Resources of the Northeast

Chapter 4, Lesson 2Pgs. 112-115

Lesson Main Idea: The Northeast produces products

for the world to enjoy.

Places:Lake Seneca

South Carver, MassachusettsSt. Albans, Vermont

Vocabulary Words:

1. bog- an area of soft, wet, spongy ground.2. mineral- metals and other resources dug

from the ground.3. quarry- a place where stone is dug, cut, or

blasted out of the ground.4. sap- a liquid carrying water and food that

circulates through a plant.5. vineyard- a place where grapevines are

planted.

Grapes and Cranberries:

Grapes are one of the many products grown in the Northeast. They are grown in a vineyard.The vineyards are usually found in hilly areas where the climate is right for the grape’s long growing season, which is often as long as 250 days.Vineyards in the Northeast are located in New York and in the Finger Lakes Region.(an area with several long, finger-shapes lakes.)

Lake SenecaLake Seneca is the largest of the Finger Lakes. It is over 600 feet deep and never freezes. The warm air that surrounds the lake helps create just the right conditions for a plentiful grape production.

Cranberries

Another berry grown in the Northeast is the cranberry. Of the 1,000 cranberry farms in the U.S., 500 of them are grown in Massachusetts. Most cranberries are grown in bogs.

Steps used to prepare a cranberry bog.

1. Swampy land is cleared and leveled.2. Land is covered with sand for good drainage.3. Cranberry plants are pressed into the sand.

Steps to harvest cranberries.1. The area is flooded2. This causes the cranberries to float.3. The bog is raked to collect the cranberries.

Quick SummaryThe climate and geography of the Northeast make it an excellent location for growing grapes and cranberries.

Other Resources:Maple Syrup is another famous Northeast product. Maple syrup is a sweet liquid made from the sap of sugar maple trees.More maple syrup is produced in Vermont than any other state in the U.S.

In order for the sap to flow, the weather in early spring must grow warmer and warmer until the temperatures rise about freezing. To get the sap, one or more holes are drilled into the tree. A spout, either metal or plastic, is then placed in the hole. The sap runs through the spout and into a bucket, which is then emptied into a large barrel and taken to a place called a sugar house. At the sugar house, workers boil the sap. As the sap boils, water evaporates until pure maple syrup remains. This process takes many hours.

About forty gallons of sap are needed to produce one gallon of syrup.

MineralsMinerals are also an important resource of the Northeast. Most rocks, such as granite and marble, are combinations of minerals.New Hampshire, known as the Granite State, has many quarries, places where stone is dug, cut, or blasted out for use in building.

Quick Summary

The Northeast also is an important producer of maple syrup and minerals

such as granite and marble.

Lesson Summary

1. Grapes and cranberries are two important products grown in the Northeast.

2. Vermont is a leading producer of maple syrup.

3. Minerals are an important resource of the Northeast.

Check Facts and Main Idea.1. Why are vineyards able to grow in certain areas

of the Northeast?

2. What is the name of the largest lake of the Finger Lakes?

3. Why is water important in the production of cranberries?

4. What are the steps needed to produce mable syrup?

ANSWERS1. The climate is right for the grape’s long growing

season.

2. Lake Seneca

3. Water is an important part of the bog and it protects cranberry plants from harsh weather, insects, and disease. Water is used to help farmers harvest the cranberries.

4. 1.The days grow warmer. 2.A hole is drilled into the tree and a spout is attached. 3.Sap is collected in buckets. 4.Sap is boiled into maple syrup