most plenteous in the See also:

• CRITICAL (in alphabetical order of authors)

critical months of the year . Seven-tenths of all pre