522 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
/ 
Again, the winter winds blow the snow into the coulisse and breaks, 
and the plateaus are left bare, thus losing a quantity of moisture. It is 
seldom that there is any sleighing on these plateaus. Therefore it is 
that in planting trees on the prairie I consider irrigation to be essential. 
I cannot agree with the doctor in his opinion of the Bad Lands. The 
Bad Lands proper have no signs of vegetation, and even if the soil were 
good (which I do not agree to), I believe that from the very nature of 
the formation of these lands it would be impossible to grow trees in 
them. Still that is an open question, and the doctor may be right. 
DAKOTA TERRITORY. 
FORT SISSETON. ' 
Latitude 45° 39/ 20”, longitude 97° 30’, situated on the. Coteau des 
Prairies, about forty miles east of James River. The surrounding 
country is a high rolling prairie, interspersed with many lakes whose 
margins are very sparsely timbered with scrub-oak, water-elm, lime, and 
cottonwood. No streams in the vicinity; no dews; mean annual tem- 
perature 38°. The timber of the Coteau consists of oak, sugar-maple, 
ash, and box-elder. Captain J. H. Patterson, 20th Infantry, reports: 
The growing timber throughout this section of country is on the margin of lakes, of 
which the number is legion, and at the foot of the Coteau, particularly on the north 
and west sides. The south and east sides of lakes appear to be the most favorable 
to the production of timber, though wherever the situation of adjoining lakes or other 
physical features serve to turn the fire from the timber on adjacent lakes, timber can 
befound. The ravines running off the Coteau, however, are well wooded, though at 
no point in quantity to be dignified by the name of forests. 
Some hard or sugar maples are found near the foot of the ravines. The ravines are 
from one-half to one and one-half miles in length. The timber on the north and north- 
eastern slopes of the Coteau may be safely estimated at fifteen thousand to twenty 
thousand cords of hard-body wood. 
I give below annual mean of rainfall for 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1877to date. I divide 
each year into periods of six months each, commencing with January 1, 1874. I also 
give, as being of interest, the month in each year in which the greatest precipitation 
has been observed. The rainfall ascertained by standard rain-gauge: 
; P Inches. 
Jo74—Pirst six Months... 22 ceccos ven ccneses eb aotesectcds pa tcns aos eee eee 16.13 
S&COnd Six WANTS |: 2 ce-5 shee we eke atatcoseccee seus se 2.5625 eee eee 10.72 
Total for year z 2x2 cs -evccs ca catweceses sscete deececut eee eee 26. 85 
1Sve{Shitst pix. mionths.2sss. 22 cc 22.25 eb ch. pete ue ss kee Soe ak Se 9.90 
SpeGnE Ini MOnthS.2245ec Ses ect 2bctci Wecced icc Lee kb cae Jee Bew Sst e eee 10. 20 
Total for year ee Seceeects sac tage secceusnen Se see eee 20. 10 
1S7G2—PaTse SUR MOUS cee cece che edts dens cca ce dics aveese tsckes Se P eee 7.40 
Mecona SiX MONbMS cewse.ncko sack Gece sotsec esac se scce chee S20 ses See 12. 54 
Wotal 100 Year oo. 2. scseeees anes sesns5-522 5<500>-5425-e-5 19. 94 
Feny Tar Sos MONS. o + veces as oe eeceee cs cscs coe cot tact eee eee 11. 62 
Remainder year to November 182-0222. .2.-).-- ..20 2.s000 oe 5a 7.42 
Lotal up to November 18; -ccceivcl occss- sees becasue cae cstsneeeeee 19. 04 
Months in which greatest precipitation has been observed : ale 
enes 
JHB AST oases Peed ose esos cen eee: Mee SEE bs Sioecs bk: usb ooh Reese eee 5. 56 
ABS HSE SRD: 525 oe tan ke se avadacksquch 2 ae ee a bie soa tcet theta ee eee 4.16 
AUPE Ores. ©.) 2 ece ocala ss cue oo Se EERE Mais Oo opens See eee ae 4, 86 
Furi, S77 ook Oo Res. HLS Le Ce AE ee 4,50 
