﻿2S 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLdGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  found 
  a 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  valley, 
  mesa, 
  hill, 
  and 
  low 
  mountain 
  lands. 
  * 
  » 
  * 
  UsuaUy 
  

   "they 
  bear 
  a 
  scanty 
  growth 
  of 
  grasses. 
  These 
  grasses 
  are 
  nutritious 
  and 
  valuable 
  both 
  

   for 
  summer 
  and 
  winter 
  pasturage. 
  Their 
  value 
  depends 
  upon 
  peculiar 
  climatic 
  con- 
  

   ditions; 
  the 
  grasses 
  grow 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  in 
  scattered 
  bunches, 
  and 
  mature 
  seeds 
  

   in 
  larger 
  proportion 
  jjerhaps 
  than 
  the 
  grasses 
  of 
  more 
  humid 
  regions. 
  In 
  general 
  the 
  

   w^inter 
  aridity 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  the 
  grasses 
  when 
  touched 
  by 
  the 
  frosts 
  are 
  not 
  washed 
  

   ■down 
  by 
  the 
  rains 
  and 
  snows 
  to 
  decay 
  on 
  the 
  moist 
  soil, 
  but 
  stand 
  firmly 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  

   all 
  winter 
  long 
  and 
  ''cure," 
  forming 
  a 
  quasi 
  uncut 
  hay. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  In 
  a 
  broad 
  way, 
  

   the 
  greater 
  or 
  lesser 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  grasses 
  is 
  dependent 
  on 
  latitude 
  and 
  altitude 
  ; 
  

   the 
  higher 
  the 
  latitude 
  the 
  better 
  the 
  grasses, 
  and 
  they 
  improve 
  as 
  the 
  altitude 
  in- 
  

   creases. 
  In 
  the 
  very 
  low 
  altitudes 
  and 
  latitudes 
  the 
  grasses 
  are 
  so 
  scant 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   no 
  value; 
  here 
  the 
  true 
  deserts 
  are 
  found. 
  These 
  conditions 
  obtain 
  in 
  Southern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia, 
  Southern 
  Nevada, 
  Southern 
  Arizona, 
  and 
  Southern 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  where 
  broad 
  

   reaches 
  of 
  land 
  are 
  naked 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  but 
  in 
  ascending 
  to 
  the 
  higher 
  lands 
  the 
  

   grass 
  steadily 
  improves. 
  Northward 
  the 
  deserts 
  soon 
  disappear, 
  and 
  the 
  grass 
  be- 
  

   •comes 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  luxuriant 
  to 
  our 
  northern 
  boundary. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  desert 
  

   lands 
  mentioned, 
  other 
  large 
  deductions 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  pasture 
  

   lands. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  districts 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  "country 
  rock 
  "is 
  composed 
  of 
  incoher- 
  

   ent 
  sands 
  and 
  clays; 
  sometimes 
  sediments 
  of 
  ancient 
  Tertiary 
  lakes; 
  elsewhere 
  sedi- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  more 
  ancient 
  Cretaceous 
  seas. 
  In 
  these 
  districts 
  perennial 
  or 
  intermittent 
  

   streams 
  have 
  carved 
  deep 
  waterways, 
  and 
  the 
  steep 
  hills 
  are 
  ever 
  washed 
  naked 
  by 
  

   fierce 
  but 
  infrequent 
  storms, 
  as 
  the 
  incoherent 
  rocks 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  

   beating 
  of 
  the 
  rain. 
  These 
  districts 
  are 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  mauvaises 
  terres, 
  or 
  bad 
  lands 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Region. 
  In 
  other 
  areas 
  the 
  streams 
  have 
  carved 
  labyrinths 
  of 
  

   •deep 
  gorges 
  and 
  the 
  waters 
  flow 
  at 
  great 
  depths 
  below 
  the 
  general 
  surface. 
  The 
  lands 
  

   between 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  beset 
  with 
  towering 
  cliffs, 
  and 
  the 
  landscape 
  is 
  an 
  expanse 
  

   of 
  naked 
  rock. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  alcove 
  lands 
  and 
  canon 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  

   Region. 
  Still 
  other 
  districts 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  theater 
  of 
  late 
  volcanic 
  activity, 
  and 
  broad 
  

   sheets 
  of 
  naked 
  lava 
  are 
  found; 
  cinder 
  cones 
  are 
  frequent, 
  and 
  scoria 
  and 
  ashes 
  are 
  

   scattered 
  over 
  the 
  land. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  lava 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Region. 
  In 
  

   yet 
  other 
  districts 
  low 
  broken 
  mountains 
  are 
  found 
  with 
  rugged 
  spurs 
  and 
  cragged 
  

   crests. 
  Grasses 
  and 
  chaparral 
  grow 
  among 
  the 
  rocks, 
  but 
  such 
  mountains 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  

   value 
  for 
  pasturage 
  purposes. 
  

  

  After 
  making 
  all 
  the 
  deductions, 
  there 
  yet 
  remain 
  vast 
  areas 
  of 
  valuable 
  pasturage 
  

   lands 
  bearing 
  nutritious 
  but 
  scanty 
  grass. 
  The 
  lands 
  along 
  the 
  creeks 
  and 
  rivers 
  

   have 
  been 
  relegated 
  to 
  that 
  class 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  irrigable, 
  hence 
  the 
  

   lands 
  under 
  consideration 
  are 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  permanent 
  streams. 
  No 
  rivers 
  sweep 
  

   over 
  them, 
  and 
  no 
  creeks 
  meander 
  among 
  their 
  hills, 
  the 
  only 
  water 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  

   these 
  lands 
  being 
  scattered 
  and 
  isolated 
  springs 
  and 
  the 
  little 
  brooks 
  which 
  they 
  

   feed. 
  These, 
  however, 
  never 
  join 
  the 
  great 
  rivers 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  being 
  able 
  

   to 
  run 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  from 
  their 
  fountains, 
  when 
  they 
  spread 
  among 
  the 
  sands 
  

   to 
  be 
  re-evaporated. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  Arid 
  Region 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  j)ortion 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  irrigable. 
  These 
  ir- 
  

   rigable 
  tracts 
  are 
  low 
  lands 
  lying 
  along 
  the 
  streams. 
  On 
  the 
  mountains 
  and 
  high 
  

   plateaus 
  forests 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  elevations 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  summer 
  frosts 
  forbid 
  the 
  culti- 
  

   vation 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  These 
  lands 
  comprise 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  Arid 
  Eegion 
  un- 
  

   der 
  the 
  present 
  resources 
  for 
  obtaining 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  requisite 
  

   for 
  remunerative 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  Throughoutthis 
  Arid 
  Region 
  timber 
  of 
  value 
  is 
  found 
  growing 
  sponta- 
  

   neously 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  plateaus 
  and 
  mountains. 
  These 
  timber 
  regions 
  

   are 
  bounded 
  above 
  and 
  below 
  bylines 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  irregular, 
  due 
  to 
  

   local 
  conditions. 
  Above 
  the 
  upper 
  line 
  no 
  timber 
  grows 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   rigor 
  of 
  the 
  climate, 
  and 
  below 
  no 
  timber 
  grows 
  because 
  of 
  aridity. 
  

  

  