PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 155 



the old buildings of the town of 'Rochester are now being used by summer 

 reporters. There are at least a half dozen cottages belonging to people 

 from Oskaloosa, who make use of the water of the Des Moines and the 

 Cedar rivers and the Des Moines bluffs for an outing. From the highest 

 points on these bluffs one can see the Des Moines valley and get a good 

 view of the hills on the opposite side of the stream. The rocks facing 

 the river are in some instances nearly 100 fleet high and the hills have 

 been cut by gorges, one of which is nearly a half a mile long, with sand- 

 stone cliffs 'Oil each side. There are at least five of these canyons. The 

 mouths of some of the larger are from three to four hundred feet wide 

 and the smaller from twenty-five to thirty, while still others are only 

 about fifteen feet across. In the little valleys a large variety of plants 

 are to be found like the butternut, black walnut, hard maple, honey locust, 

 hackbe.rry, almond leaved willow, black willow, green ash, white ash, while 

 the slopes are covered with the same type of plants, except the willows. 

 You also find an abundance of hophorn beam, service berry, choke cherry, 

 black cherry, white oak, some of the sandstone rocks are nearly devoid of 

 any vegetation except the reindeer lichen and several species of moss. 

 On the shady side of the rocks were found two or three of the rarer 

 species of ferns in the state, namely (Aspidium Goldianum), a variety of 

 Aspidium spinulosum, two species of bladder ferns, (Cypstoperis bulbi- 

 fera, C. fragalis), Woodsia, Asplenium Filix-foemina, the walking leaf fern 

 (Gamptosioirus), Polypody', (Polypodium vulgare), maid em. hair fepn, 

 flowering fern (Osmunda claytoniana). In point of species there are 

 nearly as many ferns in this region as there are in the Wild Cat Den re- 

 gion at Musoatine. It certainly is gratifying that the people of this re- 

 gion have protected the area and that so little destruction has occurred. 



There are also many interesting herbaceous plants like Mitella diphylla, 

 touch-me-not (Impatiens pallida), sanicle, avens, everlasting columbine, 

 dutchman's breeches, spring beauty, mandrake, sweet Williams, etc., 

 also such shrubs as cornel, hazel, buck bush, etc. 



From a scientific aspect this area is well worth preserving, and should 

 be included in our general scheme for parks. I am told that the land can 

 be had at a reasonable rate and the people of O'Skaloosa are making efforts 

 to have this set aside for a state park. 



LITTLE WALL LAKE, HAMILTON COUNTY. 

 By James H. Lees, Geologist. 



Little Wall Lake is one of the most southern of the lakes of the Wis- 

 consin drift plain and indeed lies at the margin of the lake region of north, 

 central Iowa. The nearest lake of any value as a pleasure resort is Wall 

 lake in Wright county, which is twenty-three miles to the north. There 

 are no lakes to the east or south and westward the nearest and only 

 lakes are Twin lakes in Calhoun county and Wall lake in Sac county, 

 each about seventy miles away. It will be clear then that Little Wall 

 lake can have no competition as a pleasure resort, nor is there any other 

 which can take its place. 



