Climate of Middle Illinois. 



41 



CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



The foreign, not American, trees and shrubs, planted for shade or or- 

 nament around houses, are: Aesculus Hippocastanum, Ailauthus glandu- 

 losus, Populus alba and dilatata, Salix alba and babylonica, Tilia europaea, 

 Philadelphus coronarius, Syringa vulgaris, Ligustrura vulgare, Rhamnus 

 catharticus. Lycium vulgare, Rhus cotinus and Catalpa Ksempferi. 



American species from southern Illinois: Liriodendron tulipifera, 

 Catalpa speciosa, Robinia pseudacacia. Wistaria frutescens; from north 

 Illinois: Betula papyracea; from other States: Populus balsamifera, Pyrus 

 americana, Catalpa bignonioides, Crataegus cordata, Ribes aureum, Symph- 

 oricarpus racemosus, Lonicera sempervirens and Madura aurantiaca. 



Coniferse: Pinus Strobus, Abies balsamea and Larix americana, and 

 the foreign Pinus austriaca and Abies excelsa thrive only in clayey soil of 

 the bluffs. 



In tne orchard the apple in many and often excellent varieties takes 

 the first place; less common are cherries, pears and plums. Peaches suf- 

 fer from severe winters and late frosts. Small fruit for the market are 

 raised: Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants. 



The principal crops of cultivated farm land in Illinois are: Maize, 

 wheat, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat and potatoes, together (in 1875) on 

 13^ millions of acres, about 38 p. c. of the area of the State. Hay was 

 made in the same year on 2^ millions of acres on uncultivated farm land. 



Maize alone was cultivated on more than eight millions of acres. In- 

 deed no Illinois farm is so prosperous as the large farm Esperanza, in 

 Mexico, of which Humboldt, in his Essay Politique sur la Nouvelle Es- 

 pagne, says: " Uue faneque de mais en produit quelquefois huit cent." Still 

 the Illinois farmers reap nearly the average crop of the fertile parts of that 

 country, which is, after Humboldt, 3-400 fold, that would be 288 fold 

 after the following table, which I owe to the kindness of Mr. Roswell 

 Bills, Sec. of Peoria Co. Agricult. So. : 



TIME OF 



SOWING. 



TIME OF 



HARVEST. 



QUANTITY 



OF SEED. 



Maize 



Winter Wheat 

 Spring Wheat. 



Rye 



Oats 



Barley 



Buckwlieat . . . 

 Potatoes 



May 14th. 

 Sept. 1st. 

 Mch. 25th. 

 Sept. 10th. 

 April 10th. 



9 



June 25tli. 

 May 15th. 



Oct. 10th. 



July 1st. 



July 15th. 



June 25th. 



July 15th. 



June 20th. 



Sept. 25th. 



Oct. 1st. 



5 quarts, 

 1% bushels. 



2% „ 



45 bushels. 

 20 

 15 

 20 

 50 

 50 

 20 

 100 



In the year 1875, wheat was grown on 2.6 millions of acres, oats on 

 2.27 millions of acres, and potatoes on 118,715 acres, with a crop of 128 

 bushels per acre. The cultivated fodder are clover and timothy. 



