THE ALPS AND THE ALPINE FORELAND.—The German Alps, which attain their highest point in the Zugspitze (9,710 feet), belong to the outer limestone ranges of the Alps. The Foreland, which stretches northward from their foothills to the Danube and beyond, is of Tertiary formation, but is covered to a great extent with the debris distributed by the great glaciers which descended from the mountain zone. Morainal material is wide spread over a considerable area immediately to the north of the foothills. The land is consequently of poor fertility, and was formerly occupied by numerous lakes, many of which have been drained. Beyond the belt of morainal country there are great deposits of glacial gravels. In the south these gravels are of considerable depth, and absorb water easily, so that the sur face is left dry ; but in the north, where they thin out, the water collects upon the underlying impermeable stratum, and the land becomes marshy, as in the neighbourhood of Munich. West of the Lech and north of the Amper the Tertiary land reappears, and is often of considerable fertility, while some of the alluvial soils in the valley of the Danube are among the most productive in the Empire.
Climatic conditions are also unfavourable to agriculture over the greater part of the Foreland. Increase of altitude counteracts the advantages of decrease of latitude, and the summer temperatures are low. The rainfall is heavy, the mean annual precipitation varying from 30 to 60 inches. The lower slopes of the foothills are generally forest-covered, while the grassland districts above the limit of tree growth, and the morainal districts of the Foreland, are largely devoted to dairy-farming. Over the whole region nearly one
third of the land is pastoral, and in the southern districts more than one-half is under grass. On the other hand, on the alluvial soils of the Danube, especially between Ratisbon and the Isar, where wheat is extensively grown, less than one-tenth of the surface is reserved for live stock. Hops, which form the basis of the great brewing industry of Munich, are an important crop in many places, particularly in the Danubian valley, on the Tertiary lands, and in the country between the Danube and Lake Constance.
The Alpine Foreland is comparatively poor in other sources of economic wealth. Coal is not found, though some lignite is obtained. Water-power, which is fairly abundant, is being utilised for the pro duction of electrical energy, and the Bavarian State has reserved to itself the waters of the Isar, the Inn, and several other rivers for the electrification of the railways. The cotton industry is carried on at various places, more especially at Ulm and Augsburg. Munich, which has grown up where the ancient salt route from Salzburg to the west crossed the Isar, has, in addition to breweries, machine shops, furniture works, and manufactories of scientific instruments. The clays and iron-free sands of the Bavarian Forest have led to the growth of porcelain and glass works at Nymphenburg and Ratisbon.