532 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
threatening total destruction to the forest at no very distant future. This is owing 
to the large amount of wood eutfor the use of steamboats—lurge as compared with the 
supply. In those regions farther from the river the rate of decrease is less. 
A few trees have been planted in the town for shade-trees. They were trans- 
planted. The oldest transplanted trees have now been out about two years and are 
thriving well. They require irrigation. 
CAMP BAKER. 
Latitude, 46° 40’ 44”; longitude, 111° 11’.. In Smith’s River Valley. 
Elevation, 4,538 feet, determined barometrically. The rainfall for 1876, 
as given by the gauge, was 17.49 inches. 
Lieutenant Colonel C. C. GILBERT, Seventh Infantry, says: 
The trees of the adjacent country are pines, and are almost exclusively found on 
the hills and mountain ranges, and the body of timber on the latter is nearly always 
heavy, and on the lower hills it is light and scattering. The timber is entirely of 
ine and covers the mountains in dense masses and lar ge growth, and will make fair 
umber at the saw-mill. 
The rate of decrease of timber has been inconsiderable, if at all. The decrease for 
fuel, fencing, and building material is compensated for by the natural increase. 
The planting of trees at this post has been tried, but without success, owing to 
the high winds. 
FORT SHAW. 
Latitude, 47° 30’ 33; longitude, 111° 48/19”. On the right bank of 
Sun River. Elevation not known. The annual rainfall varies consid- 
erably, the maximum for eight years being (1876) 14.62 inches and the 
minimum (1874) 4.24 inches; the average, 8.52, ascertained by means of 
gauge. 
Colonel JOHN GIBBON, Seventh Infantry, says: 
The only timber on this reservation is thinly scattered cottonwood along Sun 
River. On the mountains, situated from twenty-five to fifty miles from the post, im- 
mense masses of pine timber exist. Most of the timber on the mountains is pine and 
fir, of an excellent quality generally and sometimes very large. There are immense 
quantities of it. The growth of cottonwood of three kinds, along the river bottoms, 
is not heavy, and most of it in this region has already been cut for fire-wood. 
Immense quantities of the timber in the mountains is almost annually destroyed by 
fire. The rate of decrease cannot be estimated with any accuracy. Except in the 
vicinity of the more thickly settled portions of the Territory the decrease is caused by 
fire. Near the settlements it is removed in lar ge quantities for lumber and fire-wood. 
Large numbers of trees have been planted in ithe garrison, water being supplied by 
irrigation. .All the trees have been transplanted in the winter time and a vast major- 
ity hhave succeeded. The varieties are three species of cottonwood, the quaking asp, 
and fir. The latter do not succeed well. The quaking asp has had only one ‘year’s 
trial and is succeeding tolerably weil. The cottonw ood succeeds best, and will grow 
in almost any soilif plentifully supplied with water. 
FORT ELLIS. 
Latitude, 45° 40’ 15”; longitude, 110° 50’ 04’. Inthe eastern end of 
the Gallatin Valley, on the left bank of the East Gallatin River. Ele- 
vation, 4,747 feet, determined barometrically. The rainfall, as ascer- 
tained by the gauge, is shown by the following table for the years 
1876-77: 
Fall in | Fallin 
Month. aehes: Month. 5 
| January 
AtiPush sa--e eos ----| 2.01 || February 
September 0.75 
November 0. 83 || 
| 
| 
October .-------- al -| 0.69 | 
Decembier.:. Lc hse -S 6 eee 1. 07 } 
or a total fall of 15.24 inehes. 
