Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1903-07-12
VALLEY 8TREWN
WITH SKELETONS.

WITH SKELETONS.
On June 18th one million acres of
land stretching from the Mohave Des-
ert to the Colorado river were thrown
open to entry for home seekers by
the United States government. The
land may be taken up either under the
Desert Land Act or as homesteads in
one hundred and sixty acre tracts.
The San Francisco Argonaut says of
this land:
We wish to warn all intending set
tiers to let this land alone. There is
a good deal of talk about making the
desert blossom as the rose Some des-
erts blossom. but not this one. Nobody
will ever do more for this desert than
Mother Nature has done. The only
blooming that Nature has brought
about there is that freckeled bosom
blossom with large alkali pustules or
pimples, punctuated with sage brush
and cactus. This sums up the flora Of
the new promised land. The fauna in
cludes jack rabbits, horn-tOads, liz
ards, ella monsters and numerous
snakes. The soil is coarse sand and
gravel, and on top of coarse gravel
there is fine alkali powder which,
when the wind blows-and the wind
blows often-sweeps over the scorch-
ed and barren land like the dreaded
sand storms of the Sahara, which by
the way, they mucn resemble. Even
far to the southwest, across the lofty
mountain ranges, these desert sand
storms sometimes sweep, reaching the
mia in the midst of their orange groves.
Even this distant touch of the desert
winds causes trees to wither, grass to
scroch and men and animals to suffer
keenly' Over this dreadful desert the
sun moves like ball of fire across
a sky of brass. Rarely does cloud
break the intensity CT it's pitiless rays
Those credulous persons who may
believe that this is the kind of desert
which, by irrigation, may be turned
into a garden, are doomed to disap
pointment. There is no water on this
desert strip. The waters of the Colo
RADIO may be led on the lands of the
Yuma desert but that is far lower iI
level than are these. Much of this Mo
have strip is at an elevation of two
or three thousand feet. AS for artesiar
water. the writer knows of one vel
which was bored for nearly two thou
sand feet, ending in igneous rock, ant
producing nothing but profanity.
The last hope for the settler on thi
barren land would he the discovery o
the precious metals. They may exis
there. We do not say they can't b.
found. But we know that the land ha
been prospected by experienced min
ers for half a century. If tenderfoo
can find a gold mine where an oil
California Tor Nevada) miner fail
he is a smart tenderfoot. But W
doubt his success.
We warn all Eastern people not t
be deluded by false even if well NEAR
ing representations concerning thi
strip of land between Mohave and tn
Colorado river It is strewn with tn
skeletons of prospectors and the bone
INSTRUMENTATION
In Russia sunflower stalks gathere
from the fields and dried in piles hav
entirely replaced fire wood. In fac
these stalks are preferred even to pin
wood, producing a quick and hot fam
fire. About 1000 pounds of such fir
wood gathered from an acre of Ian
thus adding a great boon to a distri
where wood is scarce. Sunflower shell
are also used for heating purposes n
only in private houses, but in large f,
tories as well. They are burned in O
ems especially prepared for their co
sumption.
Can See Sacramento.
An old fisherman at TahOeknOwn
Boyle, made the interesting disc<
cry recently that from the peak il