Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-04-04

the northern part of that country
1t comprises. however, but a compare
lively small part of the great desert
area embracing Lower California and a
large part of Arizona, all of which Is
preserved from submersion beneath
the waters OF the Gulf of California
by the |alluvial deposits OF the delta
of the Colorado river.
The lowest portion of the Salton bat.
sin which itself is the lowest area or
the entire southern desert tract Is PSI
feet below sea level. one of its fea-
lures is a beach line twenty-five feet
above sea level. which shows that ~
was once covered by a lake which
emptied southwark into the Gulf OF
California. The emergenCe of this
territory from submersion, according
to scientists. is Of comparatively re-
cent date. having occurred within a
few thousand years. The Salton des,
ert is new. indeed, but is old enough
to possess a vegetation all its own.
When the Salton basin was Hoadee
by the Colorado river some three
years ago, it seemed probable that
engineers would be able TO turn the
Colorado river permanently back into
its old channels. and the staff at he
desert laboratory looked forward 10
cniovfng the spectacle of the dryins
uD of the 400 square miles of the for
meT desert hen under water. The re-
cent breaking Of the rivers bounds,
however. has again postponed, per,
hans Indefinitely. this interesting phe,
nomenon. Had the dam built To shut
the Colorado river out of the Salton
basin. proved adequate to the task, ac-
cording TO the scientists, the drying
up Of over 400 square miles of water
would have taken place within five
years, owing to the extraordinary
evaporation and seepage in that ter,
ritory.
1t is in this region where there is
but a scant annual rainfall and prac-
tically no noticeable precipitation or
moisture during the long, dry season
of the year hat the strange orphans
of vegetation are found most highly
developed. Here, where only Che har~
diest and rarest forms of vegetation
grow, the number of plants thus
equipped is most abundant. or the
one species of plant having the most
extraordinary equipment for storing
water, Dr.. M~acDougal. in a report to
President Woodward of the Carnegie
institution, shows that the camel. so
long famed as the ship of the des'
has been outdone by the fber-
villae Sonorae, ana may no longer be
considered pre-eminent for its powers
of enduring aridity.
'lhe IberVillae SonOrac,' says DR..
M~acDOugal, develops a storage or
gan at the base of the stem. the size
Of a squash, which is furnished with
a heavy outer covering highly resist
ent to evaporation. During the dry
season these structures lie ON the sur
face of the hot sands unaffected
with the beginning Of the rainy sea
roots are quickly formed, shoots
sent up, and fruit and seed quickly
maturcd, when the thin stems die
away. and the plant goes into a rest~
condition for another year. Some
Of these plants We're collected anc
placed on a dry shelf in a museum
case in February, 1902, where they
remained even since. Every year
since, at a time corresponding to the
rainy season in a native habitat. thin
have been sent up. which aftel
a time die back after having devei-
oped leaves. Five years growth has
been made at the expense of
water stored up in October, 1901. and
great storage organs are still
sound, and give evidence hat they
may furnish annual supplies for the
annual formation of stems and leaves
for a decade. A large number of other
species from the desert show similar
3daptati0ns.'