STEEP TRAILS 



before they reach the base of theu* fountain 

 ranges. Perhaps not one in ten of the whole 

 number flow out into the open plains, not a 

 single drop reaches the sea, and only a few are 

 large enough to irrigate more than one farm 

 of moderate size. 



It is upon these small outflowing rills that 

 most of the Nevada ranches are located, lying 

 countersunk beneath the general level, just 

 where the mountains meet the plains, at an 

 average elevation of five thousand feet above 

 sea-level. All the cereals and garden vege- 

 tables thrive here, and yield bountiful crops. 

 Fruit, however, has been, as yet, grown suc- 

 cessfully in only a few specially favored spots. 



Another distinct class of ranches are found 

 sparsely distributed along the lowest portions 

 of the plains, where the ground is kept moist 

 by springs, or by narrow threads of moving 

 water called rivers, fed by some one or more 

 of the most vigorous of the mountain rills that 

 have succeeded in making their escape from 

 the mountains. These are mostly devoted to 

 the growth of wild hay, though in some the 

 natural meadow grasses and sedges have been 

 supplemented by timothy and alfalfa; and 

 where the soil is not too strongly impregnated 

 with salts, some grain is raised. Reese River 

 Valley, Big Smoky Valley, and White River 



156 



