Notes on the Fiord of Dakota and Montana — Leiherc/. f)8 



and wad. The incrustation along tlie sides of the fissures is iron and 

 manganese from the surrounding rock, which were held in solu- 

 tion by the water and dropped along the line of the flow; this, 

 since the clay has filled the fissures, has been along the sides, be- 

 tween the clay and limestone. 



I do not doubt the existence of cretaceous deposits in this 

 part of the state. On the sand banks near the mouth of the Blue 

 Earth river are found bits of lignite that must couie from some- 

 where along eitlier the Blue Earth or Minnesota river. Also 

 fragments of cretaceous corals and teeth of fish in the stream drift 

 show the presence of beds of material belonging to this period 

 not faraway, but certainly these beds of w^iite clay must be count- 

 ed out. 



[Paper 1L\ 



NOTES ON THE FLORA OF WESTERJ^ DAKOTA AND EASTERN MONTANA 

 ADJACENT TO THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD — BfJ John 



B. Lei her (J. 



[Read before the Minnesota Academy of Natural Science.'^, March 4th, 1884.] 



While in the service of the Northern Pacific railroad com- 

 pany during the past year in the interest of tree culture, [ had 

 abundant opportunity to examine the interesting and to some ex- 

 tent peculiar flora of western Dakota, and to a limited degree the 

 eastern portion also, and the eastern part of Montana as far west 

 iis the Yellowstone river at Glendive, and to make large and full 

 collections of the same . Copious and interesting notes were made 

 respecting the botanical features of the region, and a few of the 

 more prominent are presented for the eonsidei-ation of the 

 Academy. 



The climate of eastern Dakota, in both raiu-fall and teinpera- 

 ture, does not appear to present any great varation from that of 

 the prairie region of western Minnesota, except perhaps a some- 

 what longer winter. The climate of the western portion is very 

 different. The summer is very dry; showers are of rare occurance; 

 and the temperature varies excessively. Thus in the month of 

 July the mercury rose to lloo Fahrenheit, and fell to 82. o Such 

 great variations cannot fail to modify plant life to a very great 

 extent. The hot, scorching winds that generally accompany the 

 high tern perai^u res q -lick ly dry up all vegetation, except along the 



