S3 Page 18

Collector: Grinnell - 1925
Location: La Grulla, 7200 ft.
Date: Oct. 2
Page Number: 2561

spear of grass. The willows themselves are
browsed close -- the new shoots eaten. The result
is that the water is everywhere exposed to the
sun and evaporation.
Another deplorable feature is the custom, at this
time of the year, of setting fires everywhere. The
pine trees are too far apart to permit of a
general forest fire; but the fire runs on the
pine needles and cones, burning stumps and
logs and killing shrubs and young trees.
The chaparral is lighted at many points along
the trails; but it too, is relatively sparse, and
fires burn out soon. But even so, the custom
is so prevalent, that the vegetal covering has
suffered much. Right now there is a ground-
fire a quarter of a mile up the arroyo, set by
the vaqueros this morning. They think the grazing
next year will be improved by this burning.
I notice that the valleys on this western slope
are flat-bottomed -- filled part way up with
the enormous amount of gravel washed off
at times of heavy rains, from denuded
slopes above: { here there is a sketch of the cross section of the valley}
Often, there is a countersunk
channel down the middle,
which carries the normal run-off.
The vegetation at large, is sparse, save
at about the 6000-6500 foot belt(of live oaks and