The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-09-14

T.
Tsxas Lsesr = u New York Idbsss.
The surface Of The land along Ne wes.
tern shore Of the Laguins xadre, and for
eighty or one hundred miles back, b level,
and not more than ten or twelve feet above
low.tide mark. There srs some slight uu.
dulations, but these are caused by The shift.
ing sands These shifting sands are one of
the great features Of the country. They
extend for . distance Of fifty or sixty miles
north and south along the coast. and fifty
or more back into the country. The sand 10
very fine, and during the prevalencs of
strong winds II 10 blown about furiously
and promiscuously. In some places It 10
only two or three inches deep, and here the
the grass grows we'll, even rsnkly, and
makes fine pasturagc. Immediately uudes.
meath the sand there Il . deep. black joamy
soil, which 10 very rich, and which yields
good crops Of corn, vegetables, etc.
There are ridges and mounds, Or banks, Of
sand scattered al over the country, of vsri-
Gus sizes, lengths heights, and sges. The
sand Is driven before the wind until It meets
some obstacle, when the Sand falls to the
ground, thus beginning . deposit. There
are ridges Of ssnd two Or three miles long,
and from i've TO twenty-five feet high, that
have apparently been undisturbed for many
yesrs. The grass b beginning 70 grow over
them. and young live oak trees to spring up.
In fact, on some ridges there are live oak
trees apparently hundred years old. The
course of these ridges Il east and west, 1t
right angles to the direction Of tho winds
and the coast. The larger ones do not OK.
coed in width At the base more than two
hundred feet On each side the rich, black
coil IL generally clear Of sand. In some of
these formations are Embedded large live oak
trees, with only their top limbs out, while
In other places the trees have formerly been
In the sand; but from some cause, after re.
manning in that condition for long time,
perhsps two hundred years, the winds have
blown away the sand, and thus left the roOts
that had grown Uut from the Indy Ut the
tree naked and exposed. noticed one tree,
on the road fro,n Brownsville to Corpus
Christi, that had grown on the top Of sand
ridge when the ridge was about ten feet
high; after the trcc Was Of some size the ridge
seems to have increased six feet more In
altitude, and remained % for many years
Say one hundred, judging BY the size Of
the trees that have grown on It aimee 10
second elevation. Then the wind made
break through the ridge 1t this particular
place and st,on denuded the tree, trunk and
roots, and it now stu nds supported by the
bare roots, 50 that man can walk under
the main body Of the tree by passing Be.
tween these uncovered pillars. There are
many banks Of sand that ore yet moving,
and new ones forming, which move across
the country slowly westward. The new
formations are entirely bare of vegetation,
and in strong wind presents the appear.
ance Of drifting snow, with the difference
that they are warner than . suowdrft.
Stock ranches have to be frequently remov-
ed on account of the ssnd. The horses
and cnttje IN the mails break the light
turf and loosen the soil 20 that the wind
takes up the sand and carries II 70 the fence
where It Il lodged, and In . few yeass the
Sand ID piled mp over the fence, 20 that
stock walk in and out over the top Of .
fence ten or twelve feet high. A the fence
rots, the sand 10 blown away, TIL Il meets
another resistance, perhaps smat Of live osk
trers, which, In their turn, are buried alive.