CLIMATE. The distribution of climate is verti cal rather than horizontal. On the central plain and in the lower mountain valleys a temperate climate prevails, t he Inca n a mina 1 temperature be ing about 50' V. 'the mean temperature dimin ishes on an average by for e?ery thousand feet of elevation, so that the climate in the higher val leys is very severe. Ticino, Vaud, and Geneva enjoy an almost Italian climate, ?i ith a mean temperature of .11 to 53.5 F., in which southern fruits ripen. The slum line on the southern side of Alps is about 1 0,1 70 feet abate sea level; on the north side the limit of perpetual snow is about S530 feet. The growth of grain ceases at about 4000 feet. On the higher Alps, which :ire wrapped iii it of the time, the annual precipitation is 75 10 97 on the central plain it is 33 inches. The Van, a warm south wind, causes some by rapidly nicking the snow and so producing ava lantites and inundations. The climate of Switz erland, on the w hole, is not favorable to agricul ture, hut is stimulating and healthful.
FroaA ANI) FAUNA. The vertical zones of vege tation in the correspond to the horizontal zones of Europe between latitude 41i° and the Angie Circle. olives in a few of the low val leys are succeeded by vines and the plants of middle Europe; then come in succession decidu ous trees and grains, conifers. the high pastures, and shrubs and mosses. above which rises the region of perpetual snow. Oaks and chestnut trees are abundant only in the more south ern valleys, beech trees are numerous up to 1000 feet above the sea. and pines. larches, anti fir trees thrive between .1000 and 6500 feet. Agri culture is mainly confined to the regions not above 2500 feet, but the high pastures extend far above the region of tillage.
The wolf, ibex, and chamois are found in the mountains, but all wild animals are becoming very scarce.
CEoLtn,v AND MINERAL IlEsoctuts. The back hone of Switzerland consists of gneiss: and gran ite with outlying strata of the Carboniferous, Triassic. ,Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Teri in ry formations. These strata are all thrown into a succession of gigantic. folds, giving rise to great geologic complexity. Four distinct geologic zones, extending across Switzerland from south west to northeast, are recognized. The lime stone Jura region of roughly parallel folds is the first zone. The second is the plain whose rocks are chiefly sandstone covered, to a great ex tent. by the deposits of the ice invasions. The other zones cover the Alps, the more northern hying that of the limestone Alps whose strata are greatly distorted and piled up over one another. The fourth zone consists of the great crystalline masses of the southern Swiss Alps formed of gneiss, granite, and other crystalline rocks and sehists. Denudation has reduced the height of the mountains and deepened and lengthened the valleys, the larger rivers having, pushed their sources hack to the very heart of the mountain groups. The mining industry is of little im portanee. Building stone, partienlarly sand and limestone and rock salt, found in three eantons, are the ehief mineral products. A little iron ore is mined in the .Tura ranges• but the iron in dustries depend upon imports of material. A small amount of anthracite is mined near Bern of Fribourg, but Germany sends nearly a million tons of coal to Switzerland every year, and France, Austria. and England also contribute important quantities. Asphalt in the Val des Travers, marble in Uri, Schwyz. and Ticino, slate in Glarus, and rock-crystals of great beauty, are other mineral products.