Pueblo chieftain., 1921-05-23

at attitudes up in the 7,ooo-s, 900
levels.
In places away UP toward tim
Der line a streak OF timothy may he
found winding across a scrubby slope
in a serpentne band not over twenty
feet widS. At some time in the past
a wagon was up there with a load OF
hay for the loggers or tie choppers
animals and it spilled hay seed along
the now overgrown trail. This is
what did it
One old settler at Blizzardeen has n
quarter of an acre of rhubarb. alias
picplant. and it grows in surprising
luxurtance. There are two kinds OF
picpiant. one being the so-calied wine
plant which is smaller but with more
pungent juice. Pieplants, grace little
gardens in the gu,ches all around the
fringes OF Riko Peak. the loose deep
sandy soil affording good toe-hoid
for their thick bulky roots. They
go to seed carly sending up tall gay
plume OF creamy white of striking
appearance.
Blizzardeen is situated at the Y of
tho road toward the Huerfano and
the road toward Texas creek. In the
upper or south end of Wet Mountain
Valley. North winds DETECTED by tho
Sangre de Cristo range sweep down
on that spot with fury. giving it's ter
rifying name. Surely q worthy rival
of Dawson City as unique site for an
Arctic garden.
yellow Transparent and Wealthy
applies GROW fairly well as far up as
Salida and are free from worms be-
cause the spring frosts make life i'm
possible for the fruit insects. Hardy
plum trees can be found almost that
far up. Grape creek was tanglo OF
wild grape vines before the destruc-
tive white man came. but not to any
high altitude. Pinop nuts and acorn
bearing oak saplinEs arc confined to
tho foothills. In the southwest corn
or counties of Colorado the hogs find
almost as many acorns for free lunch
as II they were In Missouri.
Alfalfa can fight II out to about
I 900 feet. Welding one crop per year.
Lower portion OF San Luis valley
gives large crops of alfalfa and there
is little of 1t in Wet Mountain val
ley
Bc.t Plant In The World
But the simple fact remains that In
tho mountains as on the plains. in
every land on tho globe. the most
useful specimen of plant life is the
grass. II grows in n thousand species.
with a large number OF these differ
Ont species native In Colorado. with
bluegrass and timothy and alfalfa
added as naturalized strangers. Coarse
salt grass four feet high abounds in
chcwed by n uiphammor. Down on
the kiowa plains is the buffalo grass.
on which cows keep fat all winter.
But for the tender. juicy. succulcnt
varieties of grass we must go to the
dripping edges of tho big snow drifts
high up on the Continental divide.
Al timberlinc. limo AS abrupt as
wire fence. all the trees stop short:
you can not find a single tree beyond
It. but the grass goes on up and up
for hundreds of feet higher. The tops
of Pike and Blanca and Baldy may
seem to show only stunted gray lich-
ems among tho brown rocks but per
haps cvcn there II you would look
more closely you might find "a few
brave tufts Of grass.
SO now Uncle Sam takes hold. and
while. welding his big stick over tho
forests he exercises paternal author
ity over the grass. You can run"
your cattle or sheep over the vast
grass grown ridges all summer but
not till you have In your pocket "A
duly certified permit from tho dis
trict forester. for which you pay at so
much per head. and you better
make use OF your own head.
NJ. G..