264 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The southwest part of Missouri is chiefly timber, while in the 

 northwest we find that praiiie land predominates. In northeast Mis- 

 souri a timbered belt lies parallel to the Missouri river, from twelve to 

 twenty miles wide, and extending from St. Charles to Glasgow. A 

 similar strip also lies parallel to the Mississippi from Lincoln nearly to 

 Lewis. Outside of this prairie land rules. In St. Charles and Lincoln 

 there are wide low prairie bottoms adjacent to the Mississippi, and also 

 similar flat lands occur north of Hannibal. Similar prairie bottoms 

 are also found on the Missouri in the counties of Saline, Chariton^ 

 Carroll, Ray and Jackson, but they are higher above the water than 

 those along the Mississippi. 



On the south side of the Missouri river a line from near Arrow 

 Rock to Seneca would nearly separate the prairie lands from the 

 timbered. The counties in northeast Missouri, in the aggregate, would 

 probably average not over one-third timbered land. Those in the 

 northwest, although some of them are heavily timbered, would not 

 probably average one-tenth timber. Clay and Platte are exceptionally 

 well timbered, Ray and Carroll very well supplied with; Andrew 

 originally about one-half. In others the amount of timber is limited. 

 In the other counties, we would say that in the west half of the north- 

 west quarter of the State, the timber is chiefly confined to narrow par- 

 allel belts along the streams, becoming sometimes a mere fringe, 

 especially as we proceed northwestwardly. 



There are a few prairies in the extreme southeast, but there are 

 also very extensive forests of large timber, chiefly cypress, black wal- 

 nut, sycamore, elm, poplar, gum, cottonwood and very large grape 

 vines. Passing from the southeast we enter upon the uplands and ap- 

 proach the Ozarks. We here find chiefly oaks, the white, black and 

 post. Associated with these in southeast Missouri we find the black 

 gum often quite abundant. Further west, in central and southwest 

 Missouri, on leaving the larger streams, we find that the country very 

 often partakes of the character of the well known " Barrens,*" chiefly 

 supporting a scrubby growth of blackjack and post oak and black 

 hickory, with tall grass. These may be considered as passage lands 

 between well recognized woodlands aud prairie, sometimes with good 

 soil but more often poor. The extreme western counties of southwest 

 Missouri consist nearly altogether of prairie lands, excepting the two 

 extreme southern. 



The pine is not found native north of the St. Louis and San Fran- 

 cisco railroad. It often abounds beyond thirty miles south of that 

 railroad. It is not commonly found on limestone soils, but seems to 

 prefer a silicious soil and is found on flinty or sandy soils, especially s 



