A REMINISCENCE OF THE ROCKIES 



rendered productive upon the arrival of that 

 era "when the desert would blossom as the 

 rose." I discovered an answer to my ques- 

 tion ere long, when my sight was gladdened 

 by a neat little ranch located near a stream, 

 with about two acres of ground irrigated 

 and under cultivation. If it had been an oasis 

 in a desert, the contrast could not have been 

 more striking. A great stack of alfalfa hay 

 stood near the ranch, exposing a cut in its 

 side which revealed the interior perfectly 

 green. At first I thought that the grass had 

 not been properly cured, but I learned after- 

 ward that the alfalfa contains so much nutri- 

 ment that it remains green a long time after 

 it has been cured and stacked. There were 

 quite a number of fruit trees of small size so 

 laden with fruit that the branches had to be 

 propped. All that is needed to make the soil 

 productive, is to clear off the sage brush, and 

 irrigate. 



We camped that night by a stream in a 



21 



