FLORA OF THE SAND HILLS OF NEBRASKA. 
By P. A. RYDBERG. 
INTRODUCTORY NOTE, 
May 23, 1893, the writer was appointed field agent of the Division of 
Botany in the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose 
of making a botanical exploration and collection in the sand hill region 
of Nebraska. On the recommendation of Dr. Charles E. Bessey, of the 
University of Nebraska, Thomas and Hooker counties were selected 
as the principal field of exploration. The former county lies nearly in 
the center of the region, and affords perhaps the best representation of 
the central sand-hill flora. 
The sand-hill region extends from 98° to 103° west longitude, and is 
bounded on the southwest by the North Platte River, and on the north 
by the Niobrara River. The southeastern limit is a broken line from 
a point near the mouth of the Niobrara to Dawson County. In pursu- 
ance of ny instructions from the Department to confine my work to an 
area sutliciently restricted to admit of thorough examination, the field 
of exploration was practically limited to the two counties mentioned 
above and one-third of Grant County. On two occasions I crossed over 
into Cherry County and once into Arthur and McPherson counties. 
ITINERARY, 
I left Lincoln by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in com- 
pany with Mr. N. P. Tulen, a student of Augustana College, Rock 
Island, Hl. Mr. Tulen stayed with me until August 25, and to him 
many thanks are due for his hearty codperation., 
Our first station was at Thedford, the county seat of Thomas County, 
which was to serve as our base of operations. Here we remained till 
June 24, by which time we had secured a team and outfit for the summer. 
During our stay I met Mr. C, C. Wright, one of the early settlers, who 
has several times sent collections of grasses to the Nebraska State 
fairs. From him much useful information was obtained, and specimens 
were received of a few grasses which I did not collect myself. 
June 20 we collected around Natick, a flag station 7 miles east of 
Thedford, and on the 22d and 23d around Norway, a station 8 miles 
west of the same place. All these stations are situated in the Middle 
Loup Valley, which the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad follows 
from Dunning, Blaine County, to a point 5 miles east of Mullen, Hooker 
County. During the nine days of collecting we secured a nearly com- 
plete representation of the flora of this valley as well as of the sur- 
rounding sand hills. 133 
