New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-07-14

10 swallow as thai may seem, nave 0ther ana re-
liable sssu, snce that, when the Missoarisns' camp
on the Express Road was swept BY hurricane
FIVE or six weeks ago 80 that after the wreck, but
three decent wagons could be patched up %. of
their six, as have already nsrrated, one Of the
wbeel-tires was found no; only blown of but nearly
Strengthened ou.i There is almost always good
breeze At midday and after, on the Plains, but,
should none be felt through the day. one is almost
certain 10 sprng up at ,unset, and blow hercely
through The plight Thus, though hot days or
parts Of days, are frequent on the Plains, have
experienced not even moderately warm night.
And thus trees ale not; mainly because the winds
uproot or dismember them, or so rock and wrench
them while young that their roots cannot suck up
even the little nourshme Mt that this soil Of baking
clay resting on porous sand would fam afford them.
Thus the few shoot. that clease the snrace of the
earth soon wiiber and die, and the broad land
scspe remains treeess, chs erless and forbidding
But the dearth of Water and Wood on the Plaius
is psralleled by the poverty of shubeery and
heIbaqe ! have not seen Stra@ berry-leai far
from NE be the presumption OF looking for berry!
since left the Missouri three weeks ago; and
the last Blackberry brawble / observed grew on
Chopman's Creek--st all events, the other eide OF
the Buffalo range. 4 Raspberry cane has NOT
blessed my sight these three weary weeks, nor
aught ese that might be h,ped to bear an old fash
toned fruit save the far-of Blackberries aforesaid
and two or three doubtful grape-yinAs on some
creek great way back. The Prickly Pear, very
rare and very green, is the only semblaDce OF fuIt
/ discovered on the Plains; a dwarfsh Cactus,
with its leaves cl,se TO the ground, the Spanish
Nettle-a sort of vegetable Porcupine-a profusion
Of Wild Sage Wild Norwood, and other such
plants worthless alike to man and beast, relieved
by some welLgnawed grass in the richer valleys of
Winter watercourses Che fora usually very
scsnty and always coarse and pOOr)-such are my
recollectons of the 800 miles or so that separate
the present Buffalo range from the creeks that
carry SHOWN alter TO the Platte and the Pines that
herald our approach to
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
And now all changes, but slowly gradually. The
Cactus, the Spanish Nettle, the Prickly Pear con-
tinue, even Into and upon the Mountains, but the
Pinea though tuDted and at first scattered, give va
riety soflness and beauty to the landscape, which
becomes more rolling, with deeper and more fire.
quent valleys, and water in nearly all Of them; the
cotton~ GODS along the streams no longer skulk be-
hind bufs or hide in casual hollo@s; you may
build an honest campfire without fear of robblng
an embryo county of its last stick OF wood, aud
water your mules generously without drying
up some long, pretentious riyer and condemnlng
those who come after you to weary, thirsty marches
through night aud day. The Cottonwoods as you
near the wind-quelling range Of protecting Nights
which rise, rank above rank to the westward,
the more distant still white-robed with
snow, grow large and statcly-sOme of them
sixty to seventy feet high, and at least
three feet in diameter the unwOoded soil ceases to
be desert and becomes prairie on awaye, but still in
the main sandy, tbinly grassed region, which can
net compare with the prarles of Illinois, OF Iowa,
or Eastern Kansas. There seems to be as rich and
deep soil in some Of the creek bottoms especially
those of the South Platte Us almost anywhere;
and yet fear the husbandman is doomed to find
even this belt of erased and moderately rolling
land, which stretches along the foot OF the Noun
tans 10 width of perhaps twenty miles, less tract
able and productive than fertile. 1t lies at such
an Collaboration ), 900 to 5000 feet above the
ocean level,bat though its Winters are said to be
moderate, its Springs cannot be early. There
was a fall of foot of snow in this region on
the 2Gih of May when ice formed to quar-
ter.pch thickness on the Plains; and when Summer
suddenly sets in about the 1st of June, there are
hot suns BY day and COOL strong winds by night
with surieit Of petty thuDder.squalls, but little or
no rain. The gentle rain of last Thursday in the
Mountains fell, for short time, in sheets just at
their feet-ssy for breadth offiye mies-and there
ceased Hardly drop fell within five miles west
or for any distsnce cas-. of this place, though the
earth was soaked ten miles west Of this. Hence
the enterprising few who have commenced farms
and gardens near this point tell me that their crops
have made no progress for week or two, and
can make none ill they have rain. i trust
Wheat ard Rye will do well here whenever they
shall be allowed fair chance; Barley aud Oats
if sowed very early on deepIy-plOwed land, may do
toerably; but Corn, though IT comes up we'll and
looks rank, at present, viii hardly ripen before
frost even should il escape paralysis by drouth;
while Potatoes, Peas and most Vegetables, will
probably require irrigation or yield but sparingly
Yet. should the Gold Mines Justify their present
PROMISE farming, in the right localities at the base
of these Mountains even by the help of irrigation
will Weld. TO those who bring to it the requisite
sagaciiy, knowledge and capital, richer rewards
than elsewhere on esrtk Every thing that can be
grown here viii command treble or quadruple
prices for years; and he who produces nythiDg