ITINERARY. 



By CARI, F. BAKER. 



The first camp of 1899 was established early in March at 

 Hermosa, Colorado, at about 6,700 feet altitude, in the upper 

 Animas Valley and on the west slope of the Needle Moun- 

 tains. At this time, alder and the first willows were in 

 bloom, and a few days later the first Cymopterus appeared. 

 A few unopened flower buds of Townsendia sericea were also 

 seen. During this month special attention was given to 

 mosses, lichens and fungi, with good results. By April 1 

 Pulsatilla began to bloom. 



On April 10 the second camp was made on the banks 

 of the San Juan River, just below the town of Aztec, New 

 Mexico, at an altitude of about 5,500 feet. This region is 

 characterized by sand hills and gravelly mesas, sparingly 

 covered with pinon pine and cedars, the whole very, very 

 dry. The hills along the extreme southern border of Colo- 

 rado do not differ essentially in many places from the Aztec 

 hills, and the distance is not great. Undoubtedly most of 

 the plants found at Aztec will also be found in Colorado. 

 Many things were coming into bloom when camp was made 

 at Aztec. During the month it was found that a very re- 

 markable and evanescent flora existed among these hills. 

 This flora appears during the very earliest warm days of 

 spring. The plants arise from perennial bases, flower and 

 fruit very rapidly, and have passed before hardly any of the 

 plants usually considered so characteristic of the region are 

 in their prime. Of most things, specimens were few and 

 scattering. Miles and miles of the interminable pinon hills 

 were tramped over to secure enough for issuance. On many 

 of the days, the cold northwest winds were extremely bitter. 



