190 1, 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



2 1 y 



in equally arid situations, puts forth its 

 leaves during the brief rainy season, 

 makes its gains, and then sheds its foliage 

 when the hungry air again seeks to snatch 

 away its moisture. 



Many forms of vegetation contract their 

 leaf-surfaces, or cover them with hairs or 

 varnish, which restrict evaporation to the 

 utmost. Other classes of plants, how- 

 ever, less harsh in nature, exert their in- 



The history, present condition, and possi- 

 ble future of this country, and of the vast 

 western and southwestern arras resembling 

 it, should, therefore, be of immense in- 

 terest to us. 



Considered as a stock-raising counl 

 New Mexico and Arizona arc industrially 

 young. Shortly after the Civil War, the 

 establishment of military post v. and the 

 issuance of treaty relations to the Apache 



genuity to supply themselves with a com- Indians, created a heavy demand lor beef. 



parative abundance of water. Some de- Large herds were driven from Texas into 



velop extraordinary root-systems which the lovely wild pastures of southern New 



penetrate deeply to underground supplies. Mexico and Arizona. 



The mesquite tree has been known to In their original condition, these grassy 



send its roots at least sixty feet below the plains are said by those who first came to 



surface in its eager search for water. Arizona, to have been rarely beautiful to 



Other forms of vegetation start quickly the eye, and even yet, in remote districts, 



and mature during the brief rainy seasons comparatively unchanged by the operations 



of summer and winter. The six-weeks of cattlemen, evidence of the truth of 



grasses are so called because they start 

 into activity and mature their seed in, 

 approximately, that short period of time. 

 Still other forms avail themselves of 

 the occasionally flooded valleys to con- 

 struct and maintain storage reservoirs of 

 their own, and live luxuriantly on the 

 fruits of their wisdom. These last-men- 

 tioned, tendered forms of vegetation, in- 

 cluding the grasses and other forage plants 

 of the plains, constitute the great forests 

 of " little trees" to which I have alluded, 

 and more especially concern stockmen 

 and, consequently, the irrigation farmer 



these statements is to be found. In the 

 swales and valleys of this country, and 

 wherever water was more abundant, the 

 great bunch grasses grew luxuriantly. 

 Saoatas and \\\egalleta covered the ground 

 thickly, affording an abundance of native 

 hay in the dry season and quickly freshen- 

 ing up into green forage after a rain. In 

 the same situation, also, was to be found 

 a bewildering variety of quick-growing 

 water grasses which afforded most nu- 

 tritious feed while they remained green. 

 On the knolls and in the drier places, the 

 crowfoot grama and the six-weeks grasses, 



In explanation of this statement, I will so called, supplemented, in the rainy sea- 

 present the case for a single grassy, typ- son, the more abundant forage of the lower 

 ical, southwestern watershed that of the levels. When it rained upon these grass- 

 Gila with which I am more familiar, in covered plains, the water, being obstructed 

 detail. The slopes tributary to the Gila in its downward courses by the abundant 

 River above the great bend and including vegetation, sank largely into the ground 

 that of the confluent Salt, have an area of and very slowly made its way into the 

 about 45,000 square miles. For the most underflow of the great valley 



part this great area consists of originally 

 grassy plains, now too often bare deserts, 

 intersected by numerous mountain ranges 

 clothed with forests on their upper slopes. 

 Probably from eighty to ninety per cent, 

 of this watershed is grass country. 



It may, in consequence, be stated that 

 the interests of irrigation in southern Ari- 

 zona, and other regions of like character, 

 are more concerned with the grassy and 

 open range than with forested districts. 



appearing in the Gila River. In so doing, 

 much of it was utilized by growing vege- 

 tation, while the residue, gradually joining 

 the main watercourses, insured a constant 

 flow. When severe storms occurred, with 

 their resulting Hoods, the abundant hunch 

 grasses at the lower levels obstructed the 

 flow to such an extent that the water in its 

 downward course, was spread laterally 

 over greal areas and iis force dissipated. 

 At the same time, the silt brought down 



