GENEKAL EEPORT. 
XXV 
the plains east of the Rocky Mountains a vast pasture for the bison, deer, and 
antelope, arc here unknown. There arc, indeed, various other species more 
or less abundant in localities, but always growing in sparsely scattered tufts 
and dying away with the early summer heats, or to be then found only in 
favored spots in the mountain canons. The two or three species that may be 
said to mat into a sward are confined to alkaline meadows and are nearly 
worthless for pasturage. 
Of the more predominant sj^ecies which form the mass of tlic slH ul)l)y 
and perennial vegetation of the entire region s()mc are conlined almost 
wholly to the more saline localities. Of these; tlie Ilalostachys orcidcnfdlls^ 
abundant about the sinks of the Carson and Humboldt Jiivci-s and olhcr 
similar places, is an exclusively alkaline shrul), growing wliere almost no 
other plant will. Much more widely distributed and al)un(laiit is the Sarco- 
hatus vermiculatus^ found nearly everywhere in the lower valleys where there 
is a decided amount of alkali, but rarely extending Ix'yond such limits. The 
more frequent plants accomjianying these are Sallcornia herhacea and srvci-al 
species of Suceda^ and other mostly Chenopodiaceous plants, and if there are 
grasses at all, Brizojyyrum spicatum and Sjmrtina gracilis. 
On the somewhat less alkaline and drier portions of tlie valloys are 
found in frequent abundance Ohione confertifoUaixinicanescens or tlie nearly as 
common Grayia pohjgaloides^ and rather less abundantly Artemisia spi/iescens, 
Eurotia lanata, and Kochia prostrata. Sometimes mingled with thcin, hut 
wholly free from alkahne preferences and beyond their ranffe usur]>inir eniire 
predominence, is the ^'everlasting sagebrusli," the Artemisia tridcntata. 
This is by flir the most prevalent of all species, covering valleys and foolliills 
in broad stretches flirther than the eye can reacli, llie growth never so dense 
as to seriously obstruct the way but very uniform over larire surliu-es, very 
rarely reaching the saddle-height of a mule and ordinarily but ludf that 
altitude. 
The "Broom-sage," Linosyris grarcolms^ sfnnefimes occui-s in consider- 
able abundance along the dry valhns, ollen accompanied by THradymia 
ca7iescens, but upon the gravelly foothills tlie smaller L. viscidijlora is mu(di 
more frequent. Here the Arte??iisia tridentata is occasionally associated with 
or yields to the similar but smaller species A. trijida. On tlx; Ibothills only 
and not ascendimr above the base of the mountains Pursiiia tridcntata is 
widely distributed, and of fre(pieut occurrence with it in Western Nevada are 
iv 
