212 



HORTICULTURE 



February 20, 190» 



Rocky Mountain Rambles 



(.'oiapaiatively few of the tourists wlio si'i>k our west- 

 ern mountains liiul tlioir way to tiio Big Horn Moun- 

 tains in Northern Wvoniing. Tlie region is easily ac- 

 cessible and would otl'er a most delightful place to 

 spend a few weeks. Thofc nigged mountains aiforded 



The Mountain Louskwort 

 ■■ (Pedlonlarlg Groenlandloa) 



In a Meadow of tbe Big Horn Mountains at an Altitude of 

 '.iiiiM Feet. 



a strong resistance to the invasion of the whites during 

 the Sioux Indian outbreaks in the late seventies. 



The writer spent a most pleasant time for a few 

 weeks there in 1897, going by way of the Burlington 

 and Missouri Kiver through a |iart of the sand hills of 

 Nebraska and the southern edge of the Blackhills. The 

 high plain of Wyoming was aglow with the Yuccas, 

 Larkspurs, Stipas, Agropyron.«, and Stemless Loco. 

 Sheridan nestled among a low range of hills in the 

 Goose Creek Valley. From this point one can go over 

 the range to the Big Horn Basin or to the Dome Lake 

 and Cloud Peak country. Going up the gentle slope 

 of the valley of Big Goose Creek for some twenty miles, 

 the road leaves the undulating plain and passes up a 

 steep hillside. 



Down in the valley the Sage Brush, Townsendia. 

 Erigeron, Biglovia, Gumweed (Gutierrezia), and Opun- 

 tias were found. Stipas were in evidence everywhere on 

 ' dry situations. Along the creek were the so-called Cot- 

 tonwood (Popuhts tnigu.<ifif(ili(i I. a species of onion 

 (Allium Schoenop-asum), with purple flowers, the 

 Shooting Star, and Horseniint ( Moinirdn fistulosa), 

 much like our Iowa species but with darker flowers. 

 The low meadows contained Slender Wheat Grass (Ag- 

 ropyron tenenim ) and sedges of numerous species, also 

 the Wild Timothy (Bacliiinnnia erucarforriiis). At. 

 5000 feet the mountain sides are covered with a Dwarf 

 Nine-Bark (Phi/socnrpiis Torreyi), the Western Service 

 BeriT (Amelanchier alnifolia), the Dwarf Mountain 

 Maple (Acer glahrum), the Douglas Spruce (Pseiido- 

 tsuga Douglasii), and the western Yellow Pine (Pinus 

 scopulomm-). The tree and brush-covered slopes and 

 flats open up into large parks. These parks contain a 

 wealth of botanical species: Geranium (Grraniuin Rir]i- 



(irdsoiiiij, Larksjiui- i Ihliiliiiiimii I grasses like Meadow 

 Grass (Pun pniliiifii.s), and stemless Locoweed (Oxy- 

 Irope Lambertii). The Geraniums were knee high and 

 wilh the othci- plants made a splendid and glorious 

 sight to behold. \\ higher .^Ititudes the Lodge Pole 

 I'inc covered large areas. Beyond and "at still higher 

 altitudes (8800-9000) the country becomes more rug- 

 ged, ami long moranic hills with numerous small lakes 

 occur. 



The streams have carved their way through rock and 

 the water passes rapidly over rock and boulder to the 

 valleys beyond. In climbing out of these small canons 

 one finds added interest in the small lakes which are 

 situated a liundrcd or more feet above the bed of the 

 stream in tlie moranic drift. 



The Crowfoot (Ranunculus), Marigold (Caltha lep- 

 tosepala). Aconite ( Aconitum Colurnbianum), Shoot- 

 ing Star ( Dodecatheon media), and Holy Grass (Hie- 

 rochloea horealis) are always plentiful in such places. 



Larger lakes also occur and these are bounded by 

 low lying marshes or drift material. On these lakes 

 one finds that interesting water lily (Nuphar polysepw- 

 lou-s) with its yellow flowers. The marshes contain 

 the Ledum (Ledum glnndulosum), Lousewort (Pedic- 

 ulariti Grocnlnndica), Sedges (Carex), Poa Wolfii, and 

 N'alei'ian ( Valiruin (irdulis). The gravelly banks con- 

 tain mueh of the An niiria Fendleri, Cinquefoil (Poten- 

 lllhi friilicosa). Kaliiiia (Kahiiui rjliiuca). Yarrow 



