Identifier: campfiresondeser00horn (find matches)
Title: Campfires on desert and lava
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Hornaday, William T. (William Temple), 1854-1937
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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th-westneeded a laboratory devoted to the study of the physiologyof the plant life of the deserts—or words to that effect. Having the price safely cached in Hoboken, the In-stitution looked about for a Man. It found Dr. DanielTrembly MacDougal, then Assistant-Director of the NewYork Botanical Gardens. There being no rival or secondchoice, nominations were closed, and he was unanimouslyelected Director of the Desert Botanical Laboratory, to be. In due course, Dr. MacDougal intimated to the prole-tariat of Tucson his behef that the D. B. L. might doworse than settle in their midst. Forthwith, the TucsonBoard of Trade carried the botanist to the top of a highmountain close by, and showed the world that lay at hisfeet. All this, said the Board, shall be thine, and more,if thou wilt pitch thy tent herein, and become one of us. A mountain of many moods and tenses, and a belt ofplain around it, both of them covered with weird thingswith stickers all over them, was offered, as it were, on a
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THE DESERT BOTANICAL LABORATORY 19 silver plate. Inasmuch as the site was the finest bit ofreal estate for the purpose in all the south-west, Tucsonsoffer was blithely accepted; and thus was born into theworld the Desert Botanical Laboratory. Behold, then, at the western end of Main Street, arugged gray hill eight hundred feet high, its summitcrowned even to-day by the rough stone parapet of whatonce was an Indian fortification. As we drove briskly westward on Main Street, crossedthe Santa Cruz River almost without knowing it, and ap-proached the foot of the botanical mountain, I framedup a fooHsh question. I was about to say, Why are yourfence posts so tall, and so irregular? But for once Iwisely held my peace; and presently it was clear that allthose seeming tall straight posts running up the mountainon the southern sky-line were giant cacti, without side-arms. They stood all over the plain, and climbed up allsides of the mountain, quite to its summit. The stonysterility of the stee

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