New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-01

OF Hs muck are apr 70 DC fOUl1 Ia nOVW- OF s!Ou5as
which without draining are unavailable. These
slOughs ptlpsbe nuissaces especially At this sea
sou, when il IL dangerous 10 drive team into one oil
them, We. often difficult to avoid ihen Perhaps
the region Immediately surrounding Chicago is
an unfayofable specimen even Of wet prairie.
but the proportion of the prairie lands which
must await draining before they can be proSta5ly
cultivated cannot fall short OF onefoUrth, aad may
go much higher. Then tie infrequency Of springs
enc brooks the deficiency Of water 20 Eer tbs crest
teams required to break up prairie properly, aud the
heavy cost of travelling miles for every fsnceran or
sck OF fuel, serious drawbacks TO prairie settle
ment The pioneer who can fasten upon quarter
section half prairie and hsl timber especially II he
can build bis cot in the southern edge of the wood,
and have his prairie lying southetly before him. is
happy man but between locating Ia heavy timber
like that of rhern Ohio or Western Nes-York,
where every foot OF hine has to be fought for aud
on rich, smooth prairie, thres miles from timber
sbould decidedly prefer the former. Bstseen clearing
Of timber, and growing or importing r. l deem the
former By far the more feasible.
But the Railroads, whefewith Illinois has Of late
been and is still being checkerec, have already
wrought great change in this respect, and are des
tined to settle the praiiies far more rspidly and
speedily than their most sanguine admirers could
have anticipated ten years ngo. When saw, seven
ye Ira ego settlers Of interior counties taking out
from Chicago losd sfter load Of boards whe.eTth to
fence their large Enclosures taking n loads of grain
srd selling them fr hardly more than would load
them back again with boards, | could not but con-
slider this slow way to procure fencing. But nov
there arc few spots in Northern Illinois 80 far 81
twenty miles from Railroad, and very all parts
Of the State viii b. within ten miles Of either steam
boat. canal or railway communication. And whsr-
ever the IS stop, there timber, lime, brick &c,
speedily 70 be unosded there houses spring
up, chldr 70 born, and cultivation begins to est
into the OF ljaoent prairie II shall be disappointed
il Illinois not double her population between
1850 and 49,.
As to the growth Of Wood, it is very generally esi-
na cd 70 ca al tie annual consumption But il ought
to do more rucb more than ths. True, there Is az
much wood in he State az is needed, but not whore
il is needed. Belts Of timber skirt nearly every
stream, but there are thousands OF square miles Of
choice prairie st least five miles from the nearest
grove or "opepiDg" Every landowner, every
Spectator, ought TO realize the moral Obligation rest
ibg on MIN 20 plant timber. II the owner OF each
prairie quarter section distant move than one mile
from the the nearest timber were required by Law to
plant at least ten acres OF timber thereon within
year and keep the fire out Of said timber by blowing
vide belt all around II, the total value Of die lands
of Illinois would be enhanced at least one fourth with
10 ten years. Let the seed Gown be part Locus, or
some other quick growing wood, the residue Hickory
Sugar Maple, White Pine, Chestnut, Cherry, Black
Walnut, &c. and coon Illinois, from being the very
worst would soon become decidedly the best tim
bered State in the Union.
think the Railroads already constructed or com
mepoed have At least doubled the value othe wild lands
Of Illinois MoDs OF acres which, but for these, would
not have been nhsbitabe for lifetims, will now be
promptly settled and improved. And all the COM
pleted roads running westxerd, or nearly westward,
roru Chicago look if they were making money, as
Is the Northern Indian. on the east even the Chi
caeo and Mississippi runs out fair, though sp aer,
trains; while the Illinois Central is yet doing poor
ly. II runs mainly through prairie as yet thiny or
not at al settled. And it does not seem to point in
tie direction of the main current OF trsvei that is
6om east TO west; while tie Central runs frou south
N north north. west with branch nearly as long as
the truck leading 70 Chica in the north east have
hitherto supposed that this Company drove sharp bar
gsiu with the State now l suspect that the State
hiss the best Of IL To her, the Road is worth ., il
cost trust II viii yet be worth even more 10 the
stockbolders-but not yet. There are too few con-
siderable villages along its track and too maoy miles
of houseless prairie on either side of it, This prairie
will yet be se;tled aid thrifty waving with corn and
dotted with cattle but meantime, the stock will drocp
and dividends be scsrce If the Company b sd been
obliged BY its charter to put it, lands all up st public
auction within two years from the completion Of their
work. sud sell each 10, or quarte,sector without re-
serve to the hehe, bidder with the ineI 'rabe con-
dton that none should be sold but to an actual set
tier and not more than section in sill to any enc, the
road would have paid sooner and paid better than II
now will. | am not sure that the land would not
even have cold hiaher; for the that ali Of
was TO pass forthwith into the hands of cultlyators
would have greatly enhsacedl its real value As thlngs
are suspect the extreme northwest section OF tue
road reaching from Free port to Galena and Duneiih,
and taking the Chicago travel at Freepor, from the
Chicago and Gaena Road, is the most productive
portion Of the entire work. But only let population
be attracted to its vicnage and the great fertility OF
the soil with the universal demand for pine lumber
from the North and coal from the South, will create
an immense Freighting business while heavy crops
of corr, spring wheat &c. and great droves of cat
tie will WELD liberal returns for the benedcent enser-
prise which has SO quickly sirdled the prsire' With
ircn
It most besuliful aud sttr sctiyela lands in Illinois,
10 nv eve. are tbose bordering her rivers espeo ally
the Illinois and It's tributaries. Sheltered from the
feree prairie winds by tie bas as well as the TIMBER
uheregih hey abound, and generally wei waiered
a. vel As fertile The bcstoms in every view most
inviting TO se.iiera. Ottawa al the Junction oil ths
Fox with he Illinois is in the midst Of pleasant "a
pion; La Sale fifteen miles below. at the souih end
oftbe Illinois Canal Is surrounded By Coal Lime
- ...... O ,.lana II nnnsiGershla trade Hoe