Prairies and Barrens of the West. 117 
in their vicinity, grows to the height of six or seven feet. 
After these natural meadows are fed upon by domestic animals, 
the grass does not grow to a greater height than it does in 
common pastures. Sometimes this grass is intermixed with 
weeds and plum-bushes. Some of those prairies are dry, while 
others are moist. Pickaway Plains, in Pickaway county, in the 
State of Ohio, lying a small distance south of this place, are 
nearly seven miles in length, and about three miles in width, on 
ground considerably elevated above the Scioto river, almost per- 
fectly level, and, in their native state, were covered with a great 
quantity of grass, some weeds and plum-bushes; and in the 
most elevated places, there were afew trees. This was one 
great prairie. nit A 
Sandusky Plains, lying on the high ground between the head 
waters of the Whetstone branch of the Scioto river, and the 
Waters of streams running into Lake Erie, are still more exten- 
sive than those of Pickaway, covered with a coarse, tall grass, 
Intermixed with weeds, with here and there a tree, presenting 
to the eyea landscape of great extent. 
The moist prairies generally lie along some stream, or at the 
head of one, on level land, or on that which gently descends. 
The moist prairies are too wet for trees to grow on them; an 
whether moist or dry, the soil, for a greater or less depth, is 
always alluvial, resting on pebbles and sand, such as are found 
at the bottom of rivers, ponds, and lakes. In some instances, 
the Writer is credibl y informed, that the shells of muscles are 
found imbedded in the pebbles and sand. That these shells, 
Such as abound in our rivers, ponds, and lakes, should be 
found in low prairies along the banks of waters which fre- 
quently overflow them, excites no wonder, nor even surprise ; 
but that these shells should be found thus imbedded in pebbles 
and sand underneath several feet of alluvial soil, in situations 
more than one hundred feet above the waters of any stream 
“ow in existence, is calculated to perplex the mind of the 
“uperficial observer. These prairies are found in the western 
half of the State of Ohio, and north of the hills adjacent to the 
“Iver of that name, They are also found in every state and 
‘erritory west of the Alleghanies, from the great northern lakes 
