34 BOTANICAL SURVEY OF THE CCEUR d'aLENE MOUNTAINS. 



One would suppose that in a country where natural pasturage areas 

 are so limited and so much in demand all available portions would be 

 utilized. This is far from being the case here, however; outside the 

 slack-water portions of the valleys the best and most extensive grazing 

 grounds of the Coeur d'AIenes are totally neglected. I refer to the 

 great grassy, park -like forests which are found on the high divides that 

 rise above 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) altitude. In the North Fork basin, 

 which has but few natural pastures at any elevation, these parks are 

 of small extent or wholly wanting even on the highest ridges, but on 

 the divides which separate the waters of the North Fork of the Clear- 

 water from the Occur d'Alene basins, on those which lie between the 

 South Fork of the Cteur d'Alene and the St. Joseph, on those which 

 divide the principal forks of this latter stream, and on the slopes of the 

 peaks near and along the main range of the Bitter Koots are many 

 thousand acres of grass land which yield a most luxuriant growth and 

 are in their prime at a time when the summer pasturage at low eleva- 

 tions is thoroughly dried up. With the exception of small tracts on 

 the Clearwater divide, to which bands of horses are occasionally driven, 

 none of these grazing lands are utilized. The reason for this is in part 

 the difliculty of access to the high summits and in part the lack of 

 water during the summer. To reach the parks on the crests it is neces- 

 sary to travel through miles of heavy timber or dense brush without 

 roads or trails of any sort. The summer water line is always below 

 these grass lands. Earely is it found at a higher altitude than 280 

 meters (900 feet) below the crest lino of the ridges; usually it is much 

 lower. The summer water level of the great grass-covered slopes which 

 are situated between the St. Joseph and the Cceur d'Alene rivers varies 

 from 320 to 050 meters (1,000 to 3,100 feet) below the crest line. Above 

 this not a drop of water is obtainable after the snow is gone. Without 

 paths through the dense timber which always succeeds the grassy 

 expanses it often requires several hours to reach water and as long to 

 climb back to the summits. Notwithstanding the drawback of the lack 

 of water, these grassy expanses would furnish good sheep pasture were 

 it not for the presence of bears and cougars, which doubtless would 

 cause havoc in any flock that ventured into these solitudes. The diffi- 

 culties in the way of utilizing these grazing areas are not insuperable; 

 on the contrary, they can readily be overcome. The only requirements 

 are trails through the timber to the foot of the parks and from them to 

 the highest permanent water levels in the canyons below. 



During the past nine years sheep have been driven annually from 

 the Snake Elver country into some part of the Occur d'AIenes for 

 summer pasturage. They are driven in by way of Santianne Creek and 

 reach the valley of the St. Mary in the middle of dune. Their range 

 is as yet confined to the low, rolling basaltic, yellow-pine forest which 

 lies between the middle portion of the St. Mary and the St. Joseph. As 

 elsewhere, these bands of sheep are very destructive to the pastur- 

 age and leave but little along their route for the stock of the resident 



