GRASSES.

While the forests present but a few species of trees, the pasturage lands present a great variety of grasses. Between fifty and sixty species have been collected by parties connected with the survey under the direction of the writer, and these are distributed among twenty-six or twenty-seven genera. Most of them belong to the mountains or highlands, and are rich and sweet. Nearly all of them are bunch grasses. The spaces by which the bunches are separated are bare or occupied with weeds and shrubs. This is often the case on the mountains and high plateaus. A continuous turf is never seen. Where a sward is seen in moist places, about springs and in glades, the verdure consists in chief part of other plants, sedges and reeds.

Of the bunch grasses the Poas are by far the most abundant. Of this genus nine species were obtained, but this gives an inadequate idea of the variety. Of one species alone Dr. Vasey has enumerated nine varieties, and advances the opinion that several will be eventually considered as species. They are found at all altitudes, mostly on the slopes. Perhaps the most important single species in that region is the Bouteloua oligostachya, the so called “Circle grass”. It has a peculiar habit of forming partial or complete circles on the ground, with areas of bare ground in the center. These turfy rings are comparatively narrow, often not more than three or four inches in width, while the circles are from two to four feet in diameter. The form is not always circular, but often assumes irregular shapes. The grass is sweet and nutritious, but its chief value consists in its power to resist inclement seasons, as it cures standing, like the “Buffalo grass” of the Great Plains.

Another very valuable grass is the Eriocoma cuspidata, which is known by the name of “Sand grass”. It grows at much lower altitudes, and is properly a valley grass. It has a solitary, scattering habit, or at least the bunches are small and turfless. Horses and cattle select it with care from among other species, and it seems especially nutritious. It has a large black grain, which is often collected by the Indians for food.

A remarkable lowland grass is the Vilfa (Sporobolis airoides). It has something of the appearance of “Hair grass”, with a widely spreading purple panicle and large perennial roots. The old culms persist at the base, and with the new ones form thick and almost woody tufts. These tufts are scattered about in the strongly alkaline soils of the river bottoms, and are extensively pastured by large herds of cattle. A marked characteristic of this grass, common, however, to several others, is its power to take up saline matter, which gives to the whole plant a salty taste. The effect of this upon the stock feeding upon it is doubtful, judging from the conflicting reports of the inhabitants; but it seems that when cattle are first pastured upon it they are injured by the excess of salt, but that after a time they cease to be injured by it. All of the so called “Salt grasses” are cropped to a greater or less extent by stock.

The chief grasses of the elevated timber tracts belong to the genus Bromus. When young they are good, but they become stale and valueless with age. The only grass that can compare with those of the eastern meadows, and which forms a continuous sod and covers the ground with a uniform growth, is a variety of Aira cæspitosa, a red topped grass, which was found surrounding the small lakes of the mountains and plateaus, at elevations of 11,000 feet and over. This is an exceedingly beautiful grass as it waves in the gentle breezes that fan the lakelets of the upper regions.

Phragmites communis, the so called “Cane”, is common in the glades and sloughs; and, though large and rather dry, it furnishes the only verdure obtainable for months in severe seasons.

Much of the hay and pasturage of the country, which is there called grass, consists of plants of different families. Notable among these are several species of Carex (sedges), particularly Carex Jamesii, which springs up wherever artificial meadows are made by the system of flooding commonly practiced. The plants have large, strong, subterranean root-stocks, forming a tangled mass which, when once established, cannot easily be eradicated. The leaves are broad and grasslike, and, though coarse and comparatively insipid, form a good sward which can be mowed—a rare condition in that country; and hence such meadows are highly prized.

Juncus Balticus, var. montanus, which has a blue color, terete culms, and tough fiber, and which the settlers call “Wire grass”, is very abundant. It is cut for hay, and is said to serve a good purpose as such.

There are some shrubs that furnish excellent browsing, among which, perhaps, the grease wood takes the first rank. The sage brush, Artemisia, on the contrary, is seldom resorted to. There is one shrub to which great virtues are ascribed which may be mentioned in this connection. This is the Cercocarpus parvifolius, which occupies the mountain sides for a wide zone of altitude. The foliage, though not strictly evergreen, remains most of the winter, and is said to afford the only food for horses and cattle that can be obtained during some seasons of deep snows. This shrub is a congener of the well known mountain mahogany, C. ledifolius, which grows at higher altitudes, and has truly evergreen foliage.

The small perennial plant Eurotia lanata, or “White sage”, found growing in the valleys and plains, is held in high esteem as winter food for stock.

The growth of grass, even on the plateaus, is often scant; on the foot hills it becomes less, and farther away from the highlands it still diminishes in quantity until absolute deserts are found. Most of the grasses seem to protect themselves from the great aridity by growing in bunches. They appear to produce proportionately a greater amount of seeds than the grasses of the Humid Region, and their nutritive qualities, especially in winter, seems to be due thereto. In general, the grasses seem to have large, strong stems, and are not so easily broken down as those of the Humid Region, and the rains and snows by which they would be so broken down are infrequent. Again, for these reasons, the grasses, standing long after they are cut by frosts, cure themselves, forming thereby a winter pasturage.

The irrigable lands of Utah will be discussed more thoroughly and in detail in subsequent chapters by Mr. G. K. Gilbert, who has made the Great Salt Lake District his study; by Capt. C. E. Dutton, who has prepared the chapter on the irrigable lands of the Sevier Lake Drainage, and by Prof. A. H. Thompson, who has written the chapter on the irrigable lands of the Colorado Drainage.

The following is a table of the irrigable lands, arranged by districts, as discussed in the present chapter. The table is compiled from those presented in subsequent chapters.

Table of irrigable lands in Utah Territory.

Square miles.Acres.Cultivated in 1877.
Square miles.Acres.
Salt Lake drainage system.
Base of Uinta Mountains 2.5 1,600 1.6 1,024
Yellow Creek and Duck Creek 2.0 1,280 — —
Randolph Valley and Saleratus Creek 69.0 44,160 9.6 6,344
Shores of Bear Lake 9.0 5,760 5.0 3,200
Cache Valley 250.0 160,000 50.0 32,000
Bear River Delta, Malade Valley, and Connor’s Spring Valley 218.0 139,520 22.0 14,080
Box Elder Valley (Mantua) 1.5 960 1.1 704
Weber Valley from Peoa to Hennefer, inclusive 9.0 5,760 8.5 5,440
Parley’s Park 3.2 2,048 3.2 2,048
Uptown 2.0 1,280 .5 320
Echo Creek 0.9 576 .3 192
Croydon 0.5 320 .4 256
Round Valley 0.5 320 .5 320
Morgan Valley 6.9 4,416 6.0 3,840
Ogden Valley 8.0 5,120 4.1 2,624
Weber Delta Plain 219.0 140,160 91.0 58,240
Kamas Prairie 13.0 8,320 4.7 3,003
Hailstone Ranche and vicinity 2.0 1,280 2.0 1,280
Provo Valley 16.0 10,240 6.0 3,840
Waldsburg 2.0 1,280 2.0 1,280
Utah Valley 190.0 121,600 59.0 37,760
Salt Creek 16.0 10,240 14.0 8,960
Salt Lake Valley (including Bountiful and Centerville) 192.0 122,880 89.8 57,412
Tooele Valley 45.0 28,800 5.4 3,456
Cedar Fort 1.5 1,000 1.2 800
Fairfield 1.5 900 1.2 800
Vernon Creek 2.0 1,200 1.5 900
Saint Johns 1.1 700 1.1 700
East Cañon Creek (Rush Valley) 1.5 900 .8 500
Stockton .3 500 .3 200
Skull Valley 4.0 2,500 1.6 1,000
Government Creek .5 300 .5 300
Willow Spring, T. 10 S., R. 17 W .4 250 .4 250
Redding Spring .1 50 — 20
Dodoquibe Spring .1 50 — —
Deep Creek, T. 9 S., R. 19 W 1.6 1,000 .8 500
Pilot Peak .3 200 — —
Grouse Valley 2.4 1,500 .8 500
Owl Spring .1 10 — —
Rosebud Creek .6 400 .2 150
Muddy Creek, T. 10 N., R. 15 W .5 300 .5 300
Park Valley 3.5 2,300 1.1 700
Widow Spring .1 20 — —
Indian Creek, T. 13 N., R. 12 W .2 100 — —
East base Clear Creek Mountains .2 150 — 5
Cazure Creek .3 200 — —
Clear Creek, T. 15 N., R. 12 W .3 200 .1 80
Junction Creek .7 500 — —
Goose Creek .3 200 — —
Pilot Spring .1 15 — —
Deseret Creek (or Deep Creek) 4.5 3,000 .5 300
Crystal Springs, T. 14 N., R. 7 W .2 100 .1 60
Antelope Springs, T. 9 N., R. 6 W .1 30 — 30
Hanzel Spring .1 15 — 15
Promontory, east base .9 600 .5 300
Blue Creek 2.3 1,500 — —
Brackish Springs, near Blue Creek 1.5 1,000 .3 200
Antelope Island .1 50 — —
The valley of the Sevier River.
San Pete Valley 31.2 20,000 17.0 10,880
Gunnison 6.2 4,000 44.4 2,800
Sevier Valley, above Gunnison 54.7 35,000 16.5 10,500
Circle Valley 6.3 4,000 1.1 750
Panguitch and above 10.9 7,000 2.8 1,800
Irrigable lands of the desert drainage of southwestern Utah.
Cherry Creek .2 100 — —
Judd Creek .2 100 — —
Levan 3.1 2,000 — —
Scipio 2.6 1,700 — —
Holden 1.6 1,000 — —
Filmore and Oak Creek 5.5 3,500 — —
Meadow Creek 1.9 1,200 — —
Kanosh 3.1 2,000 — —
Beaver Creek and tributaries 21.9 14,000 — —
Paragoonah 1.6 1,000 — —
Parowan 1.6 1,000 — —
Summit .6 400 — —
Cedar City, Iron City, and Fort Hamilton 3.6 2,300 — —
Mountain Meadows .3 200 — —
Pinto .3 200 — —
Hebron 1.6 1,000 — —
Irrigable lands of the Colorado drainage.
Virgin River 30 19,200 11.0 7,040
Kanab Creek 2.5 1,600 1.1 700
Paria River 6 3,840 — —
Escalante River 6 3,840 — —
Fremont River 38 24,320 — —
San Rafael River 175 112,000 — —
Price River 11 7,040 — —
Minnie Maud Creek 3 1,920 — —
Uinta River 285 182,400 .5 300
Ashley Fork 25 16,000 .1 50
Henrys Fork 10 6,400 — —
White River 75 48,000 — —
Browns Park Green River 10 6,400 — —
Below Split Mountain Cañon 50 32,000 — —
Gunnison Valley 25 16,000 — —
Grand River 40 25,600 — —
Total 2,262.41,447,920 — —

CHAPTER VII.
IRRIGABLE LANDS OF THE SALT LAKE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

By G. K. Gilbert.

The field of my work in 1877 included so large a portion of the drainage basin of Great Salt Lake and so little else that it has proved most convenient to report on all of that basin, or rather on that part of it which lies within the Territory of Utah. In so doing, I have depended, for nearly all the lands draining to Utah Lake, upon the data gathered by Mr. Renshawe, of this survey, in connection with his topographic work. The remainder of the district, with very slight exception, I have myself visited.

The officials and citizens of the Territory have all freely contributed such information as I have sought, and have aided me in many ways; but I have been especially indebted to Mr. Martineau and Mr. Barton, the surveyors of Cache and Davis Counties; to Mr. Fox, the territorial surveyor; and to the Hon. A. P. Rockwood, the statistician of the Deseret Agricultural Society. Mr. Rockwood prepared a statistical report on the Territory in 1875, which has been of great service to me, and he has kindly placed at my disposal the manuscript details of his work as well as the published summary.