82 
AGRICULTURE. 
By Hon. J. F. WIELANDY, 
Secretary of the Missouri State Board of Agriculture. 
According to the theory of geologists, the physiography of Mis- 
souri is of volcanic formation, and bears the appearance of an 
eruptive upheaval from the great sedimentary basin of the Missis- 
sippi Valley, the whole area of the country being intersected by a 
vast and complex net-work of large rivers, smaller streams and 
their tributaries; with ridges and chains of hills projecting here 
and there above the general surface level. 
The channels worn by these various streams and rivers, constitute 
one of the most important features in the physical structure of the 
State, presenting as they do, vast alluvial deposits of almost inex- 
- haustible fertility, adapted to the growth of corn and nearly every 
other species of crop suited to our latitude, without necessitating 
the appliance of manures and other fertilizers. Besides the broader 
and deeper valleys, found wherever watercourses occur, the config- 
uration of the country, especially in the Center and Southeast, is 
hilly and broken, and not seldom intersected by ravines and pre- 
cipitous gorges, which add to the picturesque effect of the land- 
scape, but render a considerable proportion of the land unfit for 
cultivation. But by a wonderful compensation of Providence, the 
more sterile and barren sections abound in the valuable and useful 
ores and minerals that have gained for Missouri, a prominent place 
among the nations and regions of the earth famous for their metal- 
liferous wealth. 
Our State contains all, or nearly all the elemental classes of soils 
known to agricultural writers. Argillaceous, calcareous and silic- 
eous soils, arenaceous and alluvial loams, are represented by turns 
in the different geological formations of the State, often blended 
with each other in such minute gradations as to make it a task of 
some difficulty to classify them without precedent analysis. All 
these soils are characterized by an abundance of live spring water, 
and a spontaneous growth of natural grasses and forest trees. 
For the purposes of agricultural definition, Missouri may practi- 
cally be subdivided into two principal and distinct regions : the 
first embracing the timbered, and the second the prairie districts of 
the State. A transverse line drawn from Northeast to Southwest 
will serve to show that the area lying west of the line consists prin- 
cipally of prairie, while the portion east of the line consists mainly 
of timber. For a general definition, this imaginary line of separ- 
ation will answer sufficiently, although numerous exceptions occur, 
the timbered sections being frequently found interspersed with 
scattering prairies of greater or less extent, while lines of forest 
trees invariably skirt the streams that flow through the prairies. 
TrmBeR.—The preservation of forests is a question of vital 
importance to the people of our State. The prospective scarcity 
and high price of timber that must inevitably result from the 
thoughtless waste and destruction of our forests, now so universally 
practiced, demand the atiention of intelligent and patriotic men. 
It is safe to estimate that nearly one-half of the full-grown timber 
of Missouri has been destroyed within the last thirty years. When 
it is remembered that wood is an article of constant daily consump- 
tion, positively indispensable to nearly every use and appliance of 
modern civilization ; that railroads require millions of ties annually 
for purposes of construction as well as reparation, while immense 
quantities of the most valuable trees are wasted yearly to keep up the 
ruinous and inefficient system of fencing now in force in most of 
Western States; when we reflect further that this wholesale destruc- 
tion is likely to increase from year to year in the future, we may 
well be appalled at the impending total annihilation of so import- 
ant and essential an element of national prosperity. This subject 
certainly affords a wide scope for preventive and protective legis- 
lation. 
No description is adequate to portray the beauty and magnificent 
grandeur of our native forests, in those few favored spots yet 
untouched by the leveling axe of the ever-advancing pioneer. In 
the rich warm soils of the river bottoms, especially in the South- 
eastern part of the State, walnut trees 110 feet high and 22 feet in 
circumference, oak trees 125 feet high and 20 feet in circumference, 
and sycamores 130 feet high and 12 feet in diameter, are recorded 
from actual measurement. From the lofty boughs of these tall 
monarchs of the forest, the wild grape, the trumpet flower, the 
scarlet-flowered tecoma radicans, the ampelopsis guinguefolia, and 
many other winding shrubs hang down in graceful festoons, while 
antlered deer browse among their shady recesses, and nimble squir- 
rels skip from branch to branch in search of acorns and nuts. 
In many places within the State, various species of wood adapted 
to the mechanic arts are still found growing in great abundance. 
Ash, walnut, birch, cherry, populus Canadensis or cotton wood, 
cedar, cypress, several varieties of oak, hickory and maple, mul- 
berry, beech, chesnut, elm, locust, coffee tree, catalpa, tulip tree, 
and many other useful trees and shrubs, grow on the uplands as 
well as in the valleys. Vast groves of yellow pine cover several 
counties in the South and Southeast, a portion of these pine lands 
being still held by Government and subject to entry. 
PRAIRIES.—The undulating and fertile prairies extending over 
the greater part of Western Missouri, produce luxuriant crops of 
natural grasses equaling the cultivated varieties in nutritious prop- 
erties. In spring and early summer, these beautiful prairies, 
studded over with multitudes of flowers of variegated shapes and 
gaudy hues, disclose a view of enchanting loveliness to one who 
beholds the scene for the first time. The predominant colors seem 
to be various shades of yellow; but unlike the wild flowers of 
Europe, the native species of our prairies seldom exhale much fra- 
grance. ‘The surface of prairies in Missouri does not exhibit the 
dreary and level uniformity that characterizes certain of our neigh- 
boring States; on the contrary, the aspect of the landscape is 
rolling, and undulated with successive lines of wavy ridges and 
irregularly-shaped mounds. Now and then a meandering stream 
skirted with an irregular growth of forest trees, diversifies the 
scenery and adds to its picturesque effect. Numerous herds of 
cattle and horses dot the prairies on every side, and roam at will 
among the young and luscious herbage that mats the earth with a 
thick grassy carpet. Their sleek coats, and shapely, well rounded 
forms, bear witness to the nutritious qualities of the prairie grasses, 
which are considered by the settlers as hardly inferior to blue grass 
for pastures, or to timothy and clover for hay. In some of the 
Southern counties, especially in the great overflowed swamp region 
of the Southeast, cane-brakes cover extensive stretches of land. 
The cane is an evergreen species of reed, and its dense foliage 
affords shelter and food for stock, as well as numerous wild animals 
during the entire year. 
