262 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



ries of the Colorado. The westerly current passes 

 over the region of Santa Barbara, and south of 

 the junction of the Sierra Nevada and Coast 

 Mountains, and up the Gulf of California into the 

 great valley of the Colorado, giving that valley a 

 beautiful climate, with perhaps a surplus of rain 

 in the winter, and a deficiency in the summer. 

 This valley extends up into the mountain region, 

 and the river heads in about latitude 43 ° , passing 

 through the east part of Utah, between the Wah- 

 satch and the Rocky Mountains, and through the 

 west part of the territory of New Mexico into the 

 Gulf of California. It heads near Fremont's Peak 

 in the eastern part of Oregon, and near the source 

 of Lewis's River, one of the principal branches of 

 the Columbia. These two rivers with the Pacific 

 Ocean almost enclose the country comprising Ore- 

 gon, Utah and California, leaving the Rocky 

 Mountains on the east to intercept the vapor pass- 

 ing over them into the valley of the Mississippi, 

 thus dividing the continent and giving a diff"erent 

 climate on each side. 



The eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains con- 

 tains some singular meteorological features. A 

 spur of the Rocky Mountains rises a little to the 

 mouth of Fort Laramie, in about latitude 43 ° 

 and longitude 28 ° west from Washington, and 

 passes otT to the north coast, and ends in the vi- 

 cinity of the Missouri River in latitude 47 ° , leav- 

 ing a large territory open to the north, and en- 

 closed on all other sides by loft.y mountains. In 

 this great basin, the Missouri River takes its rise, 

 and receives almost innumerable tributaries. The 

 country between this and the Arctic Ocean is well 

 watered, but not mountainous. It abounds in 

 lakes and large rivers for its latitude. The north- 

 westerly current of air brings down the waters of 

 the polar basin on the eastern slopes of the Rocky 

 Mountains, as far south as the basin of the Black 

 Hills. Here it meets with another current from 

 the south-east, flowing up from the Gulf of Mexi- 

 co through the valley of the Mississippi and the 

 Missouri, into this same basin. Here the currents 

 of air from the north and south meet, charged 

 with the waters of two hemispheres. Here the 

 cold and warm currents of air mingle together, 

 and deposit their moisture on the earth, to feed 

 the branches of this mighty river, which spread 

 themselves in all directions, and take their rise in 

 the lofty hills that surround this valley. The 

 greatest tributaries flow from the south and west, 

 in consequence of the attraction of the hills for 

 moisture, while the lesser rivers flow from the plain 

 on the north. A little north of this valley the 

 Saskatchewan heads in the Rocky Mountains, and 

 flows eastward into Winnipeg Lake, and from that 

 through Nelson's River into Hudson's Bay. A 

 little further north, the Athabasca takes its rise in 

 the Rocky Mountains, and flows northward 

 through Slave Lake and Mackenzie's River, into 

 the Polar Sea. All waters north of the head of 

 the Missouri, flow into the Polar basin t3nd the 

 Missouri, and all south flow into the Gulf of Mex- 

 ico. Here is a ridge of higher land extending 

 across the continent from the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 to the Rocky Mountains, but is not elevated suf- 

 ficiently to form mountains. On the north of 

 this ridge the climate is cold, while on the south 

 it is warm. 



South of the Black Hills lies the great Ameri- 

 can Desert, stretched along on the plains east of 



the Rocky Mountains, where the currents of air 

 from the Gulf of Mexico never reach, and conse- 

 quently little or no rain falls. These currents of 

 air are much inclined to follow the river valleys, 

 in consequence of the depression, especially when 

 they assume a direction nearly north and south. 

 Thus the wind blows up the Rio Grande into the 

 valleys of the Rocky Mountains, giving rise not 

 only to that river, but to the various sources of 

 the Arkansas, which flow down across this sandy 

 desert into the valley of the Mississippi. 



There is but a small portion of North America 

 barren for want of moisture. The northern part 

 is probably barren for want of heat. Having a 

 northern slope, the rays of the sun fall more obli- 

 quely on the soil, giving it less heat than a south- 

 ern slope in the same latitude, while the depres- 

 sion of the earth at the poles increases the obli- 

 quity. There is no part of the earth over which 

 is scattered such vast bodies of fresh water as in 

 North America, and though much of its climate is 

 severe, yet it is well calculated to reward the in- 

 dustry of man. 



As regards the watery element. South America 

 is perhaps the most remarkable portion of the 

 earth. The lofty range of the Andes skirts the 

 shores of the Pacific through its whole length, giv- 

 ing character to the whole continent. The whole 

 territory east of the Andes, consists of vast plains 

 of extreme fertility, and is watered by innumera- 

 ble rivers. The Amazon, the largest river in the 

 world, drains a territory of more than two millions 

 of square miles, and empties its vast volume of 

 water into the Atlantic on the equator. It takes 

 its rise in the Andes within a few miles of the Pa- 

 cific coast, and runs in an easterly direction across 

 the whole continent. On the north of tiiis basin, 

 and a little north of the equator, is a range of 

 mountains, placed there in the economy of nature, 

 to guide a portion of the trade winds into this 

 valley, with the vast accumulations of vapor from 

 the hot regions of the Atlantic. The trade winds 

 carry the vapor across these vast plains, where it 

 condenses and returns to earth, and deposits the 

 last of its vapor upon the eastern slopes of the 

 Andes, to feed the little branches of this majestic 

 river. These mountains intercept all communica- 

 tion of vapor with the Pacific, so that the whole 

 volume of water must roll back to the Atlantic, 

 through a country having the most magnificent 

 growth of vegetation of any part of the world. 

 Here the giant jjalm, the lord of the vegetable 

 tribes, attains its greatest perfection. Here the 

 savage lords of the brute creation bear undisputed 

 rule. D. BucKiAND. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



STRAWBERRIES GROWING ON A TREE. 



As I was at work in the woods, last January, cutting 

 ship timber, I foiled a large maple tree ; and in the 

 top, forty feet from the ground, I found a little bed of 

 strawberry vines ; five thrifry stalks, which were as 

 green as they are in summer. Probably they would 

 have born fruit this season, liad they not been dis- 

 turbed. It was quite a curiosity to me, to find a patch 

 of strawberries growing so high on a tree. The seeds 

 may have been dropped there by the birds, or carried 

 up by mice. They grev/ where a large limb had been 

 broken off, years before, that had rotted away, and 

 made the soil on which they grew. I preserved tlie 

 plants, and set them in my garden, this spring. Some 

 of them are growing finely, and another year, T may 

 have a new variety of strawberries, — possibly, a"Hov- 

 ey's Seedling." a. l. w. 



Hope, Me'. Julu (^ 1863. 



