410 



Illinois Natural History Survey Rulletin 



26, Art. 5 



when last \'isited extended about 0.7 

 mile alony; the bluff-ridfje and occupied 

 almost 14 acres, of which 5 were studied. 

 There was very little level area just above 

 the rock ledy;e ; the steep loess slope 

 abruptly ended at the cliti. .hidrrjpogon 



cupied the coves. Juniperus virginiatm. 

 Quercus muhhiihergn, and Carya texarui 

 grew on the narrow bluff-top ridge. Tlie 

 east-facing slope of the ridge was a fairly 

 productive pasture, presumably once 

 wooded. The prairie spurs were grazed. 



'^-..V.-#in.-V.^*^ 



His. 25. — Kult> hill prairie, Mnilhea>l iif lulls, Miiiime County. 



scopnrius was the dominant grass. Re- 

 nault was visited Jul\ 30, l')50, and May 

 24, 1951. 



Phegley. — The appellation for this 

 prairie came from the name of the former 

 tenant and caretaker, W. H. Phegley. 

 In 1950 and 1951, the prairie occupied 

 6.33 acres of the southwest-facing slope 

 of the bluff-ridge above the Columbia 

 (Solvay) Quarry, 1.1 miles north of 

 Prairie du Rocber, Randolph County. 



The lower part of the brow slope above 

 the limestone ledge at the top of the 200- 

 foot cliff, tig. 26, was covered with frag- 

 ments of limestone. Prairie occupied this 

 almost level stony surface, which meas- 

 ured about 10 to 15 feet in width. Loess 

 covered the bluff above this surface. This 

 mantle of loess was dissected to form a 

 series of spurs and coves, fig. 27. The 

 spur fronts were steep, the upper slopes 

 gentlv sloping upward from the fronts to 

 the top of the bluff. 



Prairie, with Andropogon scopariits as 

 the dominant grass, covered the spurs; 

 prairie, forest, or a mixture of both oc- 



though apparently less closely than the 

 main part of the pasture. The principal 

 results of grazing on the prairie spurs 

 were the thinning of the native cover and 

 the introduction of a few weeds. 



Plots were staked on this and the adja- 

 cent prairie toward the northwest to fur- 

 nish data for vegetation studies of this 

 report. 



Pheglev hill prairie was visited June 

 15, Julv'29, and September 19, 1950; 

 Mav 23, September 18, October 9-10, 

 and' October 16-18, 1951. 



Sampson. — The name applied to this 

 prairie was that of the farmer on whose 

 land the prairie occurred. Sampson hill 

 prairie, 4.5 acres in area, was actually a 

 continuation of the Phegley hill prairie, 

 from which it was separated by two par- 

 allel wire fences, 3 feet apart, an effec- 

 tive barrier against grazing cattle. The 

 Phegley prairie served as a pasture ; the 

 Sampson prairie was not grazed. Located 

 to the north of Columbia Quarry, the 

 Sampson prairie was similar in most fea- 

 tures to the Phegley prairie. However, 



