﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PLAINS 
  AREA. 
  2 
  < 
  ( 
  

  

  The 
  Great 
  Plains, 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  North 
  Saskatchewan 
  to 
  the 
  

   .Mexican 
  boundary, 
  are 
  mainly 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  various 
  bunch 
  grasses. 
  

   The 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  differs 
  greatly 
  in 
  different 
  localities, 
  being 
  

   modified 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  and 
  local 
  climate. 
  In 
  general 
  terms 
  the 
  growth 
  

   is 
  more 
  luxuriant 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  than 
  towards 
  the 
  west, 
  although 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  

   Mountains 
  and 
  Black 
  mils 
  the 
  growth 
  is 
  again 
  quite 
  luxuriant, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  increased 
  moisture 
  of 
  climate 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  proximity 
  to 
  the 
  

   mountains. 
  

  

  Here 
  and 
  there, 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  arid 
  localities, 
  w 
  r 
  hich 
  will 
  be 
  defined 
  in 
  

   some 
  detail 
  farther 
  on, 
  are 
  areas 
  wholly 
  or 
  in 
  part 
  given 
  over 
  to 
  sage, 
  

   cactus, 
  or 
  the 
  Spanish 
  bayonet 
  ( 
  Yucca 
  angusti 
  folia). 
  

  

  Passing 
  beyond 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains 
  one 
  enters 
  still 
  

   more 
  arid 
  regions 
  where 
  the 
  grasses 
  give 
  way 
  still 
  more 
  to 
  Artemisia, 
  

   and 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  arid 
  flora, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  interior 
  basin, 
  

   between 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  and 
  Cascade 
  

   Eange, 
  form 
  the 
  primary 
  growths 
  of 
  such 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  as 
  is 
  not 
  utterly 
  

   sterile. 
  

  

  Everywhere, 
  however, 
  on 
  the 
  mountain 
  slopes 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  better 
  

   watered 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  valleys, 
  and 
  where 
  not 
  covered 
  by 
  timber 
  the 
  

   grasses 
  are 
  more 
  luxuriant 
  than 
  below. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  lands 
  of 
  rivers, 
  too, 
  are, 
  for 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  breadth, 
  in 
  a 
  

   measure 
  artificially 
  irrigated, 
  and 
  the 
  grasses 
  are 
  more 
  close, 
  approach- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  turf, 
  and 
  often 
  grow 
  much 
  higher. 
  Such 
  areas, 
  however, 
  are 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  insignificant 
  in 
  extent. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  bottom 
  lands, 
  too, 
  

   are 
  covered 
  with 
  willow 
  and 
  cottonwood 
  trees, 
  to 
  the 
  partial 
  or 
  total 
  

   exclusion 
  of 
  grasses. 
  In 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  interior 
  

   valleys, 
  these 
  strips 
  of 
  timber 
  along 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  practically 
  the 
  only 
  

   timber. 
  

  

  Greasewood 
  takes 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  Artemisia 
  in 
  many 
  localities, 
  seeming 
  

   to 
  prefer 
  a 
  heavy 
  alkaline 
  clay 
  soil, 
  while 
  sage 
  grows 
  indifferently 
  on 
  a 
  

   clayey 
  or 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  latter 
  it 
  grows 
  most 
  freely 
  and 
  luxu- 
  

   riantly. 
  

  

  "Burnable" 
  land 
  (and 
  by 
  this 
  term 
  we 
  mean 
  land 
  susceptible 
  of 
  being 
  

   burned 
  over 
  cheaply 
  and 
  economically) 
  is 
  practically 
  identical 
  tcith 
  graz- 
  

   ing 
  land. 
  Bunch 
  and 
  grama 
  grasses 
  burn 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  freedom, 
  the 
  

   only 
  difficulty 
  being 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  fire 
  and 
  prevent 
  it 
  from 
  doing 
  dam- 
  

   age. 
  Most 
  sage-land 
  has 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  grass 
  among 
  the 
  sage. 
  Indeed, 
  

   grass-land 
  grades 
  into 
  sage 
  barrens 
  by 
  insensible 
  degrees 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   latter 
  are 
  burnable 
  only 
  with 
  difficulty, 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  division 
  between 
  burn- 
  

   able 
  and 
  non-burnable 
  land 
  must 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  be 
  mainly 
  an 
  arbitrary 
  

   one, 
  drawn 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  judgment 
  of 
  the 
  observer. 
  

  

  A 
  heavy 
  luxuriant 
  growth 
  of 
  sage 
  will 
  burn 
  freely, 
  as 
  travelers 
  in 
  the 
  

   West 
  have 
  had 
  frequent 
  opportunity 
  of 
  observing, 
  but 
  a 
  low, 
  stunted 
  

   growth 
  of 
  this 
  plant, 
  which" 
  covers 
  great 
  areas 
  of 
  thin, 
  poor 
  soil, 
  can 
  

   be 
  coaxed 
  into 
  burning 
  only 
  by 
  constant 
  attention, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  be 
  very 
  expensive 
  to 
  burn 
  over 
  great 
  areas. 
  

  

  