50 S.MITIISOXIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 70 



Two sections were made from the coast across the western range 

 of the Andes to the interior Andean A'alley ; one in the south from 

 Santa Rosa to Loja and the other near the center of the countr\- from 

 Guayaquil to Riobamba. A longitudinal section was made down 

 the Andean X'alley from San Antonio to Loja. This last section 

 was over the route followed by Alexander von Humboldt at the 

 beginning- of the eighteenth century. Many of the plants collected 

 by him on this memorable journey were recollected. 



Figures 45 to 56 show the nature of the country, some unusual 

 types of vegetation, the class of Ijuildings, market scenes, and native 

 inhal)itants. 



BOTANICAL FIELD-WORK IN THE SOLTHWESTERN 

 UNITED STATES 



During- the month of August, 1918, ?\lr. A. S. Hitchcock, syste- 

 matic agrostologist of the Department of Agriculture ami custodian 

 of the section of grasses of the Division of Llants in the V. S. 

 National Museum, visited Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colo- 

 rado for the ])urpose of studying- the grasses. In Arkansas, Okla- 

 homa, and eastern Texas the season was unusually dry and hot. As 

 the grasses were in an unfavorable condition for study little time was 

 spent in these states. Collections were made at Fayetteville and 

 Line Lluff in Arkansas, Stillwater in ( )klahoma, and l-'ort Worth 

 in northeastern Texas. At Amarillo in northwestern Texas the 

 season was n-iore favorable and the grasses were in good condition 

 for study. 



xAmarillo is situated in the midst of a plain and the flora is charac- 

 teristic of much of the Great Llains region of the western parts of 

 Texas and Kansas, and of the eastern parts of New Alexico and 

 Colorado. Cirasses form the dominant vegetation, and the collection 

 here represented 30 species. Lufifalo grass (Biilbilis dacfyloidcs) 

 forms patches of sod, but most of the species are bunch grasses and 

 do not form a continuous covering to the soil, llie n-iost common are 

 the grama grasses (Boiifcloua Jiirsiita and B. s^racilis) and the needle 

 grasses (Aristida longiscta. .1. purpurea, and A. ■wri'^htii) . An 

 interesting species {Eragrostis barrcJicri) was found here in sniall 

 quantity, evidently being a newcomer. The si)ecies is a native of 

 southern Europe and appeared a few }ears ago in southern Texas, 

 the first collection being made in 1894 by A. A. Heller at Kerrville. 

 In i8()7 J. (i. Sniith collected it at the same ]ilace and also at Llano. 



