=The Leading Facts.= _1._ The toilers in forest, mine, and factory contributed to the development of our land. _2._ Cotton is grown in all the southern states and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. _3._ A valuable oil is made from the cotton seed. _4._ The climate west of the Mississippi best suited to the raising of wheat. _5._ The work of cultivating and harvesting is done by machines. _6._ Wheat is sent to the flour mills, the largest of which are in Minneapolis. _7._ Exports of wheat decreasing. _8._ Texas and Iowa the leading cattle-raising states. _9._ Cattle from the ranches are fed on corn in the corn states, principally Iowa and Illinois. _10._ The refrigerator car permitted the shipment of meat to all the world. _11._ Coal and iron mined in America worth many times more than the gold and silver. _12._ Hard coal mined in Pennsylvania. _13._ The Lake Superior iron ranges the greatest in the world. _14._ Pittsburgh is the greatest iron and steel center of America. =Study Questions.= _1._ Describe the process of preparing cotton for the market. _2._ What is done with the cotton seed? _3._ What is the South preparing to do with the cotton crop? _4._ Where is the wheat belt of America? _5._ How is the wheat cultivated and harvested? _6._ Describe the progress of the wheat from the field to its use as food. _7._ What are the leading cattle-raising states? _8._ Where and how are the herds fattened? _9._ What was the effect of the invention of the refrigerator car? _10._ How does the value of coal and iron mined in America compare with the gold and silver? _11._ Where is anthracite or hard coal mined? _12._ Where was iron first mined? _13._ Where is the largest deposit in the world? _14._ Where is the great iron and steel center of America? _15._ Give a list of all the things you can think of that are made out of iron. =Suggested Readings.= INDUSTRIES: Fairbanks, _The Western United States_, 215-290; Brooks, _The Story of Cotton_; Shillig, _The Four Wonders (Cotton, Wool, Linen, and Silk)_; Brooks, _The Story of Corn_. AMERICA AND THE WORLD WAR EARLY YEARS OF THE WAR [Sidenote: =The hero of the World War=] =232. A War of All the People.= We have been studying in this history the lives of America's greatest men and women, and the ways they have served their country. But in the last great part of American history, the World War, what counted most was the loyalty of every one of the people to a free government, and their willingness to fight and work unitedly for its safety. The plain, everyday American is our hero in this chapter.