Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/502

NEW HAMPSHIRE. Province of Quebec, on the east by the State of Maine and for a distance of 18 miles by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Massachusetts, and on the west by Vermont, from which it is separated by the Connecticut River. Its general shape is that of a right triangle with the right angle at the southeastern corner and the acuter apex pointing north. Its extreme length is 178 miles, its extreme width 88 miles, and its area 9305 square miles, of which 9005 square miles, or 5,763,200 acres are land surface. It ranks fortieth in size among the United States.

. New Hampshire is relatively more rough and mountainous than the average State on the Atlantic slope. The easternmost extension of the Appalachian system traverses the State lengthwise, running first as a ridge along the western boundary on the east bank of the Connecticut River, and culminating in the rugged mass of monadnocks known as the White Mountains. These cover about 1300 square miles in the north-central part of the State, and constitute a region of romantic scenery. Among the peaks, whose naked, rocky summits reach above the timber-line, the highest is Mount Washington, with an altitude of 6293 feet. Several isolated monadnocks, outlying members of the group, are scattered over the southwestern quarter of the State, the most prominent being Mount Kearsarge, 2943 feet high, and Mount Monadnock, with an altitude of 3186 feet. North of the White Mountains, in Coos County, another elevation rises to a height of over 2000 feet, and extends indefinitely into Maine and Canada. The southeastern part of the State is generally low, being relieved by numerous ‘drumlins’—rounded hills of glacial drift generally covered with boulders. Every part of the State is well drained by numerous streams, the narrow western portion by the Connecticut River, the remainder by rivers flowing to the Atlantic Ocean. The northern part of the State is drained by the Androscoggin River, which issues from Lake Umbagog, and after making an irregular detour to the west flows into Maine. The Saco also enters that State after draining the eastern group of the White Mountains. The principal river of the State after the Connecticut is the Merrimac, whose main fork, the Pemigewasset, rises in the Franconia or western group of the White Mountains. It flows southward in a series of falls and rapids, furnishing enormous water power. It has been said that the Merrimac turns more spindles than any other river in the world. The lower course of this river is in Massachusetts. Finally, the southeastern corner of the State is drained by the streams flowing into the Piscataqua estuary, this being the only harbor on the coast. Like all glaciated areas. New Hampshire abounds in lakes—irregular, beautiful sheets of water studded with wooded islets. The largest is Lake Winnipiseogee, 16 miles long and 6 miles wide. Other notable lakes are Umbagog, in the north on the Maine boundary; Squam, northwest of Winnipiseogee; and Sunapee and New Found Lake, in the west. The climate is strongly affected by the elevation of the land. It is colder, on the average, than that of Maine, and the winters are severe, the ground being usually snow-covered and the rivers frozen from autumn to spring. The lower Merrimac Valley is the warmest part of the State. It is of alight elevation and but little affected by ocean breezes. Here the mean temperature for January is 21°, and for July 70°, the corresponding figures for the northern portion being 16° and 67°, and for Mount Washington 5° and 47°. The climate is quite humid, and the precipitation sufficient all over the State. It is especially abundant on the mountain summits, where it reaches 55 inches, and on the eastern slope of the mountains, where it ranges from 40 to 40 inches. It is least near the seashore and on the western slope, where there is a fall respectively of only 35 and 30 inches. The whole State is, as a rule, very healthful.

For flora and fauna, see paragraphs under .

New Hampshire consists almost exclusively of ancient crystalline rocks, a fact which has earned for it the title of “Granite State.” The main formations run lengthwise through the State parallel with the coast and the Connecticut River. The eastern or New Hampshire bank of the latter and a broad band along the coast are composed of rocks mainly of the Huronian series. Between these, through the centre of the State, the predominant formation consists of Montalban and other gneisses together with calciferous mica-schists in the north. The structure is, however, complicated by extensive outcrops of still older rocks. A line of granites and diorites appears near the coast west of the Piscataqua, and through the centre of the State, running west of the Merrimac Vallev toward the White Mountains, there are extensive outcrops of porphyritic gneiss. The heart of the White Mountains themselves is composed mainly of granite. Few regions exhibit more well-marked evidences of glacial action than New Hampshire. The rocks are everywhere striated, and boulders of all sizes are scattered all over the State, even on the mountain summits. Moraines are also well marked; but, though there are deposits of glacial drift, and of fertile modified drift along the river valleys, the soils of the State are in general not encouraging to agriculture.

. The most valuable mineral output of the State is derived from its non-metallic rocks. Up to 1900 New Hampshire ranked first in the production of mica, the output in that year being 191,118 tons. In 1901 it fell to 65,800 tons, and was exceeded by that of North Carolina. The production of granite in 1901 was valued at $935,494. The celebrated Indian Pond and White Mountain scythestones are quarried in great quantities. Copper is mined to some extent, and ores of lead, zinc, tin, arsenic, iron, and some gold and silver are found. . In the fishing industry New Hampshire is the least important of the New England coast States. Its commercial fisheries are confined to Rockingham County, on the Atlantic. The industry showed a considerable decline from 1889 to 1898. The value of the catch (1898) was $48,987, as compared with $88,511 nine years before. The most important catches in 1898 were haddock, cod, and lobsters. The 11 hatcheries of the State distributed in 1900 about 3,256,000 fry, mainly salmon, salmon trout, brook trout, and lake trout.

. The manufacture of lumber products is the oldest of the State's industries. It is claimed that the first sawmill in New England was established near Portsmouth in 1635. In 1900 the woodland was