THE CLIMATE. OF COLORADO AND ITS EFFECT ON 



TREES. 



By George IT. Parsons. Colorado Springs, Colo. 



A tliscussion of climatic effects upon trees in Colorado must neces- 

 sarily, from the lack of exact records, be rather general in its nature. 

 It is to be regretted tliat no experimental plantations of trees have been 

 made iu various parts of the State, where the behavior of different 

 species, under the peculiar conditions of this climate, could be regularly 

 observed and noted. Sucli a systematic record, showing in a concise 

 form the history of each tree, would be of much more benefit than the 

 general and irregular observations of any number of planters, provided, 

 always, that the observer is thoroughly trained in the work he has to 

 do, otherwise his records will be worse than useless, like many of the 

 tables of meteorological phenomena, laboriously constructed after the 

 most approved scientific methods, which are now thrown aside as 

 fallacious. 



In the absence of these experimental stations and skilled observers, 

 the province of science may be to examine and record such irregular ob- 

 servations as may be found. This is what 1 i^ropose to do, confining 

 myself to the results of my own general observations, and that of others, 

 regarding trees. 



A detailed description of the whole climate of so large a State as 

 Colorado, and one of so great variation of surface, will be impossible 

 in the limits of this paper. The discussion will therefore be more par- 

 ticularly confined to the best-known and more densely peopled portion 

 lying where plain and mountain meet around the cities of Denver, 

 Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. Indeed, only in this region have climatic 

 observations been taken and recorded for a period long enough to give 

 any reliable data of the average conditions 5 and only here have trees 

 been planted to an extent sufficient to enable the observer to learn 

 some of the effects of the climate upon them. 



Still, a study of the climate of this region will be, to a certain extent 

 that of the whole State, for the difference between this and any other 



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