The lines of equal rainfall run nearly north and south, the rainfall diminish ing from 55 inches in the east to less than 10 inches in the west. The average for the State is not far from 33 inches. Wide variations from animal averages are conunon and very wide departures from monthly. averages are almost the rule. Evaporation steadily increases from 45 inches at the cast to 90 inches at the west. Obviously Texas .ranges from humid to arid. Eastern Texas has about 60 per cent, western Texas over 70 per cent of the possible sunshine. The mean annual temperatures range from 55° (35° in winter, 75° in summer) in the extreme north (Panhandle country) to 72° (60° in winter, 84° in summer) in the extreme south. Over most of southern and eastern Texas the mean summer temperature is about 81°. Tem peratures of 95° are not infrequent, the Texas extremes being 115' and —16°. In winter the mean temperatures at Amarillo and Browns ville differ by 24°, in summer by 9°. High temperatures are much modified by the high evaporation and by the Atlantic trade winds, which blow regularly through the summer but are frequently interrupted in winter by the oppositely directed northers which blow with great violence, sending the temperature down sometimes as much as 50° in a few hours. Snow and freezing occur along the coast only during the severer northers and last only a day or so. The climate on the whole is quite healthful.
The large size, varied rainfalls and temperatures of Texas unite to produce a wide variety of plants and animals. A trace of the Canadian Life Zone is to be found on the lops of the highest western mountains, surrounded lower down by more abundant specimens of the Transition Zone. The Staked Plains, a narrow and irregular strip extending southeast to Kerr County, and most of the Trans-Pecos above 4,000 feet are in the Upper Sonoran Zone. The remaining nine-tenths of the State is in the Lower Austral (cotton producing) Zone. The western and larger half of the Lower Austral is Lower Sonoran, the rest is Austro riparian. There is a semi-tropical Gulf Strip of the Lower Austral as well as arid and semi arid areas in the Lower Sonoran. Cypress, tupelo, palmetto, hickory, magnolia, gums, oaks, osage orange, sycamore, willow, long, short and loblolly pine abound in eastern Texas. Elms, pecans, cottonwoods and' willows along the streams with oaks, cedars, hackberries and mesquite elsewhere characterize the rest of Texas east of the treeless areas. Many species of cacti, especially the prickly pear, grow in the Lower Sonoran area. Wild flowers abound in species and individuals. The various native grasses largely support the great livestock industry.
Prairie dogs, jack-rabbits, cotton tail rabbits, skunks, rats and mice and opossums are the commoner animals. Thc coyote is still not rare and deer, protected by law, are main taining their numbers. The wild buffalo is ex tinct and the antelope, bear, panther and peccary are nearly so. Armadilloes are common in the south. A great majority of the North Amer ican species of birds have been found in Texas. Characteristic and common birds are the scis sortailed fly-catcher, mocking bird, lark finch, red bird, meadow lark, swallows, doves, quails and turkey buzzards. The wild turkey is now rare. Thirty varieties of lizards and 30 of snakes are known. The horned toad is the most interesting lizard. Poisonous rattle-snakes, moccasins and coral snakes and. the harmless garter, black. pilot, coachwhip and bull snakes are vadely distributed. There is a remarkable variety of fish in the lower coastal streams where small alligators are 4611 fairly common.
The ordinary Gulf fauna abounds off the coast where, as a consequence, very fine fishing is to be had. Tarantulas, centipedes and large red ants are the most commonly noticed inverte brates.
Agriculture and Stock occupying a decreasing percentage of the popu lation, as times goes on these industries still occupy 60 per cent of the male workers. About a sixth (28,000,000 acres) of the State is planted to crops each year, the remaining five-sixths mainly furnishing pasturage for stock. The number of farms, nearly 450,000 in 1916, has nearly doubled and the improved acreage has increased 50 per cent since 1890. The Black Prairie of the Upper Cretaceous is the most densely populated farming region, but the Permian Red Beds, and the Eocene and Neocene areas furnish large bodies of im mensely fertile soil. Perhaps two-thirds of Texas is easily tillable. The use of fertilizers is still uncommon. •Variations in rainfall and frost dates produce wide variations in the crop productions per acre. Very large crops and large sized fruits and vegetables are common. The average value of the crops is about $20 per acre. Intensive agriculture is beginning; the crops of the thousands of contestants for the annual prizes of the Texas Industrial Con gress average about three times the State aver age.
The total value of farm property, $962,000, 000 in 1900, $2,219,000,000 in 1910, has nearly trebled since 1900 and has quintupled since 1890. The total wealth of Texas was $6,860, 000,000 in 1912, $2,836,000,000 in 1904, $2,106, 000,000 in 1890. On the average, out of a thousand farmers, 425 are white owners, 408 are white tenants, 51 are negro owners and 116 are negro tenants.
The chief crop is cotton, about equal in value to all the other crops combined and raised over three-fourths of Texas. In 1912 the maximum crop so far, 4,880,000 bales, was pro duced. The value of the annual cotton crop ranges between 200 and 350 millions of dollars, Texas producing about a sixth of the world's crop. The corn crop averages, 100,000,000 bushels with wide variations. Wheat and oats vary much in amounts planted and in yields per acre — for wheat 12.8 bushels per acre and a 15,000,000 bushel crop and for oats 29.1 bushels per acre and a 40,000,000 bushel crop are averages. Nearly 10,000,000 bushels of rice are grown annually on 300,000 irrigated acres. The annual value of the Kafir corn, milo maize, sorghum and other forage crops is not far from $25,000,000. The production of sugar has de clined' to a few thousand tons. The fruit and vegetable crop exceeds $40,000,000 in value. Peaches, sweet potatoes, watermelons, tomatoes, onions, cabbages are raised in large amounts and Texas is by far the leading State in native pecans. Most of the other standard fruits and vegetables are raised in lesser amounts and there is the beginning of a citrus fruit indus try along the coast. In 1917 the production of cotton was 3,125,000 bales which, excluding the seed, were valued at $375,000,000. The pro duction in 1917 of the other principal crops in thousands of bushels and thousands of dollars was corn, 77,825, of value $129,968; wheat, 16,- 200, value $34,020; oats, 37,050, value $30,381; potatoes, 9,312, value $13,869; hypothetical value of all crops (United States Department of Agriculture) $684,856; average for five years, $421,277, over 20 per cent greater than any other State. The 1917 wool clip amounted to 10,045,000 pounds.