264 



ARBORICULTURE 



THE EXPEDITION OF LEWIS AND 

 CLARK 



And the early exploration of this coun- 

 try in 1804. Keprint by A. C. McClurg 

 & Co., Chicago. Some extracts may serve 

 to illustrate many lessons which we have 

 from time to time given in Arboricul- 

 ture: 



"Wednesday, March G, 1S05.— The day 

 was cloudy and smoky in consequence of 

 the burning of the plains by the Minne- 

 tarees. They have set all the neighbor- 

 ing country on fire in order to obtain an 

 early crop of grass which may answer 

 for the consumption of their horses, and 

 also as an inducement for the buffalo and 

 other game to visit it. 



"Friday, 2yth. — Every spring, as the 

 river is breaking up, the surrounding 

 plains are set on fire, and the buffalo 

 temi)ted to cross the river in search of 

 the fresh grass which immediately suc- 

 ceeds to the burning. On their way they 

 are often insulate? on a large cake of 

 ice, which floats down the river. The 

 Indians now select the most favorable 

 points for attack, and as the buffalo ap- 

 proaches, darts with astonishing agility 

 across the trembling ice, sometimes press- 

 ing lightly a cake of not more than two 

 feet square; the animal is, of course, un- 

 steady and his footsteps insecure on this 

 new element, so that he can make but 

 little resistance." 



Nearing the Great Falls of the Mis- 

 souri, another Indian mode of taking 

 buffalo is described: 



"The mode of hunting is to select one 

 of the most active and fleet young men, 

 who is disguised by a buffalo skin round 

 his body, the skin of the head, with the 

 ears and horns, fastened on his own head 

 in such a way as to deceive the buffalo. 

 Thus dressed, he fixes himself at a con- 

 venient distance between a herd of buf- 



falo and any of the river precipices, 

 which sometimes extend for some miles, 

 liis companions in the meantime get in 

 the rear and side of the herd and ad- 

 vance toward the buffalo. They in- 

 stantly take the alarm, and, finding the 

 hunters beside them, they run toward 

 the disguised Indian or decoy, who leads 

 them on at full speed toward the river, 

 when suddenly, securing himself in some 

 crevice of the cliff which he had previ- 

 ously fixed on, the herd is left on the 

 brink of the precipice. It is then in vain 

 tor the foremost to retreat, or even to 

 stop; they are pressed on by the hindmost 

 rank, who, seeing no danger but from the 

 hunters, goad on those before them till 

 the whole are precipitated, and the shore 

 is strewn with their dead bodies." 



Our frontispiece is a good picture of a 

 group of these animals taken by the In- 

 dians for food and by the whites for their 

 pelts and for sport. The great herds 

 have been destroyed, and, with the ex- 

 ception of one or two small collections, 

 these wanderers of the plain are gone. 



The Indian practice of burning the 

 grass of the prairies, maintained by the 

 whites for the purpose of encouraging a 

 new growth of fresh grass, has destroyed 

 the forests and made a dry region the 

 more arid. 



TO OUR PATRONS. 



Arboriculture will hereafter be pub- 

 lished and printed by Barnes & Warner, 

 Nos. 19-21 South Alabama street, Indi- 

 anapolis, Ind. Electrotypes and adver- 

 tising matter should be sent to above 

 address, which will be considered the 

 legal publication office. 



The editorial office will remain at Con- 

 nersville, Ind.. where all mail, exchanges 

 and correspondence should be directed. 



