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, 3 



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THE WILD FLOWEES. 43 



5 the gnllies, filling up the streams^ and helping to cause those 

 fe sudden floods and freshets which so often harassed us on our 

 march. Doubtless no grass could hear so well the heavy 

 tramp of thousands of buffalo continually passing over it ; 

 but it is a good thing for the land that, as settlers adyance, 

 and domestic herds take the place of the big game, the 

 coarser, more vigorous, and deeper-rooted grasses destroy it, 



and take its place. These new-comers grow with great luxu- 

 riancGj yielding very fine hay ; and at the same time loosen- 

 ing the sod, opening up the soil, and retaining the nioistm'o 

 in the ground. 

 \ "Next come the wild flowers. The leguminous plants were 



r 



very abundant ; Baptisia Aiis trails was at first the most 



striking, and remained conspicuous for nearly 100 miles west 

 of Salina ; many species of Psoralea appeared as we entered a 

 drier region, and with them the Astragali, so abundant on the 

 steppes of Eussia. They fi'cquent the far Western plains in 

 such abundance that I soon collected a dozen different species. 

 The Mallows and Composita? presented some very gay and 

 striking varieties j amongst the former were Ca lliiThoe 

 macrorhka and C. involucrata^ the one an exquisite yellow, 

 the other a rich purple. Penstemona were also ybtj 

 numerous, the most beautiful of six species which I collected 

 being Penstemon cohcca. 



For miles along the march, perhaps, two or three species 

 would make the whole country gay; then a stranger or two 

 would appear — first few in number, but farther on in greater 

 abundance, until at last they would replace altogether their 



become complete master 



be 



miles farther, by other fresh 



ties. I remarked, especially, that these wild flowers looked 



stunted 



the 



