24 THE REPORT OF THE No. 36 



Chilcotin district at Big Creek has a mean annual temperature of 37°, a winter 

 mean of 17°, and a summer mean of 57° Fahr. The annual rainfall is about 

 15 inches. This area is volcanic in origin, but many glacial deposits occur; some 

 portions of the range showing long lines of ice-worn boulders undoubtedly the 

 remains of glacial moraines. 



The Riske Creek range and the country adjoining it lies in the Interior 

 Douglas Fir type of forest. The Sage- brush (Artemesia tridentata) reaches up 

 the lower part of the Fraser valley to the mouth of the Chilcotin river, and the 

 Western Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa) also disappears at about this point. On 

 the higher portions of the Chilcotin plateau above 3,500 ft. line, the Douglas Fir 

 type merges into the Englemann Spruce type of forest. At the present time a 

 large portion of the original Douglas Fir stand has been replaced by the Lodge- 

 pole Pine {Pinus contoria), the Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga mucronata) having 

 been destroyed by fires. 



The open range was originally and approximately 15 years ago covered 

 with a fine stand of Bunch-grass (Agropyron spp.), often from two or three feet 

 in height and the settlers were in the habit of mowing and stacking it for hay. 

 To-day this grass has been practically destroyed, largely by overgrazing. Three 

 species of Agropyron are believed to occur. 



Several plants which are typical of the Dry Belt are found, among which may 

 be mentioned the Rabbit-brush {Chrysothamnus sp.) and the Prickly Pear or 

 Cactus (Opuntia polyacantha) . 



The main plateau of the Riske Creek range lying south of a line drawn from 

 Hanceville on the Chilcotin river to Meldrum Creek on the Fraser, is almost 

 entirely open grass land on which innumerable clumps and patches of timber grow 



The timber is either Aspen (Populus tremuloid s) or Douglas Fir and Lodge- 

 pole Pine. In many cases the centre of the clump is composed of Fir and Pine 

 while a narrow belt of Aspen fringes the outside. These patches of timber may 

 be less than an acre in extent or may cover an area of from 200 to 300 acres. In 

 moist locations, siwh as the margins of lakes and in creek bottoms, the Western 

 Birch (Betula occidentalis) is often associated with the Aspen and several species 

 of Willow (Salix) are commonly found. The Mountain Birch (Betula fontinalis) 

 grows commonly in the bogs. On many of the warm slopes the Rocky Mountain 

 Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is common. 



The range is well watered by several creeks and innumerable lakes and " pot- 

 holes." Many of these are permanent, while others gradually dry up during the 

 summer and are filled again by the melting snow in the spring. 



The area just described with the vast timbered country to the north forms 

 the summer range for the cattle. 



There is also a very large area of land on the steep s'lopes 1 of the river valleys. 



The upper range often ends very abruptly and the land descends precipitously 

 in a series of terraces to the rivers, which are from 1,500 ft, to 2,000 ft. below. 

 These steep river valley slopes are of two distinct types. Slopes facing towards 

 the north and east are heavily timbered and of little value to the cattle industry. 

 Those 'slopes facing towards the south and west are free from timber and covered 

 with Bunch-grass. 



Those Bunch-grass slopes form the winter ranges, which having been fenced 

 many years ago, and all cattle and horses kept off them except during the winter, 

 still produce a fair stand of Bunch-grass. On any unfenced portions of these 



