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Show 142 EXPLOHATION OF THE OARONS OF THE COLORADO. I again divided my small party, detachi~g Messrs. Hillers, Fennimore, Dellenbaugh, and Johnson as a boat party, to proceed through the canon, to the mouth of the Paria, while, with the remainder, I returned, by the same route we bad explored, to the foot of Potato Valley, passing over in six days the distance we were fifteen days in making on our journey out. Ilere we found the party sent to Kanab awaiting us with supplies. After spending two days at this point making astronomic observations, we returned to Kanab, establishing several geodetic and topographic stations on our way, and arriving July 8, having been absent forty one days. The boat party arrived at the mouth of the Paria, after a successful trip, on July 11. FORESTS. The low ridges running out from the base of the Vermilion Cliffs are usually covered by a scanty growth of cedars, fit only for fencing and fire wood. About one-fourth of the area of the plateaus above-the Vermilion and the White Cliffs-is covered by a scattered g-rowth of pine and cedar; but neither the quantity, quality, nor accessibility renders it of much value. The ridges spoken of as running out from the foot of the eastern face of the Pauns-a'-gunt Plateau, are usually covered by a scanty growth of low, scrubby cedar~:~; but in the intervening valleys arc groves of pine, from which considerable quantities of lumber might be cut; while on the plateau itself is the finest forest of pine and sp1ucc in Southern Utah. It is easily accessible from the valley of the Sevier River, on the west, and when the country is settled must become quite valuable. The mesas in the basin of the Paria River are mostly covered by cedars and piuon pines. Where the canons of the streams widen into valleys, small groves of cottonwoods are often found, and near the sources of these streams are scattered pitch pines, thickets of birch, and a low, scrubby oak of no value. r-,.r. 'he easter.n end of the Kai-par'-o-wits Plateau , the rid gcs runm· ng d own from rable Cltff Plateau, as well as its summit, and the b ro 1c cn coun t ry around th.e foot of Potato Valley, are covered b.v, a forest of pm· o an d co d ar. No ttmber of any value is found in the Escalante Basin. 'l'be summit of the Aquarius Plateau is crowned by a forest of spruce, that also extends in I. · WATER, ARABLE LAND, GRASS, ETO. 143 dark masses along the foot of the nearly vertical wall that forms the eastern crest of the eastern slope, while aspens and birches fringe its lakes and streams. Farther down, pines stand in open groves, and' give to the whole country a park Hke appearance. These continue tjll near the level of Escalante Basin, where they give way to cedars. Upon the foot-hills of the Henry Mountains is a dense growth of low, scrubby cedars, and in the gulches near their summits are a few groves of aspent pine, and spruce; but gen~rally the timber upon these mountains is in almost inaccessible places. In the calion of the Dirty Devil River, and in other canons draining into the Colorado, are considerable quantities of cottonwood. From the data collected, I estimate that ten per cont. of tho country explored is covered by forests, valuable for lumber, thirty per cent. by forests valuable only for fuel and fencing, and the remainder by grass, sage, groasewood, loose sands, or naked rock. W A.TER, ARABLE LAND, GRASS, ETC. Irrigation is a necessary adjunct to successful cultivation m all the region explored, so the amount of arable land depends solely upon tho amount of water that can be used for that pnrposo. In Johnson's Ca11on springs burst out from the foot of tho cliffs, and form a small stream, that flows a mile or two boforo sinking in the sand, furnishing enough water, during the dry season, to inigate one hundred acres of land. At Skoompa, a small stream, coming down from the Pink Oliff's, furnishes sufficient water to irrigate one hundred and fifty acres, but the altitude is so great that only the moro hardy cereals can be grown. Ov~r all the country between tho Pauns-a'-gunt Plateau and the White Cliffs gross gr ws abundantly, and the many fine springs in the valleys lying betweon tho ridges furnish sufficient water for grazing. In the Paria Basin tho streams are from fifty to three hundred feet below the general level of the country, so no land can be cultivated except where the eanons widen into narrow valleys. At Camp No. 5 tho cafton of the Paria expands into n. valley, half a milo wide and about three miles long Tho river carries here about the sumo volume of water a at its mouth, fifty miles distant. In fact, no permanent stream joins it below this point. Fresh- |
