Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-06-02
DEATH VALLEY CACTI
THE PLANTS THAT GLOOM IN THE
SUN SCORcHgD DESERT.


Deadly Sand Flats.
Not half the plants Of Death valley
are known to scientists; most of those
that are known are little more than
names and will never be more until
The prying arm of the railroad shall
have laid bare some OF the secrets of
this vale of IIiuom.
Most beautiful and most plenty on
the desert arc the cacti, and the rapid.
ity with which their dry and apparent
~ witllcred stalks put out blossoms
under the touch Of the rains is wonder
rGl.
The largest and showicst blossom OF
them all grows on Il short, stock stem
which during the summer does not
seem to have life enough TO produce
tile magnificent wnNy flowers. which
are often as much as ike inches across.
y cactus much larger than thistle
barrel cactus has Il very small and in
significant bloom. while the tinicst OF
all, low. creeping, round stcmmcd.
iointcd growth, has an immense pink
flower. beautiful as any orchid ana
rivaliiS the faircSt rose of Persia In It's
odor
Unfortunately the names of these
care species are not well known, and
the commoncr varieties, which arc also
found ON the coast slope. bear no such
gorgeous array of blossoms. Old
friends greet The traveller on the rim
of Death valley too. There Is the
cholla pronounced choynh. which,
while large AMI many branchcd. pro
dnccs few or no flowers, reproducing
itself by slipping" as our grand
mothers were wont To say Of their
choice grraniums. Wherever an I'M
usually long branch falls to the ground
! ii seems almost To work lis way into
the earth. 50 soon 10 The shifting sands
cover II. Then Il process nf roofing
takes place. 50 that soon an entirely
separate plant comes up Il few feet
| from the parent. SO ii is that great
| beds Of cacti are formed throughout
| the desert
| One noticeable Thing about all the
| plants In and around Death valley is
! that they grow low Ia the ground, for
| no living thing can stand against tho
| slmooms that sweep this level floor for
2UD miles on over into The Nevada tlcs-
crt. These low growers protect them
selves from the drifting sand in Il won
dcrIully ingenious manner. When the
plant first breaks from the ground it
| comes III, not In one stem. as do the
taller ca,ti. but In many tiny, branch
! Ing stalks. So that what solid earth and
| rocks there are among the sand clouds
| fall between these stalks and form q
sort of opcnwork hnrricadc. Against
| this the sand drifts. hut does not
| choke ont The life OF the plant. The
winds of the desert always blow from
| the same direction, so that the bnrI-
| cnde is always available. whether It
| he Il rain, wind or sand storm flat Is
| blowing.
Another beautiful bloomer of this far
| desert raises II foot long shaft, four
J In the world On IL nrc clustered
great wnxcn blooms two or three
inches across. pcrfuncd with all the
! sweet scents ri Cyprus and the Ind
and ranging from palcst golden white
10 deepest purple.
| From right to left of the narrow val
Icy, more than 400 feet below the level
OF the sea. 30 miles away these beds
Of cacti stretch. In winter and spring,
When they are all ahloom with fame.
! they seem like some great cloth of gold
F, to the traveller pallsing on the rim of
the Funeral range or dippin. down
with his bnrros through Windy gap.
These beds are sometimes large. Gov
cring acres in dense patches. III other
places they are small and stlntcd. 50
that the traveller meets with scattered
| clnmps of the thorny shrubs miles be
fore lie comes upon traces OF the dead
| alkaline lakes that mark the edge of
the valley.
Other plants than cacti are scarce in
Death valley, but two species of mes
quite grow from one end of the valley
to the other. both blooming profuscly
and adding their quota of odor to the
air. When they seed. the beans are
gathered by the piutcs and ground up
for flour.
All in all, there are doubtless hun.
dretls of acres of cacti In this one part
Of the California desert, and its beauty
when in bloom Is something indcscrib.
able, especially when seen i'm The midst
Of mile oil mile of barren sand tlats.--
San Francisco Chronicle
| -------------
| The Speaking Voice.
III 80