10 BULLETIN 794, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SANDHILL REGION. 



The sandhill region of Nebraska is an irregular area lying in the 

 north-central part of the State, extending east and west for about 250 

 miles, north and south for about 140 miles, and occupying approxi- 

 mately one-fourth of the State. There are also isolated areas in 

 southwestern and in extreme western Nebraska, but these are of little 

 importance from our present standpoint. Roughly speaking, the 

 Niobrara River forms the northern boundary of the region, and, 

 except in the eastern half, the Platte is the southern limit. In gen- 

 eral, the face of the country is a succession of hills and valleys con- 

 taining many lakes and occasional running streams. The hills, which 

 are often steep, are mere piles of light-colored sand, for the most 

 part under 200 feet in height and covered with a more or less 

 luxuriant growth of various kinds of grasses. In most places the 

 sand is fine, and, under the high winds which often prevail, is drifted 

 over roads and fences to such an extent that travel is often interfered 

 with and agriculture made difficult. A curious and characteristic 

 feature of the landscape, produced by these high winds, is locally 

 called a " blow-out " : it is a miniature crater in the side or top of a 

 sandhill, which has been made by the continual action of the wind 

 on an exposed portion of the slope. In places these " blow-outs " 

 eat into the hills holes 50 or 60 feet deep and 100 feet or more in 

 diameter, but usually they are much smaller. Aside from grass, the 

 vegetation of these sandhills consists chiefly of yuccas {Yucca 

 glauca), which in places closely dot the summits and slopes, at a 

 distance giving to the hills a peculiarly spotted appearance. On 

 some of the smaller hills and on the lower slopes of others there are 

 numerous wild-rose bushes {Rosa pratincola) . The dwarf "sand 

 cherry " {Pnmus hesseyi) and the pale-foliaged amorpha {Amorpha 

 canescens) are also abundant all over the hills; while in places there 

 are also great patches of "buck brush" {SymphoHcarpos) . Showy 

 flowers of various kinds, such as lupines, pentstemons, lithospermums, 

 and others, grow in great profusion. 



The valleys between the sandhills are sometimes mere hollows, in 

 character not noticeably different from the sandhills themselves ; but 

 the larger and deeper valleys are usually more or less level and occu- 

 pied either by lakes or by meadows, the rank grass of which furnishes 

 excellent hay. 



The lakes, which form one of the most interesting features of this 

 region, and which are of supreme importance for the welfare of the 

 waterfowl, occupy many of the larger valleys. These lakes are scat- 

 tered all over the sandhill region, but by far the greater number lie 

 in a few gi-oups, of which the most important are the following: 



(1) Lakes of eastern Cherry County. 



(2) Lakes at the head of the North Loup River. 



