8()IL— CLIMATE. 5 



t'ouiid only iu ;i few areas preserved bv their owners lor future use, at no 

 distant day. Not only have the Eureka Mountains lost their forests, Ijut 

 tlie neighboring' mountains for long distances have been devastated to fur- 

 nish fuel for the smelting furnaces. Some idea mav be obtained of the 

 enormous consum])tion of wood from the statement that 10,000 bushels of 

 charcoal are required daily for the smelting fm-naces when the works are 

 running their usual force, and that for five or six years the daily consump- 

 tion was rather ovin- than under that amount. 



Soil.— Nature presents a barren, arid appearance. Perennial streams iu 

 the ravines are exceptional, other tlian those found on the slopes of Diamond 

 Peak. Fresh water springs lie scattered about the mountains and fur- 

 ni.sh a scanty supply of water, barely sufficient to meet the wants of the 

 people. A few deep wells have been successfully sunk in the broader 

 valleys. Vegetation is everywhere limited, and is mainly confined to l)unch 

 grasses on the mountain slopes and sage brush in the open valleys. 



As the valleys are maiidy filled with coarse detrital material from 

 mountain slopes, soils suitable for agricultural purposes occupy very 

 small areas, and are found only in the broader basins. In the favored 

 spots where water for irrigation purposes can l)e readilv ol)taine(l, all the- 

 more hardv vegetables grow well, and are of excellent (piality, but nearly 

 all crops suft'er from early frosts. In no sense can the country be regarded 

 as an agricultural one, and cultivation of the soil is remunerative to 

 the farmer only by reason of the very high prices received for his produce. 



Climate.— A rigorous winter, a long hot summer, a dry atmosphere, with 

 a light precipitation of moisture, are characteristic climatic features of the 

 Eureka District. In summer, rainfalls are limited to showers, frequently 

 very severe, but of short duration, and what are commonly known as cloud- 

 bm'sts are by no means uncommon during late July and early August. 

 The clouds, late in the afternoon, centering over Prospect Peak, break with 

 such force that many people caught without warning have been drowned. 

 In July, 1874, a severe storm and flood destroyed seventeen lives, and 

 cai'ried off' property to the value of many thousands of dollars. 



During the period of our survey careful meteorological observations 

 were made throughout the summer. Snow fcdl in thi^ month of Mav no 



