422 PRAIRIES SOIL. 



miles to the west of Illinois. And if such is the case, its 

 breadth in latitude 40 will exceed 1000 miles. 



There is a considerable extent of the surface thinly covered 

 with trees, interspersed with the same kind of herbage as 

 clothes the prairies, called barrens, or oak-openings, from the 

 wood which grows on them. They may either be considered 

 thin forest, or wooded prairie, as they partake of the nature 

 of both ; but in an agricultural point of view, they must be 

 classed as prairie, from the herbage they afford. The soil of 

 Illinois, like many other parts of the world which has come 

 under my notice, is variable, and the different habitations of 

 the varieties of sun-flower and other tall-growing plants, often 

 distinctly marked changes of soil on the prairie. The prevail 

 ing soil between Chicago and Springfield, was black sandy 

 loam, and occasionally considerable tracts of clay or heavy 

 loam intervened. In this distance of nearly 200 miles, I did 

 not pass over, in all, 10 miles of bad soil, which was light 

 coloured sand. The surface, which is forest, oak-openings, or 

 prairie, has no relation to quality of soil, all of which abound 

 with soils of every description. 



On no part of the prairie did I observe heath, or other 

 thriftless vegetation, occupying the entire surface, with excep 

 tion of a dwarfish species of hazel, in a few instances, to a 

 limited extent. Besides the many beautiful flowering plants 

 which adorn the prairies, they are covered with four or five 

 tall-growing kinds of grass, and the moist and dry soils could 

 be distinguished by the luxuriance of different species. From 

 the grass attaining between three and four feet in height, and 

 being seared by a powerful sun, the surface of the prairies is 

 scorched by fire every autumn, originating by human, and, it 

 is presumed, also occasionally by natural means. The annual 

 burning seems to have destroyed all the grasses which possess 

 fibrous roots, and are propagated by seed ; those which at 

 present exist having strong roots, which resist the effects of 

 fire, and propagate themselves without seed. This property 

 of the grasses is illustrative of the economy of nature, by 

 furnishing plants for every situation and circumstance that 

 may arise. The burning is not attended with much danger, 

 as the turning of one or two sods by the plough is deemed a 



