THE LAND OF LITTLE RAIN 



fruit, and they do it hardly, or with tropi- 

 cal luxuriance, as the rain admits. It is 

 recorded in the report of the Death Valley 

 expedition that after a year of abundant 

 rains, on the Colorado desert was found a 

 specimen of Amaranthus ten feet high. A 

 year later the same species in the same 

 place matured in the drought at four 

 inches. One hopes the land may breed 

 like qualities in her human offspring, not 

 tritely to " try," but to do. Seldom does 

 the desert herb attain the full stature of 

 the type. Extreme aridity and extreme 

 altitude have the same dwarfing effect, so 

 that we find in the high Sierras and in 

 Death Valley related species in miniature 

 that reach a comely growth in mean tem- 

 peratures. Very fertile are the desert plants 

 in expedients to prevent evaporation, turn- 

 ing their foliage edgewise toward the sun, 

 7 



