202 INCREASE OF TIMBER. 
along the streams, throughout most of the 
far-western prairies. 
It is unquestionably the prairie conflagra- 
tions that keep down the woody growth upon 
most of the western uplands. The occasional 
skirts and fringes which have escaped their 
rage, have been protected by the streams they 
border. Yet may not the time come when 
these vast plains will be covered with tim- 
ber? It would seem that the prairie region, 
long after the discovery of America, extended 
to the very banks of the Mississippi. Father 
Marquette, in a voyage down this river, in - 
1673, after passing below the mouth of the 
Ohio, remarks :—“ The banks of the river be- 
gan to be covered with high trees, which hin- 
dered us from observing the country as we 
had done all along; but we judged from the 
bellowing of the oxen [buffalo] that the mea- 
dows are very near.”—Indeed, there are parts 
. the southwest now thickly set with trees 
good size, that, within the remembrance 
of the oldest inhabitants, were as naked as 
the prairie plains; and the appearance of 
the timber in many other sections indi- 
cates that it has grown up within less than 
a century. In fact, we are now witnessing 
the encroachment of the timber upon the 
prairies, wherever the devastating conflagra- 
tions acts ceased their ravages. 
e high plains seem too dry and lifeless 
to produce timber; yet might not the vicis- 
situdes of nature operate a change likewise 
upon the seasons? Why may we not sup- 
