25(3 THE PLA^T'l' AVOKI,]). 



iieiice (tf rock liiniiii:' :iii iiliiliidi' i>t" six (iKnisninl ft^cl, three 

 thousand feet above llic iikhiiIi of the ciirioii. ^Ve made our 

 permanent camp, from which we took our start to make the 

 climb, in a group of eottouwoods near to the iudiau camp, which 

 T have already spoken of. This was a delightful spot for cauip- 

 ing, having plenty of shade aud ruuiiiug Avater, and fairly abun- 

 dant forage for our l)urros. One of these cottonwoods offers 

 a very curious condition of affairs. Some time ago, perhaps 

 several years, a branch luul been broken off from the under side 

 of an obliquely placed truuk. Tlie tree had made some attempt 

 to heal the wound tiius formed, 1)ut failed. The interesting 

 feature, however, lies in the fact that the tree commenced to 

 bleed from the surface of the wood, and this continued for so 

 long that a thick calcareous deposit wasformed upon the wounded 

 surface. The bleeding had been so ra])id tliat at tlie time of 

 our visit 1 coimted half a dozen drops a minute. On account 

 of a ridge in the wood the dropping of the water gradually 

 became confined to one line until there Avere formed a number 

 of stalactites quite after the fashion of those formed in a lime- 

 stone cave. The exuding water is distinctly unpleasant to taste 

 and smell, and does not seem to be heavily charged with salts, 

 nor does the tree seem to be groAving in heavily charged soil, 

 since it is right on the baidc of a mountain stream. The Avhole 

 thino- susi'o'ests an artificial nectarA% in Avhich the sugars are 

 replaced by salts. The similarity of the calcareous deposits 

 formed about the Avater pores of certain leaA'es is perhaps still 

 closer. At any rate, Avithout attempting a final explanation of 

 the phenomenon it is, so far as I know, a unique example. The 

 amount of Avatcr Avhicli the tree ouA^es off is sus'ffested bv the 

 circumstance that Avhen In* accident the corner of my blankets 

 got underneath the wound the corner of my bed got soaking Avet 

 during the night. At this Avell-Avatered spot Ave found huge 

 grape vines climbing some of the cottonwood trees, a passion 

 floAver and a small. Avild cucumber, the seeds of Avhich are nearly 

 globose, and very bitter. 



