Nevada Forests. Coniferous Trees in the Great Basin-The Timber Line. Pine Nut Forest-Pine Nuts as Food-Pine Nut Harvests. (Special Correspondence of the Bulletin.) Eureka, Nev., October 22, 1878.

NEVADA FORESTS. Coniferous Trees fn trie Great Basin- The Timber Xiine. iise Nat Forests-Pine Nats as Food-Pin [SPECIAL COSRESPQNDENCE 0 Eureka, Nev., October 22,1878. When the traveler from California has crossed the Sierra and gone a little way down the eastern flank,the woods come to an end about as suddenly and completely as if, going westward, reached the ocean. From the very noblest he had forests in the world he emerges into free sunshine and dead alkaline lake levels. Mountains are seen beyond rising in bewildering abundance, range beyond range, their summits deep in the thin white sky. But however closely we have been accustomed to associate orests and mountains, these always present asingularly barren aspect, appearing gray and forbidding and shadeless, like heap3 of ashes dumped from the blazing sky. But wheresover we may venture to go in all this good world, nature is ever found richer and more beautiful than she seems, and nowhere may you meet with more varied and delightful surprises than in the byways and recesses of this sublime wilderness—lovely asters and abronias on the dusty plains, rose gardens around the mountain wells, and resiny woods, where all seemed so desolate, adorning the hot foothills as well as the cool summits, fed by cordial and benevolent storms of rain and hail and snow ; ail of these pared with the immeasurable exuberance of California, but still amply sufficient throughout the barest deserts for a clear manifestation of the love-genius of God. MOUNTAIN CHAINS ANI CONIFEROUS TREES. Though Nevada is situated in what is called The Great Basin no less than sixty-five groups and chains of mountains rise within the bounds of the State to a height of about from 8,000 to 13,000 feet above the level of the sea, and as far as 1 have observed, every one of these are planted, to some extent, with coniferous trees, though it is only upon the highest that we find anything that may fairly be called a forest. The lower ranges and the foothills and slopes of the higher are roughened with small scrubby junipers and nut- pines, while the dominating peaks, together with the riciges that swing in grand curves between them, are covered with a closer and more erect growth of pine, spruce and fir, resembling the forests of the Easte size and general botanical characteristics. Here is found what is called the heavy timber, but the tallest and most fully developed sections of the forests, growing down in sheltered hollows on .moist moraines, would be regarded in California only as groves of saplings and so, relatively, they are, for by careful calculation we find that more than a thousand of these trees would be required to furnish as much timber as may be obtained from a siugle specimen of our Sierra giants. THE TIMBER LINE. The height of the timber line in Eastern Nevada, near the middle of the Great Basin, is about 11,000 feet above sea level, consequently the forests, in a dwarfed, storm-beaten condi- i tion, pass over the summits of nearly every range in the St . and there only by mechanical c i\u27 face rocks. Only three mountains in the State have as yet come under my observation whose summits rise distinctly above the tree line. These are Wheelei\u27s Peal ..\u27i Mount Mo rtal), about 12,000 feet, and Granite about the same height, all of which are situated near the boundary line between Nevada and Utah Territory. In a rambling mountaineering journey of 1,800 miles across the State, I have met nine species of coniferous trees—four pines, two spruces, two junipers and one fir—about one- third the number found in California. By far the most abundant and interesting of these is or the nut-pine. In the number of individual trees and extent of range others combined. Nearly every mountain in the State is planted with it from near their bases to a height of from 8.000 to 9,000 feet- above the sea. Some are covered from base to summit by this one species, with only a spaise growth of juniper on the lower slopes to break woods. Tens of thousands of a occur m one continuous belt. Indeed, vie comprehensively, the entire State seems t pretty evenly divided into mountain rai covered with nut-pines, and plains covered with sage—now a swarth of pines stretching from north to south, now a swarth of sage; the one alack- dec che. ecae? ; O ?, severely .love\u27., the other sweeping on complacently over ridge and valley and lofty crowning dome. The real character of a forest of this sort would never be guesEed by the inexperienced observer. Traveling across the sage levels in the dazzling sunlight, you gaze with shaded eyes at * the mount n i dges, per- t haps twenty miles away, but no invitation that j -s;/ :;\u27,: dded \u27. \u27 ~:\u27j. is ai;e::~;:ib:e, Every mountain, however far it swells into the sky, seems utterly barren. Approaching nearer, a low brushy growth is seen, strangely black in aspect, as though it had been burned. This is a nut pine forest, the bountifal orchard of the Bed Man. When you ascend into its midst you find the ground beneath the trees, and in the openings also, nearly naked, and mostly rough on the surface. A succession of -edges of lava, limestones, slate and quartzite, coarsely strewn with soil weathered from them by 3torms and sunshine; here and there a bunch of sage, or linosyris, or a purple t of dry bunch grass\u27. The harshest mountain sides, hot and waterless, seem best adapted to its development. No slope is too steep, none too dry, every situation seems to be gratefully chosen, if only it be sufficiently rocky and firm to afford secure anchorage for the tough, grasping rools. It is a sturdy, thickset little tree, usually about 15 feet high when full grown, and about as broad as high, holding its knotty branches well out in -every direction in stiff zigzags, but tui\u27_ gracefully upward at\u27 the ends in rounded bosses. Though making so dark a maas in the distance the loliage is apale grayish green, m stiff, awl shaped fasicles. When examined closely these round needles seem inclined to be two- leaved, but they arc mostly held firmly together, as if to guard against evaporation. The bark on the older sections is nearly black, so that the boles ard branches are clearly traced against the pieai. tains on which they delight to dwell. The value of this species to Nevada is not easily overestimated. It furnishes fuel, charcoal and timber for the miees, and together with the enduring juniper, so generally associated with it. supplies the ranches with abundance of firewood and fencing. Many a square mile has aire ady been denuded in supplying these demands, but, so great is the area covered by it, no appreciable loss has as vet been sustained. It is pretty generally known that this tree yields edible nuts, but portance and excellence as human food is infinitely greater than is supposed. la fruitful seasons like this one, the pine nut crop of Nevada is, perhap?, greater than the entire wheat crop of California, concerning which so much is said and felt throughout the food markets of the world. The In dims alone appreciate this portion of Nature\u27s bounty, and celebrate the harvest home with dancing and feasting. The cones, whieh are a bi._ green in color and about two inches long by one and a half in diameter, are beaten off with poles just before the scales open ; a heaps of several busheis, and lightly scorched bv burning a thin covering of brushwood over them. The resin with which the cones are bedraggled is thus burned off, the nuts slightly roasted, and the scales made to open. - are allowed to dry in the sun. after - ,-ata are easily thrashed out and are ready to be stored away. They are about half an inch long by a quarter of an inch in diame- a at the upper end, rounded at the - . _ h c-aai in aeaec;\u27 cola-, and handsomely dotted with purple, like bird\u27s eggs. The shells are thin, and may be crushed between the thumb and finger. The kernels are white and waxy looking, becoming brown by roasting, sweet and delicious to every palate, and are eaten by birds, squirrels, dogs, horses and men. ladaea tie ere-; is scaradaat fie deddeae larce; la large quantities for sale ; then the u the State, and oftentimes fed to horses instead of barley. Looking over the who! Nature\u27s bounties seems to me so great as this in the way of food—none so little appreciated. Fortunately for the Indians and wild animals that gather around Nature\u27s board this crop in not easily h - -\u27 -1 ; — \u27-\u27~:— — - If it could b. „ would be carried a Long before the harvest time, willed is d. September and October, the Indians the trees with keen discernment, and, inasmuch es dee ecaee rscd-e two yeare le caaearc d-eae. the first appearance of the little red rosettes ot : a \u27 . . .\u27., axle . the crop may be predicted more than a year in advance. Squirrels, and worms, and Clark crows, make L ninvest. The d-cating-poies; baskets, bags, rags, mats, are gotten together. The squaws out among the settlers at service,, washinggand drudging, assemble at the family huts ; the men leave their ranch work, all, old and young, are mounted on ponies, and set off . e to the nut lands, forming cavalcades curiously pietaresque, flamii and calico skirts stream loosely ovi I ponies, usually two squaws astride of each, with the small baby miggets bandaged in baskets slung on their backs, or balanced upon the saddle bow, while the nut-baskets and water- jars project froai either side, and the long beating poles, like old-fashioned lances, aDgle\u27 out in every direction. Arrived at some central point already fixed upon, d\u27ee.-e Tidier ead Kress is :lcaara, da; seaeaaa with baskets, the men with poles, ascend the ridges to the laden trees, followed by the children ; beating begins with loud noise and chat- :. \u27-.. da layer aafl leed ode .• , aa a . sree.ee end. RaaeLea\u27shee : dee s.aeaae. aae. children gather them with fine natural gladness smoke columns speedily mark the . of their labors as fee roasting fires are kindled , and, at night, assembled in circles as jays, the first grand nut feast bsgins. Sufficient quantities are thu3 obtaised in a fen weeks to last all winter. deer and grouse are killed on the besides immense numbers of rabbits ana hares • but the pine nuts are their main dependence—\u27 their staff of life, their.bread. c «e Insects also, scarce noticed by man come in for their share of this fine bounty. E»tes are finS0* a?d e baby Srubs, happy follows, find themselves in a sweet world of plenty I feeding their way through the heart of the cone from one nut-ehamber to another, secure trom rain and wind and heat, until their lings S!£SK *? acd the? a.re ready to ach out into the free ocean of air and light. I had intended to sketch all the other Nevada conifers in this letter, but now I must closehttps://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/1058/thumbnail.jp