﻿PREVENTIVE 
  MEASURES 
  IN 
  THE 
  PLAINS 
  AREA. 
  301 
  

  

  breadth 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  mile. 
  These 
  bottom 
  lands 
  are 
  fertile 
  and, 
  where 
  

   not 
  covered 
  with 
  cotton 
  wood 
  and 
  willow 
  timber, 
  are 
  clothed 
  with 
  luxu- 
  

   riant 
  grasses. 
  The 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  fertile 
  portions 
  of 
  Montana 
  

   may 
  be 
  roughly 
  estimated 
  at 
  26,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  In 
  Washiugton 
  Territory, 
  all 
  of 
  that 
  portion 
  represented 
  on 
  the 
  map, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  that 
  occupied 
  by 
  forests, 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  luxuriant 
  

   grass. 
  Its 
  area 
  may 
  be 
  set 
  down 
  at 
  about 
  7,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  Oregon 
  the 
  more 
  fertile 
  portions 
  consist 
  prin- 
  

   cipally 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  valleys 
  in 
  the 
  Blue 
  Mountains, 
  such 
  as 
  

   the 
  Grand 
  Eonde. 
  They 
  sum 
  up 
  about 
  2,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  In 
  Idaho 
  the 
  more 
  fertile 
  grass 
  lands 
  are 
  very 
  widely 
  scattered, 
  con- 
  

   sisting 
  mainly 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  narrow 
  belts 
  about 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  Bit- 
  

   terroot, 
  Cceur 
  d'Alene, 
  and 
  Salmon 
  Mountains^ 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  in 
  

   the 
  southeast 
  corner. 
  Altogether 
  they 
  sum 
  up 
  about 
  10,000 
  square 
  

   miles. 
  

  

  In 
  Western 
  Dakota 
  the 
  most 
  fertile 
  grass 
  regions 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  

   east, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Hills. 
  Luxuriant 
  grass 
  extends 
  northward 
  

   for 
  many 
  miles 
  from 
  their 
  base, 
  and 
  eastward 
  covers 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   country 
  between 
  the 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  Cheyenne. 
  The 
  area 
  may 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  be 
  estimated 
  at 
  about 
  5,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  In 
  Wyoming 
  the 
  principal 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  are 
  probably 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  localities: 
  The 
  plains 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Bange, 
  the 
  Laramie 
  

   Plains, 
  the 
  country 
  about 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Bange, 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  

   the 
  Wind 
  Biver 
  Valley 
  and 
  the 
  Green 
  Biver 
  Basin, 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sweetwater 
  and 
  the 
  Granite 
  Hills 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  it, 
  the 
  eastern 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  Yellowstone 
  Bange, 
  and 
  the 
  Big 
  Horn 
  Mountains. 
  The 
  total 
  area 
  

   of 
  the 
  Territory 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  estimated 
  at 
  12,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  In 
  Colorado 
  the 
  following 
  regions 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  fertile 
  : 
  The 
  plains 
  at 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Front 
  and 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Banges 
  — 
  this 
  fer- 
  

   tile 
  region 
  extends 
  eastward 
  to 
  a 
  varying 
  distance 
  in 
  different 
  latitudes 
  

   and 
  altitudes 
  ; 
  the 
  Parks, 
  North, 
  South, 
  and 
  Middle, 
  with 
  the 
  northern 
  

   end 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  ; 
  the 
  plateaus 
  about 
  the 
  canon 
  of 
  the 
  Arkan- 
  

   sas 
  and 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  Bivers, 
  the 
  Wet 
  Mountain 
  Valley 
  and 
  Huerfano 
  

   Park, 
  and 
  also 
  many 
  small 
  areas 
  among 
  the 
  mountains, 
  which 
  cannot 
  

   be 
  specified, 
  but 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate, 
  swell 
  the 
  total 
  considerably. 
  

   The 
  total 
  area 
  is 
  probably 
  about 
  15,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  Proceeding 
  southward, 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  luxuriant 
  grasses 
  becomes 
  mark- 
  

   edly 
  less. 
  In 
  New 
  Mexico 
  it 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  5,000 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  or 
  about 
  one-third 
  that 
  of 
  Colorado. 
  This 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Bange, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  Baton 
  Hills, 
  along 
  

   the 
  Bios 
  San 
  Jose, 
  Puerco, 
  and 
  Vaca, 
  in 
  the 
  Valles 
  Mountains, 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  plateaus 
  about 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  Chiquito. 
  

  

  In 
  Utah 
  the 
  area 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  same. 
  It 
  is 
  located 
  mainly 
  in 
  Cache 
  

   Valley, 
  on 
  the 
  narrow 
  ranges 
  of 
  mountains 
  west 
  of 
  it, 
  in 
  the 
  narrow 
  

   strip 
  of 
  land 
  between 
  the 
  Wahsatch 
  Mountains 
  and 
  Great 
  Salt 
  Lake, 
  in 
  

   the 
  upper 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Sevier 
  Biver, 
  the 
  Uinta, 
  Castle, 
  and 
  Grass 
  Val- 
  

   leys, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  Henry 
  Mountains 
  and 
  Sierra 
  la 
  Sal. 
  

  

  