The record-union., 1897-06-24

nature had taken pains to gather her
choicest treasures to draw her lovers
into close, confiding communion with
her.
Here. TOO. in the middle region of the
range where the canyons are deepest
ara the erandest trees-the SeQuoia gi-
gantea. king of conifers, the noblest OF
a noble race; the majestic sugar anu
yellow pines, Douglas spruce, npoce-
drus and silver frs, each giant Oh It's
kind. assembled together IN one anu
the same forest, surprising all otner
coniferous forests in the world, ooth
in number of species and in the beauty
and size of its trees. The winds HOW
in melody through their colossal spires,
and they are everywhere made yet
more charmingly vocal with the songs
of birds and falling water. fragrant
ceanothus and manzanita bushes of
many species bloom beneath them, anu
lily gardens and meadows ana damp
fernv glens. compelling the admiration
Of every observer. Sweeping on over
ridge and valley in glorious eXuper-
ance. these noble trees extend, a con-
tinuous belt, from end to end OF the
range, interrupted only by the sheer
walled canyons at intervals OF ABOUT
fifteen and twenty miles. Here the
great. burly, brown grizzly bears de-
light to roam, harmonizing with the
brown barked trees beneath Whlch
they feed. Deer also dwell here, and
find food and shelter in the ceanothus
tangles with a multitude of smaller
people. -Above this region of forest
giants the trees grow smaller, untll the
utmost limit of the timber line is
reached at a hight of from lO,OOO to
1900 feet above the sea, where the
dwarf pine is so lowly and hard press
ed by wind and snow that you may
easily walk over the top of its heath
like tangles, as if walking over a
brushy meadow Below the main for
est belt the trees likewise diminish in
size. frost and burning drought re-
pressing and blasting alike
,[The rose purple zone along the base
Jof the range comprehends nearly all
the famous gold fields. Here it was
that miners from nearly every country
under the sun came in wild excitement
to seek their fortunes. On the banks
of every river. gulch and ravine they
have left their marks. Every gravel
and bowlder has been desperately rid
died and sifted over and over again.
Since civilization began, no more vio-
lent storm of human energy ever fell
on mountains With stout faith they
drew rivers out of their channels onto
the tops of the ridges or along their
sides, and made them work in the
mines like slaves; and thus they re-
moved hills about as big as mountains
and cast them into the sea. But the
pick and shovel, once welded with
savage enthusiasm, have been mostly
laid aside, and only quartz mining is
now being carried on to any consider
able extent
The gold zone is a region of tawny
foothills, roughened here and there
with hardy bushes and oaks and out
cropping masses of lichen-colored states.
In early spring, from February to
April, it is a paradise of bees and bios
SONS. Refreshing rains then fall freely,
the birds are busy about their nests,
and the sunshine is balmy and delight
full: but before the end of May all the
landscape seems as if it had been
baked in an oven, most of the herba-
ceous vegetation crumbles to dust be-
meath the foot, and the small stream
channels are dry; the ground is cover
ed with network of cracks, while the
snowy submits looming along the east
ern horizon look hazy and, tremulous
through the burning glars/
Every winter the high Sierra and the
middle forest region get snow in abun-
dance, and even the foothills and the