CULTURE AND CURING IN ILLINOIS. 33 



The rocky strata underlying the surface of all these southern counties belongs to the carboniferous formation, 

 and consists of shales, sandstones, slates, and limestones; but the soil of this whole area is almost entirely composed 

 of drift, some of which is derived from the same rocks as those underlying, brought from their location in more 

 northern sections of the state. The topographical features of this region are varied, some sections having level and 

 others rolling prairies. In the former the soil is very rich and of black color, while on the rolling and ridgy prairies 

 the soil is usually a chocolate brown, but of equal fertility with the black soils. The timbered ridges have almost 

 invariably a light chocolate-brown colored soil. The tree growth of the ridges is chiefly black and white oak and* 

 th various kinds of hickory. Where the tops of the ridges become plateaus, or coves are formed on their sides,- 

 the elm, black walnut, sugar maple, and wild cherry grow to great size. Johnson and Pope counties are broken 

 with frequent ridges and bluffs, while to the south the country becomes gently rolling, and then so level that the 

 streams drain off slowly, frequently overflowing large areas. The ridge land is fertile, especially on the plateau 

 tops, and the tree growth is white and black oak and hickory. The soil is sandy and warm, and is easily cultivated. 

 The soil in the southern part, though somewhat wet, is warmed up and the clays made loamy from the mixture of 

 sands from the highlands of the north, and is of great fertility. The timber growth is white oak, sugar maple, 

 walnut, hickory, elm, etc. Pulaski and Massac counties are almost identical in their geological formation and in the 

 character of their soils. The northern townships have a surface covered by gently sloping hills, with an arenaceous, 

 loamy soil that is very fertile. These hills are heavily timbered with white and black oak, hickory, poplar, black 

 gum, walnut, and dogwood. In the southern part of these counties the soil is the rich alluvial river bottoms, with 

 a growth of pecan, willow, sycamore, maple, cottouwood, ash, and elder. The central area is largely occupied by a 

 section called the "oak barrens", the soil of which is a fine arenaceous loam of a yellow color and of great depth. 

 The term "oak barrens" is derived from a peculiar variety of Spanish oak, of small size and rough and bushy 

 appearance. It is the prevailing undergrowth, the larger trees being scattered, and consisting of post, white, and 

 black oaks, hickories, and a few yellow poplars and elms. In the western portion of this area the large growth is 

 more abundant, with frequent black and white walnut and sugar maple. The soil of these "oak barrens" is claimed 

 to have great capabilities for production. The best soils of Saline county are those derived from drift. This drift is 

 a yellowish, gravelly clay, and Saline county has a much larger proportion of it than the adjoining county of Gallatin. 

 The poorest soil is that derived from the shales of the coal formation. The timber growth on the river bottoms is 

 black walnut, white, red, and black oak, hickory, and poplar; that on the highlands chiefly hickory and the oaks. 

 The soils of the county of Williamson resemble those of Saline, especially the western part of that county, though 

 they are more varied. The prairies are small and scattered over all parts of the county. The post-oak flats are 

 considered the poorest land, and the chocolate-colored clay loam, on which the prevalent tree growth is oak and 

 hickory, with occasional walnut, linden, and wild cherry, is considered the best. 



The characteristics of the soils, topography, and timber growth of all the counties in the southern division of 

 the state are a parallel of those described. They may be thus summed up: Wherever a prairie has dark, chocolate- 

 colored soil, it is fertile, and where there is a similar soil, with a timber growth of the heavy oaks, pignut or scaly- 

 bark hickory, with more or less black walnut, large crops of corn or tobacco may be expected from it when cleared. 



In the counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, and in part of Carroll the underlying rocks are the limestones of the 

 Trenton group, with occasional hills of the Niagara. There are large areas entirely free from drift, and the 

 quaternary sands and pebbles which do exist are derived from sources other than those of the more southern 

 parts of the state. It has also been assumed that the rolling prairies of these counties have been made by a 

 different cause from that producing those of the central part of the state. Unlike the latter, the surface of these 

 northwestern prairies sometimes rises into high ridges, and then again they become low swamps. The soil is a loam, 

 with a predominance of sand, and these prairies are noted for their excellence as grazing lands. The general slope of 

 Jo Daviess county is to the southwest, and is excellently watered by numerous streams. The eastern part of the 

 county is generally level prairie, with a rich, warm, deep soil; the central part uneven, and the timber scrubby. 

 The western sections are well timbered, but hilly, and in many places there arc prominent blufl's. The southern surface 

 is varied, frequently rising into gravelly hills. The general color of the soil is reddish, and it is seldom considered 

 fertile by those accustomed only to the rich, black prairie soils of the central region. Stephenson has the reputation 

 of being one of the best agricultural counties in the state. The soil is very rich, and it has a darker chocolate color 

 than that found in the southern counties. The oak openings are very rich, and produce large crops of wheat, and 

 are the lands specially adapted to tobacco. The land of this county is almost all prairie, with occasional patches 

 of timber, and it is well watered, but not so abundantly as Jo Daviess. The timber growth consists of the oaks, 

 walnuts, and maples, aud the prairies have a gently undulating surface. 



CLIMATE. 



The records of temperature and aqueous precipitation are very meager in the tobacco districts of this state. 

 Observations made at Winnebago, in the county next east of Stephensou, from 1850 to 1867, showed the following 

 average temperature for the different seasons of the year: Spring, 48 degrees; summer, 01).22; autumn, 47.48; 

 winter, 20.07; average for the years included, 40.34. The rainfall for nine years, from January, 1857, to December, 

 1800, at the same point, for the seasons, was as follows: Spring, 9.72 inches; summer, 12.31; autumn, 0.00; winter, 



6.14; average for years named, 37.83. 



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