North Dakota

In North Dakota, except where they have been planted by the farmers, trees are found only in the Turtle mountains, a group of high hills near the Canadian border, in the region about Devil's lake, in the vicinity of streams, and in a few other places sheltered from the wind and sun. The woodland area of the State is esti mated at but 600 sq.m., or less than 1% of its entire surface. The prairies of the more humid regions are covered with valuable grasses, and with masses of showy native flowers which bloom from spring to autumn. Cottonwoods flourish along the Little Missouri, and stunted cedars and junipers grow in the sheltered ravines of the "bad lands." Cactus and sage brush in this region are also common.

Climate.

Since there are no mountains, forests or large bodies of water to have a moderating effect, the climate is strikingly uniform over various portions of the State. Great extremes of temperature are likely to be encountered in any part of the State, but the dryness of the atmosphere makes them easier to bear. The seasons are sharply demarked; both winter and sum mer come rapidly. The summers are short, but long hours of sunlight make the vegetation grow rapidly. Killing frosts some times occur in May and return again in September. High winds are frequent and prairie houses are protected by rows of trees planted as "wind breaks." Tornadoes are not unknown, and hail storms are frequent in summer. During the growing season the winds are usually light ; but in the late summer occasional dry, hot winds from the south prove very destructive to crops. The aver age rainfall for the State is 18 in. and is well distributed, but gen erally decreases east to west from 2 2 in. in the Red river valley to about 14 in. along the western boundary. While below normal for humid regions, the greater part of the rain comes in the spring and summer so that the crops receive full benefit. The snows are light, and the prairies are often swept bare by high winds so that cattle may graze throughout the winter.

Government.

The State is governed under its Constitution of 1889, as subsequently amended. Previous to 1918 the Consti tution required that a proposed amendment pass two successive legislatures before it could be submitted to the people for ratifica tion, but in that year the 28th amendment made it necessary that it pass but one. This amendment also gave the voters of the State

the power of proposing amendments by an initiative petition which must be signed by 20,000 voters before the amendment can be voted upon. Another amendment in 1918 gave the voters power to initiate legislation (the initiative petition to require the signature of 10,000 voters), and the power of referendum (the referendum petition to require the signature of 7,000 voters). The veto power of the governor does not extend to measures initiated or referred to the electors and thereupon passed. Amendment 33 gave the electors the power of recalling any elective congressional, State, county, judicial or legislative official, the recall petition to contain the signatures of at least 30% of the voters voting at the pre ceding election. The legislative assembly of the State is com posed of a senate and a house of representatives with a member ship respectively in 1937, of 49 and 113 members. Senators are elected for four years and representatives for two years. The assembly meets the first Tuesday after the first Monday in Janu ary in odd-numbered years.

The executive officers who are elected are the governor, lieu tenant governor, secretary of State, auditor, treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of insurance, commissioner of agriculture and labour, superintendent of public instruction and three rail road commissioners, all serving a two-year term. The executive department includes some 5o boards or commissions whose mem bers are partly elected officials, whose service on these boards is part of their ex-officio duties, and partly officials appointed by the governor. The governor appoints a tax commissioner, adjutant general, State engineer, State mine inspector, State examiner, three members of the board of administration (into which the board of control, board of regents and board of education were merged in 1921) and members. of many professional examining boards. Since 1919 when the industrial programme of the Non-partisan League was put into operation, one of the most important boards, composed of the governor, commissioner of agriculture and labour and the secretary of State, has been the industrial which has the management of State industries and including the Bank of North Dakota and the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, in its hands..