My First Summer 



say, twenty-five hundred or three thousand 

 feet above sea level, is about knee high or 

 less, has brown branches, and the largest 

 stems are only about half an inch in dia- 

 meter. The leaves, light yellow green, 

 thrice pinnate and finely cut, give them a 

 rich ferny appearance, and they are dotted 

 with minute glands that secrete wax with 

 a peculiar pleasant odor .that blends finely 

 with the spicy fragrance of the pines. The 

 flowers are white, five eighths of an inch 

 in diameter, and look like those of the 

 strawberry. Am delighted with this little 

 bush. It is the only true carpet shrub of 

 this part of the Sierra. The manzanita, 

 rhamnus, and most of the species of ceano- 

 thus make shaggy rugs and border fringes 

 rather than carpets or mantles. 



The sheep do not take kindly to their 

 new pastures, perhaps from being too closely 

 hemmed in by the hills. They are never 

 fully at rest. Last night they were fright- 

 ened, probably by bears or coyotes prowling 

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