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perfect satisfaction on the complete picture 

 presented." Erosion and glacial action have 

 given this region its form, while fire made the 

 beautiful opening or park within a forest. 



The majority of parks or meadow gardens 

 which decorate the forests of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains probably owe their existence to fire. Trees 

 and grass are endlessly contending for the pos- 

 session of the earth. In this incessant silent 

 struggle a sweeping fire is generally of advan- 

 tage to the grass. Trees suffer more from fire 

 than does grass. It is probable that repeated 

 fires enable the grass to hold the plains and 

 prairies against the encroachments of the trees. 

 Each forest fire commonly gives the grass pos- 

 session of a part of the area formerly dominated 

 by the forest. Usually both grass and trees 

 are prompt to seize any fire-cleared area. The 

 grass may be first to come, or some space may 

 be wet or in some other way unfavorable to tree 

 seed but encouraging to grass seed. 



While forest fires bring many of these parks, 

 others are glacier meadows, lake-basins which 

 time has filled with sediment and sodded with 



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