1861. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



and other orchard products, is fast booming the 

 centre of our new commercial orchards. Here 

 our northern friends became eloquent over the 

 healthy and vigorous growth of the peach, the 

 thrifty, smooth trunks of the apple, and the 

 hardy- appearance of the vine; in fact, they 

 were fully converted to the faith that Egypt was 

 the seat of Pomona, and it was here that she 

 should be crowned, and here hold her court. 

 The next question of moment was a location for 

 the peach and the grape, not only where they 

 would grow, but whe^e they would grow and 

 flourish best. This latter proposition is one no 

 so easily settled, some advocating the highest 

 points, while others claim that just above the 

 line of spring frosts is the most desirable. As 

 we have paid some attention to the study of the 

 soil and climate of this section during the past 

 three years, we propose, while our friends are 

 turning their inquiries to the price of this or 

 that tract, this or that aspect for fruit culture, to 

 give our views as to the value of those various 

 elevations. It is well known that frost first oc- 

 curs, in the valleys, and generally rises to what 

 is termed the fog line. That is, the vapor which 

 the sun has raised during the day, settles, or 

 rather rolls down the hill sides at night, and as 

 the radiation is rapid in the valley, the heat 

 which is given ofiF by the condensation of this 

 vapor, and the radiation of the soil protects the 

 hill sides from frost, by inclosing them within 

 the warm atmosphere that rises from below, 

 while the valley gives off its own heat, and at 

 the same time is loaded with the cold vapor from 

 above, which bad parted with its latent heat; 

 hence frost is the result. In case of spring 

 frosts, it will be found on a level, distinctly mark- 

 ed on the hill side at the highest point of this 

 cold vapor bath, first commencing at the bottom, 

 the vapor is congealed as it fills up the valley, 

 and hence it becomes necessary to have a deep 

 valley ■'in which to put the cold air below the line 

 of the peach orchard, to protect it from frosts. 



Let us take, for example, this station, which 

 is in the valley at the head of the Drury, and 

 which, by the way, is twenty-five feet above the 

 level of Lake Michigan. The silurian lime stone 

 crops out and forms the bed of the road, while 

 rext above it is the shale, and above this the 

 sand stone. The valley is yet a forest, which, 

 while it giv^s oS heat rapidly, prevents the cold 

 strata of air from above to reach below the tops 

 of the trees, and, as a matter of course, the frost 

 is much higher up the hills than it would be 

 were the va'leya cleared of wood, and as a mat- 

 ter of course, permit the vapor to reach the 

 ground. To prove this point, we have but to re- 

 fer to the orcjiards near the tops of the hills ; 

 the fruit trees rear the line of the forest lose 

 their fruit from frost in consequence of the forest 

 trees not permitting the vapor to roll down the 

 hill, ard by congealing, destroys the fruit buds. 

 The present practice is to seek out the highest 

 points, clear off the wood to the frost line, or 

 nearly even with the tops of the valley woodland, 

 and upon this bare point, unprotected from (he 

 bleak winds and sudden changes, plant out the 

 peach orchards. If the country was to remain 

 in Its present condition this practice might an- 

 swer a very good purpose, but the valleys will be 



wanted for corn, for pasturage, for and meadows; 

 hence they will soon come under the sharp prac- 

 tice of the woodman's axe. Then we apprehend 

 that the frost line will reach further down the 

 slope, and, in many cases, come below the out 

 crop of the lime rock, especially south of this 

 point, in consequence of the dip of this rock, 

 which forms by far the richest and best peach 

 soil. As we go from the station, up the west 

 side of Mount Tabor, we are at the top of the 

 shale, at an elevation of some fifty feet above the 

 valley. The peach trees here are very thrifty, 

 but as the wood land below dams up, as it were, 

 the vapor, the fruit is killed; but so soon as the 

 trees below are cut away, we shall expect these 

 trees to hold their fruit. Should this view prove 

 correct, it will extend the area for peach culture 

 an average distance of fifty feet elevat on, and 

 when we take into consideration that those hills 

 only average about two hundred feet in bight, 

 one can have some idea of the addition. The 

 lowest point in Col. Bainbridge's peach orchard 

 is about one hundred and seventy-five feet, and 

 where the hill rises fifty feet above this, and 

 where the forest comes up to the orchard, there the 

 fruit is kiled by the frost the same as if it were 

 near the bottom of the valley. The forest form- 

 ing an artificial valley as dangerous on a small 

 scale as the natural valley itself. Mount Tabor 

 is about two hundred and twenty five feet above 

 the va'ley, now suppose the sides of the hill and 

 valley about it were clear of their timber. Jt 

 will no longer be kept warm to the summit by 

 the heated air arising from the now wooded val- 

 ley, and after its own heat is radiated or carried 

 off by the winds that have free access to it ; the 

 peach line will be removed far down its sides, 

 while its apex will be subject to frost. A warm 

 spell in March will expand the peach buds, while 

 a sudden norther, unchecked by a friendly belt 

 of timbfr, may prove disastrous. Mount Look- 

 out has a still higher summit, as is the case with 

 many other points, and at this time their high 

 points are the most valuable for the peach, and 

 with proper care they may continue valuable ; 

 but we suggest that the course that is now being 

 pursued will in a few years diminish their value, 

 especially when the shale and limestone forma- 

 tions become adapted to the peach by clearing 

 away the forest from the valleys, as they form the 

 most natural soil for this fruit. It is, therefore, 

 time to consider how much of the native forest 

 shall be left on the hill sides, to ward off the 

 su Iden changes that the clearing up of the coun- 

 try will bring in its train. So much for the 

 peace. We will now consider the 



GEAPE. 



By the elevation and broken nature of this nar- 

 row point of land lying between these two large 

 rivers, it is easily seen that it is a natural water 

 shed, upon which the vapors and clouds from the 

 bottoms will discharge their moist favors, pro- 

 ducing during a portion of the year a damp cli- 

 mate. And as it is at the same time exposed to 

 a burning sun, the growth of the vine must be 

 rapid, while the humidity will tend to develop 

 the rot in all such varieties as the Catawbaand 

 the Isabella. It is, therefore, a problem yet to 

 be solved, how far grape c^alture will succeed at 



