64 EOUTE NEAR THE FORTY-FIRST AND FORTY-SECOND PARALLELS. 



Yearly precipitation and temperature at Fort Heading, Sacramento river, California, latitude 40 28 . 



Observations for December, 1854, have not yet been received. For the mean of the two 

 years the rain for that month has been supposed to be the same as in 1853. 



Mean temperature of Fahrenheit from two years 1 observations. 



Abundant supplies of water were found by Lieut. Beck with on the mountains of the Basin. 

 The season of the year when he crossed it, the spring, was the most favorable. In the dry 

 season, the supply is, no doubt, much less abundant. 



SOIL. 



The only large body of cultivable soil found on this route west of the 99th meridian, is 

 that occupied by the Mormons on the western foot-slopes of the Wahsatch mountains, forming 

 the eastern border of the Great Basin. The following description of this fertile tract is 

 taken from Lieut. Beckwith s report upon the route near the 38th and 39th parallels of north 

 latitude : 



&quot;The western range of the Wahsatch mountains, standing on the eastern border of the 

 Great Basin, is continuous, extending north and south over five degrees of latitude, from the 

 vicinity of Little Salt lake to north of Bear river, broken only by the passage of the Sevier, 

 Timpanogos, Weber, and Bear rivers. Its altitude at 3,000 feet above the general level of 

 the country is quite uniform ; but it occasionally falls down to 2,000, and at a few points rises 

 to 4,000 and 4,500 feet. Its western slope is very steep often inaccessible presenting gen 

 erally a formidable barrier to the entrance of a railroad into the Basin from the east. Many 

 small streams descend from it ; and as far as its disintegrations have been deposited at its 

 base upon the alkaline plains of the Basin, it forms a rich soil. This line of deposite is narrow, 

 and not continuous, but varying in width, where it is found, from two or three miles to ten 

 or twelve at a few points, as opposite Utah and Great Salt lakes, where it occupies the entire 

 space from the mountain to the lake shores. It is to this narrow belt of land that the Mor 

 mon settlements are almost exclusively confined, the isolated settlements being upon similar 

 deposites in small valleys at the base of other mountains, the small mountain streams, 

 upon which these deposites are the richest, and chiefly exist, being used for irrigation. 

 Respectable crops of wheat and oats are produced, and barley has been cultivated to some 

 extent ; but corn does not flourish well. The grass of this district and of the higher 

 mountain valleys is excellent; and potatoes and other roots are produced in abundance, and 

 of a superior quality.&quot; 



The area of this body of fertile soil, susceptible of irrigation by the construction of suitable 

 works, is estimated by Lieutenant Beck with at 1,108 square miles. 



