October 31, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



06. 



Rocky Mountain Rambles 



In the Rocky Mountains arc lew goldeiirods., those 

 flowers which are the glory of our autumnal landscape 

 in Iowa and the Mississippi valley. They are, how- 

 ever, replaced by several species of Bigelovia or "Ray- 

 less Goldeiirod" which often form a conspicuous feature 

 of the landscape at 6,000 and 7,000 feet altitude. There 

 are comparatively few of the asters which are so 

 abundant in Iowa and Wisconsin, hut they are largely 



replaced by the neabane (Erigeron) which is con in 



in the woods and on the plains. The species of this 

 genus found in this region are numerous and difficult 

 to name except by one who has made a careful study of 

 1 hem. They occur from the plains to the timber line. 

 The landscape has an especially somber aspect where the 

 trees are absent because of the peculiar gray foliage of 

 the sage brush, Bigelovias and many other plants of 

 this region. One is interested in the thistles which 

 abound in this country. In the open places around 

 Laramie and other high places in eastern Wyoming and 

 Colorado, a yellow-flowered thistle (Cirsivm Nelsoni) 

 holds sway. Were it not for the very spiny character of 

 the leaves, this would lie a most beautiful plant to culti- 

 vate. Many larkspurs occur in this region: on the high 

 planes east of Laramie, a blue-flowered species (Del- 

 phinium Geveri) much like the southern I), tricorne is 



abundant. In the w Is ami at higher altitudes larger 



species occur but the flowers arc not so pretty. The 

 western aconite (Aconitum Columbianum) is common 

 in swamps and along brooks at high altitudes. The 

 larkspurs and aconites are frequently reported as 

 poisonous by the stockmen of the region. 



The alpine flora is most interesting to the botanist. 

 The alpine gardens with meadow grasses, hair grasses, 

 dwarf fleabanes, dwarf clovers, avenas and primroses 

 abound. These plants bloom simultaneously and give a 

 beautiful aspeci to the meadow. A little search in these 

 gardens may reveal a small willow hut a few inches 

 in height which displays its tiny catkins above the 

 grasses and other flowers. The Pasque Flower which 

 in Iowa was in bloom in April was just beginning to 

 flower in the middle of June in Colorado at an altitude 

 of 11,000 feet. It is the same species which blooms 

 earlier on the plains. 



Many of the most interesting features of the moun- 

 tains are the conifers which everywhere above 5000 feet 

 begin to appear. At lower altitudes is the Bull Pine 

 (Pmus scopulorum) , along the streams south of Den- 



ver, the Black Fir (Abies concolor), occasionally the 



White Pine (P. flexilis) and Colorado Blue Spruce 

 1 Picea pungens) ; at higher altitudes and covering 

 thousands of acres is the Lodge Pole Pine (P. Mur- 

 rayana) the most useful pine of the region, because 

 it covers such large areas. It is an important factor in 

 holding the moisture which later is released in the form 

 of springs. 



One of the most beautiful of the Rocky Mountain 

 conifers is the Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga DouglasiiJ 

 which occurs, at times, closely massed, at others in 

 scattered groups. The Suhalpine fir (Abies sviaipina) 

 occurs on the slopes of hills or in the canons. It is a 

 beautiful tree that has adapted itself to a wide range of 

 territory and is well worth cultivating. The Pinon 

 Pine (/'. edulis) covers large areas between 5,000-7,000 

 feet south of Colorado Springs; it is a tree of little 

 commercial value but makes good firewood and the 

 seeds are Largely collected by squirrels. It is interesting 

 to watch the squirrels open the cones and take out the 

 seeds. 



The deciduous trees are not numerous; the larger 

 ones occur in the canons in which the Cottonwood, as 

 ii is called, but more properly Balsam Poplar (Populux 

 angustifolia) often forms dense copses. The only 

 widely scattered tree in the region is the Quaking 

 Aspen (Populus tremuloides). Not much use is made 

 of it but there is no reason why it should not be used 

 in the manufacture of wood pulp. Other deciduous 

 trees are the birch (Betula occidentalis) but the species 

 is confined to the streams. The western Hard Maple 

 (Acer grandideiiliilinii) covers large areas in parts of 

 Utah, and is an important factor in conservation of 

 moisture in the soil. In Utah, the dwarf white oak is 

 abundant, forming large copses. The soil is generally 

 quite dry where this species occurs. 



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Mt. Ourat, Marshall Pass 



Lodge Tote Fines in Foreground 



Tree Talks 



HOW FOREST GROWTHS CONSERVE SOIL AND WATER 



Where there are forests, the soil is constantly improv- 

 ing and increasing. The roots penetrate deeply into the 

 ground, which lets in the air to produce its slow but 

 sure result, the radicals decompose the grains of sand 

 and extract from them some of the elements essential 

 to the soil ; they drink in the moisture and the carbonic 

 acid which is brought down from the atmosphere above 

 the surface, and, from the elements acted on by frost, 

 heat, light and air in the leaves, and by that unknown 

 influence, vegetable life, are composed the venous sub- 

 stances which compose the plant, while the annual de- 

 posit of leaves and finally the decay of branches go to 

 make a soil on which other plants thrive. The soil thus 

 formed is kept by the twist-mat of roots from washing 

 away. When snow or rain falls in a country covered 

 by forests it is retained by the deep spongy mats formed 

 by the roots and assimilated deposits of leaves, and, 

 instead of rushing down as it otherwise would in tor- 

 cent-, carrying with it large quantities of soil, the 

 leases and roots protect it from rapid evaporation, and 

 it remains laid up as in a reservoir, trickling gradually 

 "in and forming perennial streams, which water the 



