155] FLORA OF BOULDER, COLORADO 7 



seen so much anywhere else, nor anywhere else have had such 

 drenchings to the skin. It is a semi-arid land, parched and 

 thirsty. And the farmer, whom I saw flooding his land the 

 morning after an all night's pouring rain, knew from long 

 experience that there could not be too much water. The 

 rapid drainage, the light dry air, the fierce light of the high 

 elevation, the hot sun, the soil unfitted for the retention of 

 water, all these things parch and wither our cultural plants, 

 for while the native vegetation has organs for storing water 

 and for diminishing transpiration, the cultivated plants have 

 none of these. Nevertheless for the native vegetation in 

 1906 there was ample water-supply ; it grew with an almost 

 incredible luxuriance, so much so that I found the measure- 

 ments given in the manuals were often valueless for my pur- 

 pose, as many of my plants were taller and larger than the 

 books say that they grow. I was told that after the first of 

 July there would be no botanizing as everything on the plains 

 and foot-hills would dry up; but I remained till September 

 first and the plants did not dry up, and I was able to collect 

 over a thousand species in about two months and a half. 



The following table, which I use by the kind permission of 

 Professor Ramaley, will furnish the data requisite to an under- 

 standing of the temperature and rainfall of the region. The 

 data holds true only for the city of Boulder. 



