18 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 54 



water to the confluence during a considerable part of the year. On 

 the western side there is one important tributary, the Rio Chama, a 

 large river, rising m southwestern Colorado. A description of its 

 basin in its lower course would be almost a repetition of that of the 

 Rio Grande. Its right bank is bordered closely by the volcanic 

 escarpments of the Pajarito plateau, and on the left a narrow fertile 

 flood plain is immediately superseded by an extensive valley filled 

 ■\\dth the picturesque hills of Pliocene sands. The wSanta Clara, 

 Guages, Pajarito, Bravo, Rito de los Frijoles, Alamo, Colorado, and 

 Cochiti are small creeks perennial in their upper courses, but none of 

 them, with the exception of the Rito de los Frijoles, carries its water 

 to the Rio Grande except in flood seasons. 



Of the area under consideration, 75 miles square, probably five 

 per cent is irrigable agricultural land of great fertility. Forty-five 

 per cent is barren irreclaimable marls, lava flows, and sand hills, and 

 fifty per cent may be classed as mountain land more or less forested. 

 The forested land at present is only moderately valuable for pasturage 

 and lumbering, but is susceptible of improvement in these respects 

 under scientific forest management. This portion of the dramage area 

 has an important function in the conservation and distribution of sur- 

 face waters. Progressive deterioration in its forest conditions would 

 be accompanied by a corresponding declme in agriculture in the entire 

 region that depends on the Rio Grande for irrigation watei-, while 

 any sudden and extensive forest destruction would lead to catas- 

 trophic results, rendering the region uninhabitable. Of the present 

 forested area the greater part is only indifferently wooded, not more 

 than a quarter of the timber being of merchantable quality. Probably 

 half of this area could be classed as light woodland and the remaining 

 quarter as scrub. The well-forested portions of the rectangle are, (1) 

 the Santa Fe moimtaiiis area, including the entire eastern side of the 

 basm; (2) the Placer and Sandia momitains area, a small section in 

 the south-central part; and (3) the Jemez plateau, the region lying 

 west of the Rio Grantle and north of the latitude of Santa Fe. 

 Extensive fires have denuded many of the rounded tops of these 

 mountains, giving the impression that these peaks extend above the 

 timber line. 



Meteorological conditions throughout this region are pecuUarly 

 definite. There is a high percentage of cloudless weather, a rare 

 transparent atmosphere, light precipitation, rapid evaporation, low 

 humidity, and considerable wind, especially m the spring. Vegeta- 

 tion dries up rather than decays ; meat cures in the open aii- without 

 salt. In the lower vaUeys the total precipitation ranges from 10 to 

 15 inches annually, very little bemg in the form of snow\ In higher 

 altitudes this is increased to from 15 to 20 inches, with a considerable 

 amount of snow. There is occasionally an exceptional year when 



