160 LANDS OF THE ARID REGION OF THE UNITED STATES. 
easterly course, and joins the Green midway in the Canon of Desolation. 
For the greater part of its course it flows in a canon that widens enough 
occasionally to give a small area of arable land. One such area, containing 
6 square miles, occurs at an altitude of 5,500 feet. Here the volume of 
ater was measured in July, 1877, and found to be 16 cubic feet per 
second. 
THE UINTA RIVER. 
This is the largest tributary emptying into the main drainage channel 
from the west. It rises in the Uinta Mountains, and has a southerly course 
for 65 miles. ‘The Duchesne River, its western branch, rises in the same 
mountains, and the two streams unite only a few miles before the Uinta 
joins the Green. The drainage basin of the Uinta has an area of 1,300 
square miles, lying between the altitudes of 4,500 and 7,000 feet above the 
sea. It has, generally speaking, a regular slope from the foot of the Uinta 
Mountains to the mouth of the streams, or in a direction toward the southeast. 
The surface of the basin is greatly diversified, consisting of broad reaches 
of bottom lands along the rivers; elevated, level, or gently sloping benches, 
sometimes partially arable, but oftener gravelly barrens; broken, rock- 
faced terraces; and low cliffs and ridges. It is difficult to estimate the 
amount of arable land. All the bottom lands are such, and can be easily 
irrigated. ‘The streams have a rapid fall, but flow near the surface, and no 
deep canons are found anywhere in the basin. This renders it possible to 
conduct the water over considerable areas of bench land, and wherever the 
soil of these is sufficiently fertile, selections of good farming land can be 
made. Above the limit in altitude for successful cultivation, large tracts 
of meadow lands can be irrigated. Those best acquainted with the extent 
of these classes of land place the arable, including irrigable natural 
meadow lands, at 40 per cent. of the whole basin. This would give an 
area of 520 square miles, and I do not think it is an overestimate. The 
volume of water flowing in the Duchesne River above its junction with 
Lake Fork was measured in August, 1877, and found to be 1,011 cubic 
feet per second. The Uinta was measured above its junction with the 
Duchesne in October, 1877, and then flowed 214 cubic feet per second. 
