NOTES FROM THE WEST. 



133 



groves and wooded streams, as the annual 

 prairie fires are restrained in their ravages. 



Indeed, the increase of timber is most as- 

 tonishing, and truly encouraging to those who 

 look to our state as one daj supporting a po- 

 pulation as dense as that of Massachusetts. 

 If Jeffries could now traverse our state, he 

 ■would see the effects of a little foresight and 

 care. I note that wherever there were signs 

 of timber having once existed on the prairies, 

 there are now tine dense groves springing up, 

 some of which already afford poles for build- 

 ing and fencing purposes, and in another fifteen 

 or twenty years, may be of great account to 

 the prairie farms. I think that in many pla- 

 ces, there is now nearly double the area co- 

 vered with trees that there was fifteen years 

 ago. 



And then, in the midst of our broadest 

 prairies, you see large groves and long ave- 

 nues of the rapidly growing locust, planted 

 by o>u- wide awake New England settlers. The 

 Delavan prairie, for exanqile, which I crossed 

 when I first visited this rogi(in, and Avliere, if 

 I remember right, we traveled twenty-four 

 miles without meeting tree or shrub, is now 

 graced by several groves, and mile long ave- 

 nues, where most needed — along the high- 

 way. 



On the prairies, the yellow Rudbeckias 

 (the fulgida) are still abundant and extremely 

 gay — the tall purple ones are all going out of 

 bloom. The rich pink spikes of the Draco- 

 cephalum, (Dragon head,) and the more showy 

 species of Liatris, are flowers of August and 

 September, and well Avorthy of introduction 

 in the " wild flower border." 



The trees which I would advise my western 

 friends to plant out, and which are nearly ev- 

 erywhere abundant, a degree south of here, 

 are, in addition to maple and elm, the " red 

 bud," (Cerois canadensis,) the " coffee tree," 

 (Gymnoobidas,) the Hack walnut, and butter- 

 nut, and the red or black mulberry. The three 



last soon yield abundance of fruit, as well as 

 shade. I deem the native mulberry one of our 

 finest trees. When planted out, the top becomes 

 dense, rounded and graceful — the leaves are 

 very large and rich, sometimes entire, though 

 generally more or less lobed. They present 

 a most striking appearance, and then the fruit 

 is the earliest, except the strawberry, and has 

 just sufiicient tartness to redeem it from the 

 insipidity of the others of this genus, and it 

 is certainly very wholesome, if not so very 

 palatable. 



There is one other ver}' rich fruit tree, of 

 small size, that occurs everj'Avherc, which I 

 have found rather impatient of removal to a 

 distance — I mean the paw-paw. But those 

 living near it, can, doubtless, transplant it 

 with safety and success. 



The orchards of central Illinois are not so 

 frequently met with, as I could wish. Still, 

 there are many old ones, composed principally 

 of seedling apples, and peaches, and the uni- 

 versal sour, hardy, morello cherry. 



The fruit crop in this region will be a large 

 one. Wherever I found pear trees, I found 

 them loaded with fruit. I saw some quite 

 forest like, in Springfield, said to be engrafted, 

 though doubtful, which the owner, (Dr. Todd) 

 assured me were generally great bearers. 



My friend, Edson IIarkness, of Peoria 

 county, has near one thousand bearing apple 

 trees, and quite a number of large worked 

 pears, which I shall leave him to describe — 

 though I assure you, the fruit promise was 

 decidedly the richest I ever saw in any coun- 

 try, and his " Rhenish grapes " were in heaps 

 instead of clusters. 



That the banks of the Illinois river and the 

 smaller streams, especially the Kickapoo and 

 Macinaw, near Peoria, are bound to be cover- 

 ed with vineyards, ere t:n years have passed, 

 I can scarce doubt; and that YiNE Growing 

 will do more for the cause of Temperance 

 than all the societies in the world, I have long 



