﻿294 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  as 
  being 
  a 
  very 
  fine 
  valley, 
  with 
  luxuriant 
  grasses 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part, 
  de- 
  

   generating 
  into 
  Artemisia 
  near 
  Green 
  River. 
  

  

  The 
  Grand 
  Eiver, 
  after 
  emerging 
  from 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park, 
  flows 
  through 
  

   a 
  region 
  of 
  high 
  broken 
  table 
  lands, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  a 
  canon, 
  only 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  emerging 
  into 
  a 
  narrow 
  sage-brush 
  valley, 
  nearly 
  to 
  its 
  point 
  of 
  

   junction 
  with 
  the 
  Gunnison. 
  The 
  latter 
  stream 
  has 
  a 
  somewhat 
  more 
  

   open 
  course, 
  with 
  several 
  large 
  valleys. 
  The 
  uppermost 
  of 
  these, 
  Taylor's 
  

   Park, 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  is 
  pretty 
  well 
  covered 
  with 
  forests. 
  

   Then 
  follows 
  a 
  short 
  canon, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  river 
  emerges 
  into 
  the 
  Gun- 
  

   nison 
  Valley, 
  a 
  meeting 
  place 
  of 
  several 
  considerable 
  streams, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  valleys 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  width. 
  The 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  com- 
  

   pound 
  valley 
  is 
  sage-covered, 
  while 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  and 
  the 
  plateaus 
  in 
  

   the 
  neighborhood 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  luxuriant 
  grasses 
  and 
  cotton 
  wood. 
  

  

  Below 
  this 
  valley 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  in 
  canon 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  distance, 
  while 
  the 
  

   plateaus 
  bordering 
  it, 
  which 
  rise 
  gradually 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  Elk 
  

   Mountains 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Eange, 
  are 
  grassy, 
  with 
  

   groves 
  of 
  quaking 
  aspens. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  this, 
  the 
  Grand 
  Canon, 
  the 
  river 
  

   emerges 
  into 
  daylight 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Valley 
  and 
  flows 
  

   across 
  its 
  lower 
  end. 
  This 
  valley 
  extends 
  northward 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains, 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Eiver 
  flowing 
  down 
  its 
  cen- 
  

   ter. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  50 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  miles 
  wide. 
  It 
  contains 
  

   but 
  little 
  grass, 
  except 
  at 
  its 
  upper 
  end. 
  The 
  growth 
  is 
  sage, 
  the 
  soil 
  

   a 
  heavy, 
  cold 
  clay. 
  The 
  bottom 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  broad 
  — 
  one-half 
  

   mile 
  to 
  a 
  mile 
  — 
  and 
  overgrown 
  with 
  bushes 
  of 
  various 
  species, 
  with 
  

   quite 
  an 
  extensive 
  growth 
  of 
  cottonwood 
  and 
  willow. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   this 
  valley 
  it 
  joins 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  has 
  bottom 
  lands 
  

   one 
  to 
  two 
  miles 
  in 
  width, 
  with 
  a 
  fine 
  growth 
  of 
  willows. 
  

  

  Below 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  flows 
  in 
  a 
  canon 
  

   on 
  the 
  left-hand 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  broad 
  valley 
  which 
  produces 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  

   vegetable 
  growth 
  5 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  remark 
  holds 
  good, 
  in 
  a 
  still 
  more 
  

   marked 
  degree, 
  concerning 
  the 
  broad 
  valley 
  which 
  extends 
  down 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  below 
  their 
  junction, 
  lying 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Book 
  Cliffs. 
  

   It 
  is 
  an 
  utter 
  desert, 
  without 
  possibility 
  of 
  amelioration 
  save 
  by 
  a 
  change 
  

   of 
  climate. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  and 
  Gunnison 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  plateau 
  inclining 
  

   toward 
  those 
  valleys 
  and 
  breaking 
  off 
  abruptly 
  toward 
  the 
  southwest. 
  

   It 
  has 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  an 
  immense 
  spur 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains, 
  

   trending 
  to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  Its 
  crest 
  has 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  8,000 
  to 
  9,000 
  

   feet; 
  its 
  higher 
  part, 
  near 
  the 
  crest, 
  is 
  well 
  timbered, 
  but 
  contains 
  many 
  

   open 
  grassy 
  parks. 
  Lower 
  down 
  on 
  each 
  slope 
  the 
  plateau 
  is 
  covered 
  

   with 
  sage, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  pifion 
  pine. 
  

  

  Farther 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  are 
  lower 
  plateaus 
  falling 
  oue 
  below 
  another 
  

   and 
  passing 
  by 
  gradations, 
  according 
  to 
  altitude, 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  

   desert 
  country. 
  In 
  the 
  lowest 
  and 
  worst 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  Grand 
  and 
  

   Green 
  join, 
  forming 
  the 
  Colorado. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains 
  stretches 
  the 
  Great 
  Sage 
  Plain, 
  

  

  