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Show 136 this stream is due not only to the gravelly character of the river- bed, but also, and much more, to the diminished water- supply from the mountains- a fact attributable partly to the disappearance of extensive forests once upon them, and partly to a diminished precipitation upon the mountain and lowering of the level of the whole region as above explained. Once during the last century the Rio Grande, near £ 1 Paso, behaved similarly after being dry a number of years ; it disappeared above the town, and reappeared a number of miles below. Alexander von Humboldt hearing of this phenomenon, erroneously ascribed it to newly- formed subterrauean cavities. I may here notice another phenomenon characteristic of a dry climate. In exposed places where the soil is loose sand, it is gradually carried away, a fact nicely illustrated in the case of trees, whose roots are sometimes exposed to a depth of several feet, the trees appearing to stand on three or more legs. I observed them thus in the valley of the Rio Grande, near Algodones, and in the valley of the Chama, near the mouth'of the Ojo Caliente Creek. Sand and dust winds are characteristic features of the plains of the southwest. From Santa F6 our way was across the mountains to Las Vegas. Leaving the cation del Santa F6 Creek, near the headwaters of thiB stream, we crossed over barren ridges covered with fragments of rocks, into the canon of Macho Creek, a stream affording no bottom for agricultural pursuits, the canou being too close upon the water- course. Near the junction of this creek with the Pecos River is the small Mexican village £ 1 Macho. The valley of the Pecos is of moderate width and well covered with fields of Indian corn, which is here raised in the highest altitudes in which it can be grown, about 7,000 feet The country thence to Las Vegas is very broken and cafloned, tolerably well timbered, and contains some fine, but limited, grassy valleys. Near the head of the Tecolote Creek, large areas are covered with fallen timber, while the extensive fir- forests to the northward are in splendid condition; here these trees are thickly covered with a lichenous plant, Usnea, while the mosses Hypnum and Kacomi-trium are seen about the springs and rills. The bottom of the Gall inns Creek, running from those mountains to the southwest, is not wide; its available bottom- lands are occupied by Mexicans. About three miles north of Las Vegas this stream emerges from the narrow valley into the wide open plain, taking a southerly course. Considerable farming is done in the vicinity of Las Vegas. Mr. A. Green, an American, who settled here long since, complained of his failure with potatoes, while onions, cabbage, turnips, and melons grew exceedingly well. The cause of this failure he attributed to the " alkali" of the soil. Of how many mischievous things the " alkali" is accused in the West! The taste of gypsiferous water is attributed to the " alkali;" efflorescences, consisting of glauber salts, are called " alkali," and soil too clayey to produce crops is also accused of containing " alkali. 1* I found it difficult to explain, in every instance, that the chief" alkali"- the potash- is the most important element of this soil! The following analysis shows that, while not to be classed as the richest, this soil is of good quality : Mechanical condition: Clay, silt 3T>. 3 Fine sand 52.6 Coarse sand 1* 2.1 Chemical constituents: Potassa 0.161 Soda 0.020^ Lime* 1.80 Magnesia 0.28 Alumina, oxide of iron 1.21 Phosphoric acid 0.03 Sulphuric acid traces. Hygroscopic water 2.37 Chemically- bound water and organio matter .' 5.40 Insoluble in hydrochloric acid 86.60 The potatoes used here are all brought from the Conejos Valley, a distance of nearly two hundred miles. I advised Mr. Green to plant a number of shade- trees in his potato-field to counteract the powerful rays of the sun, and thereby retard the growth of the foliage of the potato- plant, whereby bulbs might be formed on the roots. He promised to make the experiment. Hay sells here from 1} to 2 cents a pound; corn at 2} cents; potatoes at 6 to 6, and flour at 4 cents. Peaches, apples, and grapes are not raised. At times during dry years prices of provisions rise astonishingly. In 1865, flour was $ 20 a sack, of a hundred pounds, and at retail 25 cents a pound; corn $ 8 a fanega; beef 30 cents, and fresh pork 50 cents a pound, while a pound of bacon was held at $ 1. It is to be hoped that as the railroad is now almost to the boundaries of New Mexico these prices will not occur again. * Present ss carbonate. |