Another difference between the "above" and the "below" is
found in the fact that a garden is almost unknown on the rim, and that
there are many down below.
On the Bright Angel Trail is the Indian Garden,
where, for many years, the Havasupais used to cultivate their corn, beans,
onions and melons. Along the Shinumo, on the north side, Mr. Bass has a
garden where all these things grow; where peaches, plums, grapes, and
apricots have thriven abundantly, and where now he is planting figs,
lemons, oranges and grape-fruit. The Havasupais, in the depths of their
Canyon, grow the finest, largest and most tender corn in the world,
peaches and figs galore, and all the ordinary vegetables. Boucher also has
fruit and vegetables on the level near the river, on his trail. At Lee's
Ferry also, Elder Emet has his gardens and orchards, as well as fine
alfalfa fields. Nothing is more delightful than to come, after a hot
journey down the trail, to these unexpected oases in the heart of the
canyons.
Soil on the River and in the Canyon. The soil of the "above," too,
largely differs from the soil of the "below." On the plateaus above, there
are millions of acres, most of which careful examination shows to be
covered with disintegrated rock and comparatively little vegetable soil,
except below the surface. The winds and rains have carried away the softer
and lighter soil, and allowed the heavier and harder rocks to remain.
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