The surface of the state is much diversified, the sea coast being in large part flat, and at some points marshy. The chief exceptions to this are Mt. Agamenticus, 670 ft. high, near the s.w. coast; the Camden hills, 1500 ft. high, on the Penobscot, and the numerous peaks of Mt. Desert island and its vicinity, some of which rise to a height of over 2,000 feet. Back from the coast the country is hilly or mountainous. The great Appalachian chain, of which the White mountains of New Hampshire are a part, originates in the• British province of New Brunswick, enters Maine at Mars hill in lat. 46° 30', crosses the state in a s.w. direction, and joins the White mountain range at the New Hampshire line. The highest elevation of this range in Maine is Mt. Katandin, near the geo graphical center of the state, which is 5,383 ft. in height. The other principal elevations are Mt. Abraham, Mt. Blue, Sugar Loaf, Chase's mountain, Mt. Mattatuck, Mt. Puzzle, and 3Its. Saddleback and Bigelow. The Ebene and Spencer mountains, trending south ward, and the highlands on the n., are spurs of this range. The n. portion of the state is drained by the Walloostook and the Aroostook, which empty into the St. John. The. St. Croix forms a portion of the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick and_ empties into Passamaquoddy bay. The largest river of Maine is the Penobscot, which-,. with its branches and connecting lakes, drains the center of the state, flows into Penob scot bay, and is navigable for large vessels to Bangor, more than 50 m. from its mouth. West of the Penobscot ;a the Kennebec, navigable to Bath. and furnishing unlimited. water power; and further w. still are the Androscoggin, the Saco, and the Piscataqua, which latter separates Maine from New Hampshire. One of the most striking natural. features of the state is presented in the great number of lakes, both small and large, whose surplus waters go to swell the volume of the principal streams. These lakes,_ together with the rivers, are estimated to cover an area of 3,200 sq.miles. The largest is Moosehead, 35 m. long and from 4 to 12 in breadth. Among the others are the Sebago, Umbagog, Chesuncook, Baskahegan, Eagle, Portage. Long, 3Iadewaska, Parne dumcook, Millinoket, Sebec and Schoodic. The soil in the valleys is generally fertile, but comparatively sterile in the mountains. The winters are long and severe, but of' uniform temperature, the snow 17ing upon the ground from three to five months of the year. The thermometer ranges in the course of the year from 30° below to 100° above zero. The most unpleasant feature of the climate are the n.e. winds of the spring and early summer, usually accompanied by chilly fogs.
The state, especially in Aroostook, Piscataquis, and -Washington counties, is well supplied with minerals. Iron, lead, tin, copper, zinc, and manganese are found in con siderable quantities, while the manufacture of alurn, copperas, and sulphur might easily be made profitable. Marble, slate, and limestone are abundant, while granite of the finest quality is obtained in blocks weighing more than 100 tons each. The metallic ores have not been much worked. The principal state quarries are in Piscataquis county.
The gTeat forests which long covered the central and northern portions of the state arc fast falling before the lumbermau's axe, with the effect, as some believe, of a very serious diminution of the rain-fall. The principal forest trees are the pine, sprucediem lock, maple, birch, beech, and ash, and in some parts of the state the butternut, poplar, elrn, and sassafras. Apples, pears, and plums are raised with success; but the summer
is too short for the growth of peaches.
The forests are inhabited by the moose, bear, deer, wolf, catamount, wolverine, beaver, sable, weasel, squirrel, etc., while among the birds inay be mentioned eagles, wild geese and ducks, owls, hawks, partridges, pi,geons, crows, quails, and humming birds. Trout, salmon, and pickerel are abundant in the lakes and rivers; while the waters off the coast abound with cod, mackerel, herring, halibut, etc.
The number of farms in 1870 was 59,804, containing 2,917,793 acres of improver/ and 2,920.265 acres of unimproved land. The cash value of these farms was $102,961,951; of farming implements and machinery, $4,809,113; wages annually paid, $2,903,292; total value Of farm productions and improvements, $33,470,044; value or orchard products, $874,569; of produce of market gardens, $366,397; of forest products, $1,581,741; of horne manufactures, $450,988; of animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter, $4,939,071; of all live stock, $23,357,129. The amount of wheat raised in 1870 was 278,793 bushels; of corn, 1,089,888 bushels; of oats, 2,351,354 bush.; of rye, 34,115 bush. ; of barley, 658,816 bush.; of buckwheat, 466,635 bush.; of potatoes, 7,771,363 bush.; of wool, 1,774,168 lbs.; of hops, 296,850 lbs.; of butter, 11,636,482 lbs.; of cheese, 1,152,590 lbs.; of maple sugar, 160,805 lbs.; of honey, 155,640 lbs.; of milk sold, 1,374,091 gal lons. Number of horses, 71,514; of milch cows, 139,259; of other cattle, 142,802; of sheep, 434,666; of swine, 45,760.
The production of lumber is the leading industry. In 1870 the forests were esti— mated to cover nearly one-half the entire surface of the state; but so extensive is the lumber trade, that this area of forest is constantly diminishing. Bangor, on the Penob scot, is the chief lumber mart. The amount surveyed there in 1870 was estimated at 200,000,000 feet. The counties which are the chief centers of the traffic are Penobscot, Washington, Hancock, and Piscataquis. In the first two of these counties the capital employed amounted to $3,500,000. The number of sawmills was 1,099, employing 8,500 men and $6,614,875 of capital, and dispensing in wages $2,449,132, while the prod ucts amounted to $11,395,747. The other chief industries are ship-building, boots and shoes, fisheries, ice-gathering, tanning and currying, vegetable canning, brick, cotton) goods, flouring and gristmill products, lime, machinery, mining, and quarrying, paper manufacture, and woolen goods. In 1873 the whole number of manufacturing estab lishments was 6,072; number of persons employed, 55,614, of whom a little less than_ one-third were women and children; capital invested, $48,808,448; wages paid,. $16,584,164; annual value of products, $96,209,136 The products of the Maine fisher ies in 1870 amounted to $979,610. In 1873, 861 vessels of 46,196 tons were en,,ouged the cod and mackerel fisheries, affording employment for 2,000 men. Lobsters and: clams are taken in immense quantities along the coast. The canning of vegetables, lob sters and clams is extensively carried on, the whole value of such products in 1875 being estimated at $1,842,000. The product of cotton goods in the same year amounted_ to $12,151,750.