1835.] 



F A R M E R S ' REGISTER. 



325 



centre of the valley: it Ls short and close, but more 

 nutricious to the wild herds, than the coarse grasi 

 oi' the common prairie. This tract, has not the 

 dreary barre iscribed by Johuson in his 



tour to the Hebrides; the green carpet which 

 covers, and the beautiful shrubberies which adorn 

 if, afford relief to the eye. But again, it is very 

 doubtful whether trees could be cultivated; for [ 

 observed that the trees which by accident are per- 

 mitted to grow, are but dwarfs; the oak for instance, 

 is not larger than an orchard tree, the plumb is 

 nothing- more than a shrub, in some places 

 not exceeding a currant hush. There are, how- 

 ever, scattered over the immense waste, a number 

 of spots which greatly surpass in beauty any thing 

 I have overseen to the east of the Mississippi. 

 But there are others again, barren in the extreme, 

 producing nothing in the best soil but hysop and 

 the prickly pear." — pp. G9, 71. 



"Thus it appears, that with the exception of a 

 belt o( one hundred and fifty, or two hundred miles 

 in width, at most, stretching from the Missouri, in 

 a line parallel with the course of the Mississippi, 

 across the Arkansas and Red River to the Sabine, 

 about twice the territory of New York, but not a 

 tenth part of the western section of the valley, the 

 province of Louisiana is little better than a barren 

 waste, and that the eastern side will always con- 

 tain a much greater population." — p. 72. 



"This western region, it is certain, can never be- 

 come agricultural; but it is in many respects high- 

 ly favorable tor the multiplication of flocks and 

 herds. These delightful spots where the beauty 

 and variety of the landscape, might challenge the 

 fancy of the poet, invite to the pastorial life. How 

 admirably adapted to the interesting- little animal the 

 sheep, are those clean smooth meadows, of a sur- 

 iace so infinitely varied by hill and dale, covered 

 with a short sweet grass, intermixed with thou- 

 sands of the most beautiful flowers, undeformed 

 by a single weed. 



"I confess, that to me, nature never wore an as- 

 pect so lovely as on the lonely plains of the west. 

 From their dry and unsheltered surlace, no damp 

 and unwholesome vapors rise to lessen the elasti- 

 city of the air, or dim the brilliant blue of the hea- 

 vens. So transparent is the atmosphere, that a 

 slight smoke can be discerned at the distance of 

 many miles, which curiously exercises the caution 

 and sagacity of the fearful savage, ever on the 

 watch to destroy, or to avoid destruction. And 

 then, that sublime immensity which surrounds us; 

 the sea in motion is a sublime object, but not to be 

 compared to the varied scenes which here present 

 themselves, and over which the body as well as 

 the imagination, is free to expatiate. The beams 

 of the sun, appeared to me, to have less fierceness, 

 or perhaps this might be owing to the cool breezes 

 which continually fan the air, bringing upon their 

 wings the odors of millions of flowers. The mind 

 appears to receive a proportionate elevation, 

 when we are thus lifted up so much higher than 

 the centre of the valley. There was to me some- 

 thing like the tables of fairy land, in passing over 

 a country where for hundreds of miles I saw no 

 inhabitants but the buffaloe, deer, the elk, and an- 

 telope: I have called it the paradise of hunters, 

 for to them it is indeed a paradise. There are, 

 however, some important drawbacks on the ad- 

 vantages of this country, even considered as a pas- 



toral district. To the north of the Missouri, rains 

 are extremely rare, but when they are set in, pour 

 down in torrents, while to the south their place is 



si lied by heavy dews. In the dry sea- 

 son, which is from the month of June until the 

 latter end of September, at a distance from the 

 great rivers, water is every where exceedingly scarce. 

 "i'h" buffaloe at this time, leaves the plain and 

 seeks the rivers, and the Indians in their excur- 

 sions to any considerable distance, are obliged to 

 shape their courses by some known pond, and to 

 car;-)' besides a quantity of water in bladders. It 

 is possible, that wells might be sunk, but it is cer- 

 tain, that at this season one may travel for days 

 without finding a drop of water; one may fre- 

 quently pass the beds of large rivers which have 



ared in the sands, but alter rains, or on the 

 melting of the snows, impassable torrents are seen 

 to fill their channels, and to roll down in turbid and 

 frightful floods."— pp. 73, 75. 



"The tract of country north of the Missouri, is 

 less hilly than that on the south,, but there is much 

 greater proportion of prairie. It has a waving sur- 

 face, varied by those dividing ridges of streams, 

 which in Kentucky, are called knobs. These 

 prairies, it is well known, are caused by repeated 

 and desolating fires, and the soil is extremely fer- 

 tile. 



"The plains of Indiana and Illinois have been 

 mostly produced by the same cause. They are 

 very different from the savannahs on the sea 

 board, and the immense plains of the Upper Mis- 

 souri. In the prairies of Indiana, I have been as- 

 sured that the woods in places have been known 

 to recede, and in others to increase, within the re- 

 collection of the old inhabitants. In moist places, 

 the woods are still standing, the fire meeting there 

 with obstruction. Trees, if planted in these prai- 

 ries, would doubtless grow. In the islands, pre- 

 served by accidental causes, the progress of the 

 lire can be traced; the first burning would only 

 scorch the outer bark of the tree; this would ren- 

 der it more susceptible to the next, and the third 

 would completely kill. I have seen in places, at 

 present completely prairie, pieces of burnt trees, 

 proving that the prairie had been caused by fire. 

 The grass is usually very luxuriant, which is not 

 Che case in the plains of the Missouri. There may 

 doubtless be spots where the proportion of salts, 

 or other bodies, may be such, as to favor the growth 

 of grass only. 



"Such woods as remain are fine, but the quan- 

 tity of adjoining prairie is usually too great. There 

 are large tracts, however, admirabl}' suited for set- 

 tlements: a thousand acres or more of wood land, 

 surrounded by as much of prairie. It is generally 

 well watered with fine streams, and also inter- 

 spersed with lakes. There is an extensive strip of 

 land along this side of the Missouri, of nearly 

 thirty miles in width, and about one hundred and 

 fifty in length, altogether woods, and oi excellent 

 soil. An old gentleman who has seen Kentucky 

 a wilderness, informed me, that the appearance of 

 this tract is similar, with the exception of its not 

 being covered with cane, and a forest so dark and 

 heavy. The "Forks of the Missouri," (such is 

 the name given to the northern angle, formed by 

 the two great rivers,) daily increases in reputation, 

 and is settling faster than any part of the territory. 



"The Missouri bottoms, alternately appearing 



