16 LIFE ZONES AND CROP ZONES. 



by growing particular crops at points remote from the usual sources 

 of supply, and at the same time conveniently near a market, the cost 

 of transportation is greatly reduced and the profit correspondingly 

 increased. 



Among the numerous f aunal arms which jienetrate adjacent belts are 

 the Hudson, central New York, and Michigan extensions of the Caro- 

 linian fauna, and the arms of the Lower Sonoran fauna which occuj)y 

 the valleys of the Pecos and Rio Grande in New Mexico and the val- 

 ley of the Lower Virgin in Utah. The latter is a good case for illus- 

 tration. It is not only the sole Lower Sonoran area in Utah, but lies 

 nearly 300 miles in a straight line, and a little more than 1,000 miles 

 by railroad, from tlie nearest point where similar croi)s and fruits are 

 commercially produced. It is an insular pocket or basin, completely 

 hemmed in by mountains, and marks the extreme northeastern exten- 

 sion of tlie typical Sonoran desert fauna and flora. The creosote 

 bush, inesquite, desert willow, Gregg acacia, and other Sonoran 

 shrubs, and the Gambel quail, Le Conte and crissal thrashers, mock- 

 ing bird, cactus wren, yellow-lieaded tit, Abert chewink, black phaino- 

 pepla, vermilion flycatcher, and Texas nighthawk serve as a guide 

 to its faunal position. The valley is traversed by the Virgin River 

 and its tributary, the Santa Clara, whicli, together with copious 

 springs, afford water for irrigation. It contains the Mormon settle- 

 ments St. George, Santa Clara, Toquerville, and a few others of 

 smaHei- size, with an aggregate population of about 3,000. Among 

 tlie imi)ortant products are cotton, tobacco, laisin grapes, almonds, 

 olives, and ligs; and among tlie oi-namental shade trees are the pep- 

 per tree, tobacco tree, and China tree or Piide of India. The fertility 

 of the soil is mai-ked and the limit of its agricultural capacity, meas- 

 ured either by number of vai-ieties or quantity of output, is still far 

 in the future. Nevertheless, present ijroduction greatly exceeds the 

 possibilities of local consumption, as shown liy the cotton crop, wliich, 

 for the year 1890-07, was no less than 123 bales of 500 pounds each, 

 and was wortli $4,305. * A feature of special interest in relation to 

 the future possibilities of the valley is tlie fact that the yield of cot- 

 ton per acre is very much higher than in any other State of the Union, 

 and more than double that of the Gulf States. What is true of cot- 

 ton is true in greater or less degree of fruits and other crops. There 

 can be little question, tlierefore, that wlien railroad connection with 

 northern Utah is established, the St. George Valley is bound to play 

 an important jiart in the history and commercial jirosperity of the 

 3^oung State. 



The case of this remote valley brings into prominence the necessity 

 for studying a much neglected subject, and one on which profitable 



'Statistics from John Hyde, Statistician, Dept. of Agric, in Circ. 8, Div. of 

 Statistics. 



