THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 143 



on the native sod and the vegetation present was a remnant 

 of the original one along with a few rederals in competition 

 with human occupation. Under such conditions during the 

 sunny days of the long summer drought there was a maxi- 

 inuni of dessiccation which produced an environment unfavor- 

 able to either plant or human occupations. As a consequence 

 abandoned farmsteads were much too frequently in evidence 

 for the good of the former occupants or of the present com- 

 munity. 



The general favorites among the shrubs are lilac, spiraea, 

 matrimony vine and rose, about in the order named, though 

 the choice of the pioneers was evidently lilac and matrimony 

 vine, the spiraea being a later introduction. Most other 

 shrul)s were of much later planting, some only in recent 

 years. The early trees were cottonwood, box elder, white 

 elm, soft maple and ash. Later plantings included juniper, 

 black locust, black walnut, hackberry, catalpa, mulberry, 

 osage orange, etc. 



A few groves of considerable extent were observed on 

 the prairie which had their origin in early plantings, doubt- 

 less prompted by a tree-planting statue. Some of these are 

 in excellent condition, having a good location and a suitable 

 selection of trees; others present an indifferent appearance, 

 the location being poor and the trees unsuitable to the environ- 

 ment. In some places the tree plantings were rapidly becom- 

 ing less in extent, the encroaching prairie taking up the aban- 

 doned area. The average conditions are suitable to tree 

 growth but the extremes prohibit such vegetation. 



Lilac is the shrub most frequently seen in the region 

 under consideration. It was planted as a hedge along the 

 border of the dooryard or a single shrubs or clumps almost 

 anywhere in the yard. \\'hcn planted as a hedge it may oc- 



