New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-09


mountain misses at the back of the Great Plains the
rivers swell like the Nile, and yield a copious evapora
ton in their long sinuous the Plains:
storm clouds gather on the submits, roll down the
mountain tanks, and discharge themselves in verna
showers. During this temporary prevalence of moist
atmosphere these delicate grasses grow Feed in the
root and cured INTO hay upon tie ground by the
gradually returning drouth. II is in this longitudinal
belt of perennial pasture upon which the buffalo finds
his canter food dwelling upon il without regard la
itude and here the infinite herds of aboriginal cat
tie peculiar 10 North America-bufalo, wild horses
elk antelope, white and black-taied deer, mountain
sheep the gisly bear wolves, the hare, badger porCu
pine and elnaller animals innumerabe. The aggre-
gate number of this cattle by calculation from sound
data, exceeds one hundred million. No annual fires
sweep over the Great flains these are confined
90 the Praliie region.
The Great Plains also swarm with poultry-the
turkey the mountain cock, the prairie cock the sand
hin crane, the curlcw; waterfowl OF every variety
tie swan, goose brant, ducks marmots the armadillo
the peCary, reptiles the horned frog; birds of prey
eages vuures the raven and the small birds of game
and song. The streams abound in fish Dogs and dem-
wolves abound. The immense population of nomadic
Indians, lately million IN number, have, from lmlne-
mortal antiquity, subsised exclusively upon these abo
rgna herds, being unacquanted with any kind OF agri
culture the habual of vegetable food fruits.
From this source the Indian draws exclusively his
food, bis lodge his fuel harness. clothing bed, his
naments, weapons, and utensils Here is his sole de-
pendence from the beginning TO the end of his exist
ence. The innumeralle carivorous animals also sub
SIT upon Them The buffalo alone have appeared TO
me al numerous the American people and to inhabit
az uniformly as large space Of country. The bufiao
robe at once suggests his adaptabty to winter eli
mate.
The Great Plains embrace very ample proportion
of arabic SOFT for FARMS The "bOttoms of the rivers
are very broad and level having only few inches OF
elevation above the waters, which descend by rapid
and even current. They may be easily and cheaply
saturated by all the various systems of artificial irga
ton, azequits, artesan Wells or flooding by ma
einery Under this treatment the coils being alluval
and cacareous both from the suphaie and carbonate
formations return prodgous yield, and independ
ent Of the seasons. Every variety of grain, grass,
vegetable the grape and fruits, iax hemp, cotton aud
the fora under perpetual sun, and irrigated at the
root attain extraordinary yigor, flavor, and beauty
The Great Plains abound in fuel and the materials
for dwellings and fencing Bltumnous coal Is every
where nterrratied with the cacareous and sandstone
formaiiou it is also abundant in the TANKS of the
mountains and is everywhere conveniently accessible
The dung of the buffalo il scattered everywhere. The
order of vegetable growth being reversed the ardty
Of the atmosphere, what show above as the merest
bushes, radatc themselves deep into the Garth and
form below an immense arborescent growth. Fuel Of
wood il found by digging. Plaster and lime limestone
ircestone cay and sand exist beneath almost every
acre. The large and economical adobe brick hardened
in tho sun and without fire, supcrsedes other materials
for walls and fences in this dry atmosphere and, in