WASHINGTON TO SAN FRANCISCO 153 



hibition. Kansas, like Iowa, is a prohibition State ; had been 

 so seven or eight years. It had had a most beneficial effect — 

 not one-twentieth of the noise, dirt, and bad language formerly 

 met with. I had noticed myself how quiet was the hotel and 

 the streets in the evenings. The feeling in favour of pro- 

 hibition was increasing. Spirits were sold by druggists, with 

 mineral waters, etc. ; but it was in the open shop, and did not 

 lead to drunkenness. And even this had been recently re- 

 stricted. The President had never heard of the Gothenburg 

 system, but thought it good in principle. Afterwards I gave 

 my lecture on " Darwinism," which went off well, and gave 

 much satisfaction. 



The next day, after dinner, Mr. Popenhoe came in his buggy 

 to show me some good botanizing ground, chiefly on rather 

 dry, rocky slopes, with loose stones. Here we found a fine 

 dwarf, large-flowered form of Baptisia australis, besides others 

 seen on Sunday, and a number of very interesting dwarf 

 plants not yet in flower, including species of ruellia, houstonia, 

 echinacea, aster, delphinium, and others, which make these 

 banks very gay about the end of the month. We also saw a 

 phrynosoma, one of the curious lizards commonly known as 

 " horned toads." A California species which had been sent 

 me by my brother, when irritated ejects a red, blood-like 

 secretion from its eye. Professor Popenhoe had been in the 

 Rocky Mountains, and told me that flowers were very abund- 

 ant, and that some of the little valley-bottoms were complete 

 flower gardens. I received a letter from Colonel Phillips, 

 whom I met at Washington, and who invited me to stay a 

 week with him at Salina, a new town he had himself founded, 

 and where he was a large landowner. 



Next day (May 11) I went on to Salina in the afternoon, 

 and to the Wittanann Hotel, where Colonel and Mrs. Phillips 

 lived when in the country. On an elevation, called Iron Hill, 

 Colonel Phillips was going to build a house, which would 

 have a rather extensive view. The hill was covered with 

 yuccas, and with the elegant tradescantia with blue or pink 

 flowers in great abundance. I also found the fine dwarf 

 Baptisia and Penstemon cobcea. As I required a lantern for 



