﻿290 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  thence 
  declines 
  gradually 
  southward, 
  through 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  enters 
  

   the 
  Eepublic 
  of 
  Mexico 
  with 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  4,000 
  feet. 
  

  

  In 
  Southern 
  Wyoming 
  we 
  meet 
  first 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Eange, 
  which 
  rises 
  

   to 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  9,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  At 
  its 
  eastern 
  base, 
  

   and 
  far 
  up 
  its 
  slopes, 
  the 
  fine 
  grass 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  extends, 
  growing 
  more 
  

   luxuriant 
  with 
  the 
  altitude. 
  On 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  is 
  a 
  strag- 
  

   gling 
  growth 
  of 
  timber, 
  nowhere 
  heavy. 
  The 
  western 
  slope 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  

   repetition 
  of 
  the 
  eastern. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  western 
  base 
  we 
  enter 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Laramie. 
  These 
  lie 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  Medicine 
  Bow 
  and 
  Laramie 
  Eanges, 
  are 
  limited 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  

   by 
  the 
  latter 
  of 
  these 
  ranges, 
  where 
  it 
  sweeps 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  they 
  extend 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Medi- 
  

   cine 
  Bow 
  and 
  Laramie 
  Eanges. 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  these 
  plains, 
  like 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  Great 
  Plains, 
  is 
  chiefly 
  rolling, 
  entirely 
  bare 
  of 
  timber, 
  and 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  mainly 
  with 
  bunch-grass. 
  Here 
  sage 
  becomes 
  rather 
  more 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  but 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  the 
  chief 
  

   product. 
  

  

  Passing 
  the 
  Medicine 
  Bow 
  Eange, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  country, 
  as 
  far 
  west 
  as 
  

   the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte, 
  to 
  resemble 
  in 
  most 
  respects 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Laramie 
  Plains, 
  being 
  open 
  and 
  grassy. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  comes 
  a 
  broad 
  plateau, 
  separating 
  the 
  

   drainage 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Colorado. 
  This 
  broad, 
  ill-de- 
  

   fined 
  divide 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  South 
  Pass 
  southeastward 
  to 
  tne 
  north 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  Park 
  Eange. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  uneven, 
  rolling 
  surface, 
  containing 
  many 
  

   sinks, 
  in 
  which 
  disappear 
  the 
  waters 
  gathered 
  over 
  large 
  areas. 
  

  

  This 
  region, 
  from 
  the 
  railroad 
  northward 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Sweetwater 
  

   Mountains, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  to 
  the 
  Green 
  Eiver 
  Basin, 
  is 
  

   almost 
  a 
  desert. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  heavy, 
  cold, 
  alkaline, 
  clay 
  soil, 
  which 
  produces 
  

   only 
  a 
  sparse 
  growth 
  of 
  greasewood 
  and 
  stunted 
  sage. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  region 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  breed 
  or 
  frequent, 
  neither 
  is 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  

   burned 
  over 
  easily. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  railroad, 
  these 
  plateaus 
  extend 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  

   Eange. 
  As 
  they 
  recede 
  from 
  the 
  railroad 
  southerly, 
  they 
  rise 
  to 
  greater 
  

   elevations 
  and 
  become 
  correspondingly 
  more 
  inviting. 
  The 
  soil 
  becomes 
  

   more 
  gravelly, 
  greasewood 
  disappears, 
  while 
  a 
  luxuriant 
  growth 
  of 
  sage 
  

   and 
  bunch-grass 
  takes 
  its 
  place. 
  Should 
  it 
  become 
  necessary, 
  these 
  

   plateaus 
  can 
  be 
  burned 
  over 
  at 
  no 
  great 
  expense. 
  This 
  improvement 
  

   in 
  the 
  vegetation 
  seems 
  to 
  commence 
  with 
  Bridgets 
  Pass 
  and 
  extends 
  

   southward 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Eange, 
  and 
  along 
  its 
  western 
  

   flank 
  far 
  into 
  Colorado. 
  The 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  these 
  more 
  fertile 
  plateaus 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  point 
  out, 
  as 
  they 
  grade 
  insensibly 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  desert 
  

   region, 
  as 
  the 
  elevation 
  decreases. 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Sweetwater 
  Eiver 
  is 
  everywhere 
  well 
  grassed, 
  with 
  

   but 
  little 
  sagejbrush. 
  It 
  is 
  mainly 
  bench 
  land, 
  with 
  a 
  gravelly 
  soil, 
  and 
  

   is 
  free 
  from 
  timber. 
  The 
  river 
  bottom 
  has 
  an 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  about 
  

   half 
  a 
  mile. 
  

  

  