40 



rudest kind, not following any definite plan. The cereals, corn, potatoes, and many vegetables 

 grow with certainty and yield largely, notably in Ruby, Pabrauagat, Spring, Snake, Duck Lake, 

 Cedar, Kose, Eagle, and Meadow Valleys. In Pabranagat Valley the production of potatoes and 

 other vegetables, in size and amount, is prodigous, equaling the richest parts of California. At 

 the time of our reaching White Pine, many ranches bad been established in the little valleys of 

 erosion within a radius of twenty-five and thirty miles, and their productions found a ready market 

 in the little mining towns around that camp. Later, most of these ranches were used for stock 

 purposes only, as the little market of White Pine commenced in the latter part of the season of 

 1869 to grow less and less, until from seven thousand souls in the district in 1869, it was reduced to 

 less than one thousand in 1872, all told. 



The mountain grama-grasses, so common in the plateau and other portions of Arizona, were 

 not noted anywhere this year. The mountain bunch-grass that extends from Montana to the Mex- 

 ican boundary on the south, varying as to altitude in its different geographical distribution, was 

 noted on every mountain side, without exception, throughout the entire season. Usually it was 

 scant between the lower foot-hills of the valleys and along routes much traveled this season, but 

 thousands, and indeed millions, of acres of this lay along our routes, but little of which was available, 

 however, at this time for grazing because of the want of water ; for cattle alone, in many cases 

 this can be remedied. This is especially true of Spring, Duck Lake, and Snake Valleys, in which, 

 with success, in my opinion, at many points along the profile of greatest depression, artesian wells 

 could be sunk, bringing sufticient water to the surface for grazing and mining purposes, if not sufli- 

 cient for irrigation on a small scale. In many of the valleys, as will be noted where they are 

 described, the excess of alkaline materials prevents any cultivation whatever ; especially has this 

 been the fact in the valley of the Muddy, where two or three crops have been necessai-y in order to 

 eliminate from the soil alkaline and saline constituents found in excess, by volatilization and 

 absorption. When this has been done the soils prove to be of the richest. The richness in growth 

 of the artemisia. or ordinary sage, is a sure indication of the value of the soil which sustains it. 



In the slight mesas after reaching no more than 25 or 30 feet above the valleys of the little 

 streams covered with a light growth of sage, usually possessing soil partially limestone, with other 

 parts made up from the lava-rocks, are among those soils most certain to be useful for cidtivation 

 when water can be applied. It is to be noted that in the entire area surveyed the amount of valley 

 to mountain area bears but a small ratio. This is extremely unfortunate, since but a small fraction 

 of any of the mountain areas, either from want of arability or on account of altitude, will ever be 

 susceptible of cultivation. A hinderance arises from the fact that the larger portion of the detrital 

 valleys are underlaid with a series of permeable beds usually consisting of washed gravels, to 

 which is due the fact that most of the streams, when emerging from the mountains through their 

 caiion beds disappear, principally by percolation. Therefore, should it be possible to raise to the 

 surface underground beds of water that certainly must exist in places, an attempt to distribute 

 them would, in most cases, be futile from this cause. Hence, when irrigation comes, as come it 

 will, the utmost care must be exercised ; first, as to profile, at which a point for boring will be 

 selected ; second, the proximity of this point to beds likely to be underlaid by impermeable strata. 

 The latter point is not difficult of detection by a study of the formation of surrounding rock-beds, 

 cross-sections of which can usually be obtained. 



Our time and means were both too limited to attempt the measuring of profiles bearing upon the 

 subject of water-supply, and no general survey can in fact take cognizance of a matter of this kind 

 unless directed to special parts of valley-areas where earlier examinations have indicated the pos- 

 sibility of obtaining a water-supply from beneath the surface. The land-surveys had penetrated but 

 little into any of the valleys traversed this year, with the exception of Ruby and Pabranagat Val- 

 leys. The map delineates new and unknown sections both to the emigrant, settler, and miner, and 

 to the laud department, affording them preliminary knowledge most necessary in pushing forward 

 their surveys, which are necessarily done across broken sections full of almost impassable obstacles, 

 to the newer and more unsettled parts of the State or Territory in which they are operating. The 

 stock raised in this section of Nevada is principally confined to cattle and sheep, with a few horses 

 and nudes. The former thrive exceedingly well, and since the completion of the railroad find a 

 ready market. It is believed by those having experience, that the quaUty of beef in the cattle 



