![Transcription Center logo](/themes/custom/tc_theme/assets/image/logo.png)
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
[[underlined]]to Roswell[[/underlined]] [[underlined]]Sept 17[[/underlined]] – Got an early start & reached Roswell at 1 P.M. – 23 miles, Down hill nearly all the way & good road over grassy plains. Aneroid at camp 5000, at Roswell 4000 No zone plants on open country, but mesquites in gulches & rough slopes. Apparently mainly Lower Sonoran as all of the upper Sonoran species have vanished. For 6 or 8 miles out from Roswell the ground is covered with weeds & Gutierrizia, all of the grass having been killed out by over grazing. A flock of about 2000 sheep at the water 6 miles out from town have made a dusty desert of the region About 15 miles out we saw 3 big wolves some 600 yards off on the prairie. They look like antelope as they stood looking at us but at a rifle shot ran with great speed over the prairie In P.M. Packed & shipped specimens at Roswell & camped 3 miles north of town at Mr. Urtons [[end page]] [[start page]] [[underlined]]Roswell[[/underlined]] [[underlined]]Sept.18.[[/underlined]] Camped over the day at Mr. Urtons ranch to get our outfit separated & reports & letters written. [[underlined]]Sept.21[[/underlined]] Left Roswell at 9:15 A.M. Larrea & Mesquites are abundant on the rough slopes & valley sides near the Pecos River but no Larrea seen after getting well out of the narrow valley onto open plains & mesquites become scarce & dwarfed & mainly confined to gulch slopes. Beyond Campbelle (Station & Section house) at edge of open plain little mesquites was seen & shin oak is abundant as far as the sand dunes reach – about to Portalis. The country is mainly brown with tall Andropogon which is the conspicuous grass as far as the sandhills reach, or to about Portalis & on some south slopes beyond. As we come higher up on the plains the characteristic short grass carpet is almost the only vegetation. It is hard to say where upper & lower Sonoran zones meet as they are mixed from Portalis to Roswell, but Lower Sonoran is mainly on warm slopes.