Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 4, Pt. 3

BOTANY.
SECTION VI. Valley of Zuni.-In this region, we would embrace the scope of country between
the summit of the Sierra Madre, or mountains bordering the Rio Grande valley on the west,
and Mount San Francisco; the principal and pervading stream of which is the Colorado Chiquito, a tributary of the Colorado Grande, or, as it is more aptly termed, the great Colorado of
the West. The general course of this valley is northwest and southeast; the extent of which
(in our rapid exploration) we were unable to determine. Its width, travelled, is about two
hundred and fifty miles.
At Zufli, the Indians of the Pueblo tribes raise corn, and many other vegetables, without
resorting to irrigation; but from the appearance of the soil on the bottoms of the Colorado
Chiquito, it was considered by most of our party that irrigation might be necessary. In the
immediate vicinity of the mountains there is evidence of an amount of moisture in the soil,
which is wanting in the centre of the valley, more remote from their influence. The water of the
Colorado Chiquito is sufficient to irrigate a portion of the central part of the valley, but probably
not enough to make all the tillable lands available for agricultural purposes. There are many
beautiful streams of water of limited extent, on both ranges of the mountains, which look into
this valley from the east and the west. These streams would be sufficient for small settlements
in their immediate neighborhood; but on descending into an almost unlimited arid plain, they
are lost by the absorptive power of the soil, and the rapid evaporation caused by the dry
atmosphere. The Rio Mimbres, in the valley of which is situated Fort Webster, southeast of
the Mogoyon, (which has been made well known by the operations of the Mexican Boundary
Commission) is a good example of these facts. Such is the case, also, with nearly all the mountain streams in these arid regions.
Grass throughout this whole country is very abundant, and of a most excellent quality,
especially around the mountain bases, and on the- more elevated plateaus. Large herds of
cattle and sheep might be reared and sustained here, were it not for the depredations of the
Indians. We were told by Mr. Leroux, that the wild Indians of this country, in their blind
eargerness to obtain the flesh of mules, have been known to shoot one down with their arrows
while a traveller was yet seated on his back, for which, in a case that he mentioned, the poor
savage paid the penalty of his life.
Unfortunately, we passed this region between the 18th of November (when we crossed the
crest of the Sierra Madre) and the 25th of December. At the latter date, we encamped at the
base of the San Francisco mountain. This was the most unpropitious season of the whole year
for the collection of herbaceous plants, and must account for the meagreness of my collections
in this part of our journey.
The entire eastern, southern, and part of the western, angles of this region, are well timbered
with Douglas's spruce, New Mexican yellow pine, pinon, and balsam fir. The Rocky mountain white pine (Pinus flexilis) grows on the San Francisco mountain, and no doubt on the
higher peaks and ranges of the Sierra Madre and Mogoyon. Oaks and.black walnut also grow
here. The banks of all the streams that are crossed produced cotton-wood and mezquite-in
some places in great abundance. Three kinds of cedar abound at the base of the mountains,
frequently extending (in more limited quantities) down to the banks of the Colorado Chiquito,
wherever the evenness of the surface appears to be broken by dry arroyos or broken banks.
On the slopes east and south of San Francisco mountain, looking into this valley, and also
westwardly, are vast forests of pinon, intermingled with cedars, perfectly black in the distance,
by their density. From elevated points near the southern base of Bill Williams' mountain we
had extensive and beautiful views of these forests, which extended southwestwardly, apparently
some fifteen or twenty miles. This one we denominated the "Black Forest." With the aid
of the telescope, we could detect (January 3d(, side reconnoissance) the camp-fires of the Tonto
Indians, in several places, in the forest. We were informed by our guide, Mr. Antonio Leroux,
who has had much experience, and even desperate forays, with the Indians of this neighborhood, that, at the proper season of the year, large parties of the Yampai, Tonto, Coyotero,
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