AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES OF WYOMING TERRITORY. 551 
the year round without other food and without protection save the care 
of the herder; nor are they confined to the broad, open bottoms, but 
graze far up the mountains on the south, cropping the nutritious 
grasses that line the little mountain coves and glens. 
' That portion of the valley lying west of Cooper’s Lake presents a 
barren appearance as faras Rock Creek. This creek, although bordered 
by occasional bluffs, is margined along most of its course by fertile bot- - 
toms, of moderate width, and is tolerably well timbered with cotton- 
wood groves along its upper portion. This valley and that of the North 
Platte north of the railroad will, with proper irrigation, afford a consid- 
erable extent of cultivable land. Judging froin the northern extension 
of the Laramie Valley, its rapid fall, and the general features of the 
surrounding country, not only the bottoms but a large portion of the 
lower ridges and plateaus along this stream may be irrigated and ren- 
dered suitable for farming purposes. Along a part of its northern 
course the bordering lands are quite broken, and the belt of the arable 
land is small. The northwest angle of the section is also uneven, and. 
affords but a small arable area. 
The climate is somewhat severe, and’ the seasons short. The greatest 
drawback to successful cultivation does not appear to arise from these 
causes, however, but from the occasional untimely frosts and gusts ot 
snow which nip the growing crops in the spring, or injure them when 
neatly matured. The cold nights, as is generally the case in these high 
regions, retard growth, especially of the cereals. Notwithstanding these 
drawbacks, repeated experiments made during the past four years have 
shown conclusively that useful crops can be raised. On the 3d of 
August, 1870, in a garden attached to the military hospital at Laramie 
City, where extensive experiments are being made in the cultivatign of 
vegetables and cereals, everything indicated success. Peas, beets, win- 
ter-squashes, cabbages, beans, lettuce, onions, carrots, radishes, &¢., were 
fine and thrifty. Barley and wheat both promised abundant crops, and 
potatoes were of the best quality. Tests made at Fort Saunders were 
attended with like encouraging results. 
These experiments and others made along Laramie River, Rock 
Creek, and at other points, continued as they have been for several 
years, would seem to settle the question as to the practicability of farm- 
ing on the Laramie Plains, as these points are the highest, and per- 
haps the coldest, on the plains. Although this section may not be an 
agricultural region in the broadest sense of the term, a knowledge of its 
capabilities for the growth of the hardier vegetables, and such cereals 
as wheat, oats, and barley, is a matter of importance in view of its sit- 
uation, in the center of the mountains, on the great thoroughfare be- 
tween the Atlantic and Pacific, with a broad barren plain to the west, 
and a mountain stretch to the east, and where a suitable halting place 
is desirable. 
There is probably no finer grazing region in Wyoming than this. The 
southeastern part is literally carpeted with a compact growth of rich 
and nutritious grasses, kept constantly fresh by the water of the numer- 
ous mountain streams. The rain-fall is also greater than in any other 
part of the Territory, and it seems to be on the increase. Notwith- 
standing the elevation of these plains, the winters are comparatively 
mild and open, the fall of snow being light, and stock is wintered with- 
out shelter, and with very little feeding. Large flocks of sheep and, 
eattle have passed the winter here with no other feed than the uncut 
grass of the valleys and plains. Hay in abundance and of the best 
quality can be obtained along the creek bottoms at nominal expense. 
