30 THE PLANT WORLD. 



Greene and Brandegee have collected here, and not a little was ac- 

 complished by Miss Alice Eastwood. Many species of great interest 

 were first described from this region, and some of these have not 

 since been found elsewhere. 



Early in 1898 plans were perfected by the writer for an extended 

 botanical survey of the LaPlata and San Juan mountains. Prof. F. S. 

 Earle was associated with him in the enterprise, and later on Prof. S. 

 M. Tracy was invited to join the expedition. The original plaa contem- 

 plated three months' field work the first season. Circumstances over 

 which we had no control narrowed this down to one month. This 

 month was spent entirely in the LaPlatas and the San Juans, the 

 fall work in the LaPlatas being reserved for future seasons when the 

 sets of this season will be extended and continued under a uniform 

 system of numbers. 



Prof. F. S. Earle and the writer left Alabama in the latter part 

 of June and proceeded at once to Mancos, on the Rio Grande Southern 

 Railroad. We went via Pueblo, Salida, Poncho Pass, the San Luis 

 Valley, Alamosa, the Toltec Gorge and Durango. At several places 

 we picked up specimens between trains. For instance, at Pueblo we 

 took Salsola kali, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Symplioricarpos occidentalism 

 Gaura coccinena, Stanleya pinnata, PJiysalis lanceolata and ten or a 

 dozen other species, all within a few minutes' walk of the depot. At 

 Salida, on a hillside near the depot we found Hermidiiim alipes, Kry- 

 nitzkia gloiiierata, Mentzelia albicaiilis and M. nudiflora, Pentstonon 

 acuminatus, Sisymbriiim canescens, Gilia longifloj-a. Astragalus 

 flexiwsus and a number of other things not so familiar to us. 



Arriving at Mancos, we proceeded to business without delay, our 

 tent being up and plants going into press within two hours after we 

 arrived. Here and elsewhere we fully appreciated the value of a 

 thorough knowledge of woodcraft, and a strictly No. i outfit ; of both 

 of which we were the fortunate possessors. At the end of a week we 

 were joined by Prof. Tracy, and then proceeded at once up the West 

 Mancos Canon as far as a team and wagon could take us. Our camp 

 here was at 10,000 feet altitude and very near Mt. Hesperus. From 

 this point we explored Mt. Hesperus, and the hills, gulches and caiions 

 to the west of that peak, consuming about ten days in this work. 

 From here we returned to Mancos and explored the sage plains to the 

 south of the town. We then set our faces towards the east side of the 

 LaPlatas, going by way of the Durango road, the postoffices of Dix 

 and Parrott City and finally up the caiion of the LaPlata river. We 

 explored the LaPlata Canon thoroughly, following the stream to its 

 various sources in the snow-banks, extending our operations into the 

 Little Kate and Columbus Basins, and working as high as Hayden 



