Prairies: The Land of Grass
Introduction
Moderately rainy areas are fertile and are suitable for grasslands. However, due to the limited growth of grasses in these areas, they have been converted into farms where food grains such as wheat, rice, and maize are cultivated. The production of these crops is so substantial that they are exported to countries where such crops are not readily available. Therefore, grasslands play a crucial role in providing food to people worldwide.
When there is enough of rainfall or availability of water in an area, tall trees grow, as it happens in Congo. Where there is scanty rainfall or scarce availability of water in an area, little vegetation grows, as it happens in Saudi Arabia. Different from these two conditions, there are places where it rains moderately. Moderate rain is not sufficient to support trees, but it can support grasses well. Such is the case with the Temperate Zone.
Did you notice?
North India also falls in the Temperature Zone
This zone receives an average annual rainfall of 30 cm to 60 cm, which is enough to sustain grass and a few trees. Therefore, it is home to vast grasslands with some trees.
Grasslands are known by different names in different places; such as pampas in South America; downs in Australia; steppes in Russia; velds in South Africa; and prairies in North America.
In this lesson, we shall study the prairies.
The Prairies
Location
In the continent of North America, grasslands found in America, Canada and Mexico are called prairies. The word ‘prairie’ is a French word which means ‘meadow’ or ‘grassland’. The prairies mainly extend over the interiors of America and Canada. The grasslands occurred in this area due to the rising Rocky Mountains which check rain from reaching this region. Grasslands are vast flat land with a few trees. They extend from the middle of Canada towards the mid-west of the United States and Mexico. They are irrigated by two big rivers: Mississippi and Missouri. In America, the important states having prairies are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nabraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. In Canada, the states of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta constitute parts of the prairies.
Climate
The prairies are situated in the continent’s interior and have an extreme climate, with hot summers and cold winters and moderate rainfall. Winter brings heavy snowfall. While this climate is good for grass, it is not suitable for trees.
Vegetation
The prairies are classified into three regions - tallgrass, mixed, and shortgrass. The tallgrass prairie has a moderate climate that supports tall grasses covering hundreds of kilometers. The climate is also suitable for cereal crops, particularly wheat, resulting in large wheat farms using modern farming techniques and machinery. Only a few trees like willow, alder, and poplar are found near the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
The mixed prairie region is also good for farming and irrigation has made this region into a fine farming region, where cereals are grown on an extensive scale.
The shortgrass prairie was once not so fertile, but water availability and use of modern machines have made this region a very fine source of agriculture. Now, extensive farming is conducted in this region.
Wildlife
With abundant availability of grass, we can find a large number of herbivores, like bisons, zebras, antelopes, deer, horses, rabbits etc. These herbivores are the favourite food of carnivores, which are attracted by their large numbers, so there are found a large number of them too, like wolves, lions, leopards, tigers, jackals etc. Other animals include python, prairie dog, rattlesnake etc.
Unfortunately, these prairies have now been cleared for farming, which has caused destruction of wildlife.
Wildlife in the prairies has suffered extensive damage due to indiscriminate hunting, leading to the extinction of many animal species. Bison, once in millions, have almost disappeared from the prairies, mainly due to game hunting.
Lifestyle
The original inhabitants of the prairies were Red Indians who led a nomadic life with their cattle. With time, a large number of Europeans have settled here. They have turned the vast prairies into vast wheat fields. The farms cover thousands of acres. Thus, farming has become their main occupation. In farming, all operations are performed by machines, such as ploughing, sowing, reaping and winnowing.
A farmer in the prairies lives with his family on the farm. Wheat is produced on a very large scale, which can meet the country’s need, also there is much surplus for export to other countries. Due to abundant wheat farming, the prairies are called the Wheat Basket of the World.
Did you notice
In the prairies, special large bins, called silos, are used to store wheat.
Besides wheat, other important crops grown here include corn, barley, rye, oats, flax and nutritious grasses like alfalfa. Cotton is also grown in the southern part.
With a fertile land, mechanised farming methods and government support, the farmers are rich, so they lead a comfortable life with all types of modern facilities. At present, this region is one of the most developed regions of the world. Villages are connected by good quality roads.
The land in the western prairies is somewhat hilly and rocky, which is not so fertile, where short grass grows. This area is not very suitable for farming. So, people rear livestock, and it has become the main occupation in this region.
Cattle are reared on big and open grasslands, called ranches. Cattle are mainly reared for meat, which is the staple food of the Americans. Chicago is one of the main slaughtering centres. All types of machines are used in cattle farming.
Dairy farming is also practised on a large scale. Advanced technology and modern machines are used for all operations, including bathing, feeding and milking of cattle.
People lead a clean and hygienic lifestyle. They regularly disinfect cattle to keep them healthy. For this, they dip cattle in large pots of disinfectants, called vats.
This region is also rich in some minerals, like iron ore, coal, mineral oil and manganese. So, industrial development has also taken place here. At present, it is a highly industrialised area.
Means of Transport
The prairies have a vast network of roads and railways, including good quality roads that connect even small villages and serve as an economic lifeline. The freeways are broad highways that enable high-speed transportation. These facilities have contributed to making the prairies a highly developed region in the world.