In the drier wheat country west of the Hundredth Meridian, strips may be cropped in alternate years to conserve moisture on the gently rolling uplands. Where river valleys are incised into the plains, grass and sage sparsely mantle the sharp ridges, cedars pock the rocky ledges, and cottonwoods and box elder follow the narrow draws. This view is north from the breaks of the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana. Photo by author.