182 REVIEWS. 



diameter showed from 400 to 48G annual rings. The " ever- 

 lasting sage-bush," Artemisia tridentata, displayed 65 rings 

 on a section 8 inches in diameter, 37 upon 4 inches, etc. A 

 Juniperus occidentalism 12 inches in diameter, showed 250 

 rings. Cercocarpus ledifolius, it appears, may form a trunk 

 of 2 feet in diameter, with 1G0 rings. The alkaline species, 

 aquatic and meadow species, those of the drier valleys and 

 foot-hills, the mountain species, etc., are separately enumer- 

 ated ; the introduced species, about 30 in number, are re- 

 corded, and finally the number of indigenous genera and 

 species is given under their orders, and their distribution in 

 the basin or over the borders on either side is tabulated. Of 

 the 1141 species of the basin and of the Wahsatch and 

 Uintas, GO per cent, appear to inhabit also the Pacific slope, 

 about 60 per cent, are not found east of the Eocky Moun- 

 tains, 15 per cent, only approach the Mississippi or the Sas- 

 katchewan, 25 per cent, approach the Atlantic, 17 per cent, 

 are Mexican or southern, and nearly 15 per cent, are Arctic. 



A few pages at the close are devoted to the consideration of 

 the agricultural resources of the basin, the limit to which is 

 fixed by the deficiency of water. " The most fertile localities 

 lie at the base of the Sierras ; but, as a rule, there is an appar- 

 ent absence everywhere of a true soil or mould resulting from 

 the decomposition of vegetable matter." A moderate amount 

 of alkali in the soil appears not to be detrimental to culture. 

 The soil which produces " sage bush " seems to be alwaj^s cul- 

 tivable when it can be irrigated. With the present supply of 

 water, most economically used, it is thought that only one 

 thousand out of 34,000 square miles of northern Nevada could 

 be brought under cultivation ; of the southerly portion and 

 of western Utah much less. Eastern Utah, with larger and 

 more constant supplies of water from the Wahsatch and the 

 Uinta Mountains, is much more favorably situated. The 

 absence of graminivorous animals, excepting rabbits in the 

 valleys and rarely a few mountain sheep or antelopes in the 

 higher ranges, shows that the country is ill adapted for graz- 

 ing. Eurotia lanata and a few other Chenopodiaceous plants 

 are eaten by sheep as a substitute for grass. 



