﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PLAINS 
  AREA. 
  279 
  

  

  .Near 
  the 
  meridian 
  of 
  117°, 
  and 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Milk 
  River, 
  begins 
  an 
  

   area 
  of 
  sparse 
  vegetation, 
  which 
  extends 
  southeast 
  across 
  Milk, 
  Missouri, 
  

   Musselshell, 
  and 
  Yellowstone 
  Rivers, 
  and 
  terminates 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  

   of 
  Dakota, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills. 
  Its 
  boundaries 
  are 
  very, 
  ill-de- 
  

   fined, 
  as 
  it 
  grades 
  off 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  into 
  the 
  ordinary 
  grass 
  land 
  of 
  the 
  

   prairies. 
  Where 
  it 
  crosses 
  the 
  boundary 
  line 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  75 
  miles 
  

   in 
  width. 
  Its 
  western 
  limit 
  crosses 
  the 
  Missouri 
  not 
  many 
  miles 
  below 
  

   Fort 
  Benton, 
  runs 
  around 
  the 
  Judith 
  Mountains 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  thein 
  

   of 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  10 
  miles, 
  crosses 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  in 
  longitude 
  110°, 
  and 
  

   thence 
  bears 
  generally 
  southeast, 
  keeping 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  eastern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  and 
  Big 
  Horn 
  Ranges. 
  Its 
  

   greatest 
  southerly 
  extension 
  is 
  reached 
  between 
  the 
  Big 
  Horn 
  Range 
  

   and 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills. 
  Thence 
  passing 
  northeast 
  by 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills, 
  its 
  

   line, 
  now 
  its 
  eastern 
  boundary, 
  runs 
  north 
  in 
  the 
  longitude 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills, 
  embracing 
  the 
  Bad 
  Lands 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Missouri, 
  

   the 
  Powder, 
  and 
  Lower 
  Yellowstone 
  Rivers. 
  Crossing 
  the 
  latter 
  stream, 
  

   it 
  runs 
  generally 
  northwest 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  first 
  mentioned. 
  Xorth 
  of 
  the 
  

   Yellowstone, 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  characterized 
  mainly 
  by 
  the 
  sparsity 
  of 
  all 
  

   vegetable 
  growth, 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  scanty 
  and 
  short, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  

   cactus. 
  South 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  waters 
  of 
  that 
  stream, 
  

   the 
  Powder, 
  and 
  Little 
  Missouri, 
  are 
  Bad 
  Lands, 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  much 
  

   broken 
  by 
  minor 
  typographical 
  features, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  rapid 
  erosion 
  of 
  

   soft 
  strata. 
  There 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  vegetation, 
  with 
  great 
  areas 
  of 
  bare, 
  

   powdery, 
  clay 
  soil. 
  Higher 
  up, 
  on 
  and 
  between 
  these 
  streams, 
  the 
  preva- 
  

   lent 
  growth 
  is 
  sage. 
  

  

  What 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  regarding 
  the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  

   prairie 
  levels 
  is 
  equally 
  true 
  concerning 
  the 
  coteaus 
  of 
  the 
  Minnesota 
  

   and 
  Dakota. 
  While 
  forming 
  parts 
  of 
  these 
  prairie 
  levels, 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  

   fact 
  plateaus 
  of 
  no 
  great 
  elevation, 
  being 
  1,500 
  to 
  2,000 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  

   well 
  marked 
  by 
  bluffs 
  everywhere, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  They 
  have 
  

   a 
  rough, 
  undulating 
  surface, 
  gravelly 
  or 
  rocky 
  soil, 
  containing 
  many 
  

   "sinks," 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  watered. 
  The 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  the 
  grasses 
  varies 
  

   very 
  much 
  with 
  the 
  locality, 
  but 
  is 
  nowhere 
  too 
  sparse 
  to 
  burn 
  with 
  the 
  

   utmost 
  freedom. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  grasses 
  may 
  

   be 
  thus 
  briefly 
  expressed 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  Central 
  Nebraska 
  and 
  Kansas, 
  Western 
  Indian 
  Territory, 
  and 
  Cen- 
  

   tral 
  Texas, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  belt 
  lying 
  just 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  border 
  of 
  

   i 
  timber, 
  the 
  grasses 
  are 
  high 
  and 
  luxuriant, 
  as 
  should 
  be 
  expected, 
  on 
  

   I 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  comparative 
  moisture 
  of 
  the 
  climate. 
  Westward, 
  as 
  the 
  

   1 
  aridity 
  becomes 
  greater, 
  the 
  grasses 
  become 
  shorter 
  and 
  sparser, 
  and 
  

   I 
  this 
  progression 
  continues 
  until 
  we 
  near 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  where 
  

   ■ 
  their 
  influence 
  in 
  rendering 
  the 
  climate 
  moister 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  increased 
  

   i 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  the 
  grasses. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  this 
  wide 
  expanse 
  of 
  plains 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills 
  the 
  area 
  

   which 
  cannot 
  be 
  easily 
  burned 
  over 
  is 
  very 
  small. 
  The 
  Bad 
  Lands 
  be- 
  

  

  