VAl-LKV ITORTICI'TTT'RAL SOCIETY. .319 



iiniply sufficient. cduM the w.itcis lie ;ijj,;iiii raised to tliiit height, to 

 tlood this entire region and turn the current of the mighty stream 

 diagonally across our state, ami the evidences seem to exist that in 

 former ages s\ich was certainly the case, and from twenty to forty 

 miles from the ])resent shores of Lake Michigan u))on the south are 

 yet to he distinctly traced the ancient level of this mighty sea. 



Now for some of the various hypotheses to explain the treeless 

 character of our prairies. One has already heen alluded to— the 

 finely pulverized condition of the soil, Avhich is sn])posed hy many to 

 be inimical to native forest growth. Another is, that all prairie 

 reji-ions being former sea bottoms, no tree growth can ever si)rin<>" 

 spontaneously from an ocean bed, as water itself is entirely destruct- 

 ive to the germs of tree life. Another ])0])ular view that gained an 

 almost universal credence, was the fact that our prairies were annu- 

 ally burned over by the Indians in search of game or to harrass their 

 enemies, and the illogical secjuence w'as at once jumped at that the 

 red man was the destroyer of all previous tree growth. Still another 

 view that obtained to some extent was, that the prairies had for- 

 merly l)een covered by timber thickly intermixed by rank-growing 

 cane, the latter taking both moisture and nutrition from the trees, 

 and literally cho4<ing out their existence, while in turn the cane 

 bi-akes. de]>rived of the shade of the timber. pei"islied by heat and 

 drouth. Still others refer the treelessness of our j)rairies to certain 

 (»ther conditions nnfavoraljle to their develoi)ment or growth, as dry- 

 ness, or saltiness, or alkalinity. 



Prof. Lesrpiereaux. in s])eaking of prairie soil, says: " It is nei- 

 ther j»eat nor humus, but a soft black mould containg a large per- 

 centage of ulnric acid, produced by tho slow decomposititni of acpiatic 

 plants, mostly under water, and jtartaking as niiicli ol' the nature of 

 peat as humus." and he continues, "it is easy to understand why 

 trees cannot grow on this kijul of soil, The germination of seeds of 

 the arl)orescent plants need the free access of oxygen for their devel- 

 opnient, and esj)ecially young trees absorb by their roots a great 

 amount of air. " 



1 am inclined to tliink thai for the germination of tinibei-gi-ow- 

 ing seeds there should be a thorough breaking np of the tough, w iry 

 [irairie sod. to allow a free admixture of atmosjiheric air imme(liately 

 underneath, then prairie soil beconu's the titting home for future 

 forest growth, provided the still further artiticial met hods r»f jdant- 

 ing be res(n'ted to. Hut j»erhaps sonn- one asks: " How do you a<- 

 couut for the groves that at various intervals stud the bosom of cmr 

 fertile j)lainsy Who ]danted or transplanted the forest growth we 

 already behold, much of whiidi has sprung up since the departure i){' 

 the Indian for his western hunting grounds, or whicdi befoi-e existed 

 in spite of his destructive tiresy '" I reply that we find all such tim- 

 ber growth ujjon a soil essentially diverse from our true |»rairie mould. 

 In many places in our own, and in several Nplaces in adjoining States, 



