132 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



the beauty of the wooded slopes is greatly marred by the extensive 

 areas of devastation caused by forest fires or by hunbering operations. 

 There were evidences of this in practically every locality that I visited, 

 the present stand being almost entirely composed of second growth 

 timber. Where the devastation has been more recent, aspens often 

 cover large areas with a dense growth, especially at the higher alti- 

 tudes. In many places the charred remains of the trees stand as 

 evidence of the destruction wrought. The efforts of the Forest Ser- 

 vice, however, are of the greatest value in the preservation of this 

 natural resource and in the reforestation of the lands already laid 

 waste, for the use of future generations. This is necessarily a slow 

 process which will extend over a long period of time. 



The mining industry has also taken its toll. Wherever mines have 

 been developed on a large scale, the results have always been the 

 same — the almost complete ruin of natural beauty. 



Collecting in Colorado w-as excellent, especially at high altitudes, 

 affording a good opportunity to study the grasses in their natural 

 surroundings. During the summer I collected about 500 numbers of 

 grasses, many of which were extensions of known ranges as repre- 

 sented in the National Herbarium. 



