288 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



very much the same as Mr. Smith's. This farm passed into the hands of 

 R. & H. Wilson, in the year 1849. Mr. Wilson informs me that the 

 orchard trees proved to be mostly seedlings, but have borne vv^ell and 

 have proved hardy, and some of the fruit from the seedling stock is very 

 good. None of the choice varieties have proved so hardy and productive 

 as the Willow Twig. 



JACKSON COUNTY. 



BY J. S. HARTMAN. 

 PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



This county presents a greater diversity of surfiice and soil than, per- 

 haps, any other in the State. Its southern boundary runs through the 

 sandstone plateaux of the Grand Chain or Fruit Belt, so called from their 

 elevation into high, breezy hills, that overlook the valley of the Big Muddy 

 on the north, and the lower limestone levels towards Cairo on the south; 

 and from the warm, rarified air that surrounds their summits during tlie 

 spring and summer months. The latter fact has rendered these high 

 plateau much sought for as favorable localities for such fruits as are lia- 

 ble to injury from the early spring frosts that prevail on the lower levels. 

 The mud-lime drift of the Big Muddy River which runs through the 

 center of the county, and the broad bottoms of the Mississippi on the 

 west, with the fine yellow loams of the Alpine summits on the south, 

 present a variety of scenery, soil, and productions. The coal formation 

 here finds its southern limit, and ends in broken, dctatched strata among 

 the hills. To show the surface elevations, as compared with other parts 

 of the State, we adduce the following figures from the engineer's survey 

 of the road-bed of the Illinois Central Railroad : From low water mark 

 in the Ohio at Cairo, tlie natural elevation of Drury Summit, or the 

 " Makand Hill," as the railroad men term it, on the southern boundary of 

 this county, is 333 feet; De Soto, in the valley of the Big Muddy, 115 

 feet. The road-l)cd then rises gradually, culminating at Monee, 523 feet, 

 and finally descends to Chicago 300 feet above low water at Cairo. So 

 it will be seen that the first-mentioned point is the highest south of Mo- 

 nee, and 33 feet higher than the city of Chicago. 



FRUIT GROWING. 



Until the advent of the Central Railroad, little was known of the 

 capabilities of this section for fruit growing. But since then, with an 

 abundant market opened to all points, this industiy has been pushed witli 

 the characteristic energy of Americans, until the fruit interest here is the 

 prevailing one among the people living near the stations. Apples, 

 peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and blackber- 

 ries, all flourish with astonishing perfection. The amount of fruit 

 shipped to the Chicago market alone, is something wonderful. The 

 strawberry train began running this year, 1870, on the 23d of May, and 

 ran till the 9th of June, during which time Chicago received 84 cars, 

 with anaggiegate of 992,601 lbs. of strawberries. The peach train ran, 



