2 
tains were reached, and twenty-four hours were required to 
cross the two systems between Calgary and the coast. The 
scenery of this region is remarkably fine and strongly contrasted 
with the boundless stretches of prairie previously traversed. 
complete change also takes place in the flora: splendid coniferous 
forests clothe the flanks of the snow-capped mountains, while 
aspens, alders, and willows mingle with firs and pines in the 
valleys. Extensive ranches with great herds of cattle, horses, 
and sheep; mines of various kinds; and large lumber camps and 
sawmills are passed in quick succession. At Banff, the Canadian 
Government has made one of the largest park reservations in the 
world, containing nearly 6,000 square miles of territory. Laggan, 
at 5,000 ft. elevation, is a small station with a few log bungalows, 
dense forests of firs and pines, and superb scenery. This place 
and Glacier, in the Selkirks, appear to be choice localities for 
collecting fungi in the summer. The summit of the Rockies 
is reached at Stephen, 300 ft. higher than Laggan, where the 
‘“‘ereat divide’’ occurs. A descent of 1,000 ft. is quickly made 
to Field, where watches are set to Pacific time, and nearly 
another thousand feet brings one to Palliser, named for one of 
the first expeditions to explore the Rockies, in 1858. 
Golden is at the foot of the Rockies, and across the Columbia 
River to the west rise the heavily forested Selkirks still to be 
crossed. Among the somber-hued conifers, scattered poplars 
stand out vividly in their yellow autumn coloring, and birches 
reappear below 3,000 feet. Several new trees, some of them 
belonging to the Pacific Coast, make their appearance here. 
Early on the morning of the fifth day, the valley of the Fraser 
River was reached, at slight elevation above sea-level, and we 
entered the rich grazing and lumbering region that continues 
all the way to Seattle, where we arrived in the middle of the 
afternoon. 
Seattle, with a population of 300,000, is one of the most pro- 
gressive and promising cities of the West. The climate is mild 
and humid, adapted to a luxuriant vegetation; the soil is glacial 
drift, through which streams easily wear deep gorges in which 
great trees grow and shelter myriads of smaller plants. Some 
