60 



and the top of the mountain was covered with snow. Much 

 more interesting from a botanical standpoint was the excursion 

 up Mount Garfield (altitude 12,365 feet), for which two days 

 were set aside. Engelmann spruce continues as the dominant 

 tree up to an elevation of about 11,300 feet, where it gives way 

 to Finns aristata, the characteristic timber-line tree. "Krumm- 

 holz" forms of both these trees are common in certain localities. 

 On Mount Garfield, as on other peaks of sufficient elevation, 

 timber-line as a rule is sharply defined, and the alpine vegetation 

 of the rocky meadows above is in marked contrast to that of the 

 forests below. The alpine gravel-slides with their curious growth 

 of "cushion-plants" are especially unique. 



The next stopping-place, after leaving Minnehaha, was Salt 

 Lake City, Utah, where parts of two days were spent examining 

 tracts of vegetation in the proximity of Great Salt Lake. As 

 might be anticipated, the natural vegetation of this desert 

 country is not very diversified. Sage-brush (Artemisia tridentata) 

 dominates nearly everywhere on the fresher soils, while alkaline 

 soils are populated by species of Sarcohatus, Kochia, Atriplex, 

 and various herbaceous halophytes.* 



The journey from Salt Lake City to Tacoma, Washington, 

 was broken by a brief stop at North Yakima, Washington, to 

 note the marvelous results that have been achieved in this 

 territory by irrigation. Of the six days allowed for western 

 Washington, the five spent in the vicinity of Mount Rainier to 

 the writer represent the most enjoyable part of the entire trip. 

 Two days were devoted to forests in the neighborhood of Kapow- 

 sin and the National Park Inn, and two more were spent about 

 Camp of the Clouds. Nowhere in the world is there found a 

 more magnificent display of coniferous forest than here in the 

 Pacific Northwest. The most characteristic tree of the humid 

 forests along the western slopes of Mount Rainier, and of the 

 lowlands of Washington, is Pseudotsuga taxifolia, which here 

 attains enormous dimensions. Associated with this as im- 



* For detailed description of thie region visited see Kearney, T. H., Briggs, J. L., 

 Shantz, H. L., McLane, J. W. and Piemeisel, R. L. Indicate significance of vege- 

 tation in Tooele Valley, Utah. Jour. Agr. Research i: 365-417. pi. 43-48 + fig- 

 1-13 + map. 19 1 4. 



