PAPERS OX GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 363 



group using their environment and modifying it, too, to 

 their own advantage. Why were Illinois Indian towns 

 located at certain spots along the rivers ! If this was due 

 to the fact that sandy soils could be cultivated by the In- 

 dian women while the regions of tough prairie sod could 

 not, we have there a distinct geographical background. 



Then there is that marvelous story of the French. The 

 vision of LaSalle, in which he was allowed to see the pos- 

 sibility of a great inland, agricultural empire, was based 

 principally on his experiences in what is now Illinois. 

 The death of LaSalle and the loss of the Xew World by 

 the French meant that many years must elapse before the 

 tardy English settlers crept up the rivers from the South 

 and settled in the rougher and more wooded sections first, 

 before trying the prairies, long regarded as a menace to 

 health and as areas of superstitious dread. When the 

 Great Lakes began to contribute something more in the 

 way of transportation a counter movement from the 

 Northeast set in and development proceeded rapidly. 

 To my knowledge there is no place where geographical 

 influences on history are shown more clearly than in our 

 own State. 



For special studies of various kinds and especially for 

 agricultural production, certain counties were assigned 

 to each member of the class, keeping the areas as com- 

 plete physiographically as possible. One important set 

 of maps was made to show percent of improved land de- 

 voted to the different crops. When completed, these shad- 

 ed or colored maps show very emphatically the centrali- 

 zation of corn in the northeast central part on the Wis- 

 consin Moraine, of wheat farther south and west, of oats 

 in the corn area and a little to the north, of hay in the 

 dairying regions, of rye on the sandy soil, etc. Distri- 

 bution of farm animals, snch as horses, mules, dairy and 

 beef cattle, etc., formed the basis for other maps. This 

 type of work, involving a certain amount of exact quan- 

 titative ideas and considerable computation, is found to 

 be remarkably instructive and effective. To know some of 

 the possibilities and advantages of the use of statistics 

 is one of the many requirements demanded of the Geo- 

 grapher, be he professional or amateur. 



