Riv. BAS. Sour. 
Riv, Bas. Sy SMALL SITES ABOUT FORT BERTHOLD—METCALF 1] 
Wild fruits are abundant. On the slopes of the high terrace, on 
the drier parts of the flood plain, in the canyon floors, and along 
the edge of the uplands grow many thickets of wild plum bushes, 
while chokecherries are present in amazing abundance. Juneberries 
(sarviceberry, serviceberry, or saskatoon) are found along the drier 
parts of the flood plain and on the terrace slopes. Wild grapes are 
present, as are wild currants, and the tiny wild strawberry is found 
in the shaded lowlands. Clumps of buffaloberries, known locally 
as bullberries, are present everywhere except on the uplands. 
East of the Missouri River, the rolling, treeless uplands between 
the valleys are largely devoted to the growing of crops of rye, wheat, 
oats, barley, and flax. Some corn is grown despite the shortness of 
the frost-free season. There is less cultivation west of the river, the 
short growing season combining here with a rapid drop in the amount 
of annual rainfall to make agriculture much more hazardous than 
stockraising. For this reason the country west of the Missouri is 
more sparsely populated than the eastern side, and great stretches 
of open grassland are still tc be found in which the sight of an oc- 
casional antelope brings no surprise. 
Formerly this country was in the heart of the bison range. Deer 
and antelope were present in great numbers, with elk and bear to 
be found along the streams, and with mountain sheep, mule deer, 
and mountain lion present in the badlands. Today the white-tailed 
deer are not uncommon in the flood-plain thickets, while such small 
game as rabbits, grouse, prairie chicken, and pheasants are locally 
abundant. Ducks and geese are found on the rivers in great num- 
bers during the seasonal migrations, and many ducks nest in the nu- 
merous small lakes and ponds which dot the uplands east of the 
Missouri. 
Most of the furbearers—wildcat, coyote, beaver, skunk, muskrat, 
badger—that drew the first wave of white men to the country are 
still present although in sadly reduced numbers. Mink and raccoon 
are rare, and the otter and wolf are extinct in the State. 
The semiarid climate of west-central North Dakota is cool and 
bracing, characterized by long, cold winters and short, dry summers. 
Temperatures as low as —56° F., with a high of 112° F.. represent the 
extremes recorded at Elbowoods, the site of the Fort Berthold 
Agency. The average annual precipitation as recorded at the same 
point is 15.21 inches, with over half of this falling as rain during 
the months of May, June, and July. The frost-free growing sea- 
son averages about 120 days. Although tornadoes are unknown, 
high winds are usual, spring and fall being particularly windy sea- 
sons. Prevailing winds are from the west.® 
8 Climatic data is summarized from “Climate and Man,” 1941 Yearbook of Agriculture. 
U.S. Dept. Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 
