The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-22
Correspondence of the Journal of Commerce.
Mississippi RIVER near Quincy Sent 40

In the Northern part of the State of Illinois the
prairie prevails in the Southern, the timbered land
One and team Of four horses break up easily
one acre of the prairie per day with six men two
may be broken 1t requires, am told, five days work
to cut down an acre Of good timber, one man being
employed. The prairie is broken in June, and re-
celves sod crop of wheat in the fall, and it is the
opinion Of many farmers that the yield is never better
than on the sod, the land becomes thoroughly pull
versed the next year The timbered land needs TO
ha re the timber burned off, and the stumps remain on
it for years The cost of breaking the prairie 80
per acre to bring timbered land into cultivable
state, will cost SO per acre they both vary in
quality, but all the prairie have seen is rich
garden mould, and nearly inexhaustible Ii was the
practice until recently, to cut deep in breaking up the
prairie the better plan now is to cut from two and
half to three inches only thus dividing the roots of the
GRASSY and turn the sod over. The sod turned when
horses are used is about foot in width with oxen,
which cut with wider plough, about % inches
and when well broken, field presents surface
nearly as level any other soil ! he wheat is sown
upon it from three to four months after the poughng
and is narrowed in without trouble. Those who cut
the sod deeper, find that the roots spring up from the
bottom, and give much trouble. There those in
New York who never having prairie, will not
believe in its capacity to produce wheat sc. | ca1
only say TO all SUCH that among the thousands who
own prairie and timbered land adjoining have never
seen or heard of the man who thought Of using the
timbered land for cultivation, and well remember
that there is no tmbered land in the State which in
dicates poor soil On the score of roads the ad-
vantages are equally in favor of the prairie country
Through Mich gan they were bad have not seen
| a road in Illinois, that was not better for travelling
on at this season, than the Third Avenue. In the
Spring and Fall, however, am told they exceed
ingy muddy from which the timbered lands are not
! then exempt. The roads may be made in any drec-
ton the praries, with very little labor The
ly complaint heard about roads, was that they were
so good and level to expose the horses to hurt from
hard driving. Those who understand the economy
of good roads, will in this circumstance great
advantage in favor of the pralres. Leaving out of
view the value which they give to productions that
would otherwise rot upon the farms, in which the
producer and consumer both are benefited, the adj
vantages the score of good neighborhood are
sufficient to make the prairie preferred. In the
| timber, those who but two miles
only apart, find communication difficult. Ten
miles travel through timber, except in old
and well settled region, would seldom be thought
Of have travelled for 20 miles over prairie by
compass without turning to the right or the left The
season however dry. In timbered region one s
view is hemmcd in for years every side by the
! tall trees. You scarcely find place on the
prairie without an expansive view, some of which
are truly grand. All of our preconceived notions of
prairie, are destined, upon first view of them to be
disappointed Sensations very much akin are enjoy-
ed when one first looks upon the ocean or Niagara
or large praires To have any Just idea of their
grandeur is as far beyond the power of imagination
to who has not seen them, it is of description
afterwards. You may describe quarter section,
and give an idea of its noble swell, and of the growth
of its flowers and herbsge and of its drainage through
| the green valleys into some distant stream,-peope
may be made to understand that some too Hat,
and other parts too rolling for cultivation; but take
! the whole IN a mass, and the want of power to
paint it to another's fancy exists, in the OF
! any Of the great wonders Of nature.
These are the prairies, and they ultimately
destined 10 make the State of the most powerful
in the Union. Al the present moment every thing
about them seems TO be depressed. Notwithstanding
great amount of industry, eight out of ten of the
farmers are in debt and hold their farms for sale.
do not know farm in Illinois that will pay expenses
with hired help, at the present prices of produce
Many of them borrowed money TO buy farms all
such are now in a dangerous position Said one of
them 10 me how can get along when II takes 300
lbs. of pork on my farm to buy one pound Of tea in
| Peoria, thirty miles distant To save their corn,
some Of the farmers in the neghborhood killed their