THE FORESTS 221 



tant. Nearly every mountain is planted with it to 

 a height of from 8000 to 9000 feet above the sea. 

 Some are covered from base to summit by this one 

 species, with only a sparse growth of juniper on 

 the lower slopes to break the continuity of its curi 

 ous woods, which, though dark-looking at a dis 

 tance, are almost shadeless, and have none of the 

 damp, leafy glens and hollows so characteristic of 

 other pine woods. Tens of thousands of acres 

 occur in continuous belts. Indeed, viewed compre 

 hensively the entire Basin seems to be pretty evenly 

 divided into level plains dotted with sage-bushes 

 and mountain-chains covered with Nut Pines. No 

 slope is too rough, none too dry, for these bountiful 

 orchards of the red man. 



The value of this species to Nevada is not easily 

 overestimated. It furnishes charcoal and timber 

 for the mines, and, with the juniper, supplies the 

 ranches with fuel and rough fencing. In fruitful 

 seasons the nut crop is perhaps greater than the 

 California wheat crop, which exerts so much in 

 fluence throughout the food markets of the world. 

 When the crop is ripe, the Indians make ready the 

 long beating-poles ; bags, baskets, mats, and sacks 

 are collected ; the women out at service among the 

 settlers, washing or drudging, assemble at the fam 

 ily huts ; the men leave their ranch work ; old and 

 young, all are mounted on ponies and start in great 

 glee to the nut-lands, forming curiously picturesque 

 cavalcades ; flaming scarfs and calico skirts stream 

 loosely over the knotty ponies, two squaws usually 

 astride of each, with baby midgets bandaged in 

 baskets slung on their backs or balanced on the 



