Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-11-20
PASTORAL REGION of the World.

q A5tACt VI NJtt- ptlAr VI AAA'AN t---- {
Missouri, to the New York Times:
There is a radical misapPrehension IN
the popular mind, as to the true charac-
ter of the Great Plains Of America,
as complete as that which peryaded Flu
rope respecting the Atlantic Ocean dur
ing the whole historic period prior to Co
lumbus.
These plains are not DESERTS, but the
opposite, and are the cardinal basis of
the future empire Of commerce and in
dustry now erecting itself upon the North
American continent. They are calcare-
Gus; and form the PASTORAL Garden Of
the world. Their position and area may
be easily understood. The meridian line
which terminates the States Of louisa
ma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa, on the
west, forms their eastern limit, and the
Rocky Mountain crest their western linn
it. Between these limits they occupy a
longitudian parallelogram of less than
one thousand miles in width, extending
from the Texan to the Arctic coast.
There is no timber upon them, and
single trees are scarce. They have a
gentle slope from the west to the east,
and sabound in rivers. They are clad
thick with nutritious grasses, and swarm
with animal life. The soils not silicious
or sandy, but IS a fine calcareous mould.
They run smoothly out to the navigable
rivers-the Missouri, Mississippi, and ST
Lawrence-and to the Texan coast
The mountain masses towards the pacific
form no serious barrier between them and
that ocean. No portion of their whole
sweep of surface is more than one thou.
sand miles from the best navigation. The
prospect is everywhere greatly undula
ting and gradeful, being bounded, as OF
the ocean, by the horizon. Storms ar,
rare, except during the melting of tn
SHOWS upon the crests of the Rocky noun
tains. The climate is comparatively rain
less the rivers serve, like the Nile, t
irrigate rather than drain the neighbor
ing surface, and have few ailments. The
all ruR from west to east, having bed
shallow and broad, and the basins thr,
which they flow are fat, long and marrow
The area of the Great Plains is ecu
= valent to the surface of the twenty-fou
States between the Mississippi and II
Atlantic sea, but they are one homog
neous formation, smooth, uniform an
continuous, without a single abrupt moul
De- tain, timbered place, desert or lake. Fro
X their ample dimensions and position
!. they define themselves the pasture fieI,
ice of the world. Upon them PASTORAL agl
If culture will become a separate grand
~ partment Of of national industry.
nus The PASTORAL characteristic, beir
novel to our people, needs a minute e
PLANTATION. In traversing the contine
from the Atlantic beech to the Sou
Pass, the point of greatest altitude a,
u, remoteness from the sea, we cross 81
cessively the timbered region, the prail
region Of soft soil and long annual grass
and finally the Great Plains. The +,
first are irrigated by the rains conf
from the sea, and Arabic. The last
rainless, of a compact soil, resisting
plow, and is therefore PASTORAL. I
heritage is particularly adapted to
climate and the dryness of the soil a
atmosphere, and is perennial. It is e
ble-nutritious throughout the year. T
is the gamma or buffalo grassy. It C,
ers the ground one inch in height,
the appearance of a delicate moss. and
ieari leaf has the fneness and spiral texture
a negro's hair. During the melting
the SHOWS in the immense mountaia n
ses at the back of the Great Plains.
rivers swell like the Nile, and yiell
q his copious evaporation in their sinuous CO
he is ses across the Plains; storm-clouds gat
IS us on the SUBMITS, roll down the mount
sides, and discharge themselves in ver
showers. During this temporary pre-
lence of moist atmosphere, these delit
grasses grow, seed in the root, and
cured into hay upon the ground by
gradually returning drought, It's
Id longitudinal belt of perennial pasture
on which the buffalo finds his winter
dwelling upon it without regard to
tude ; and here are the infinite herds
aboriginal cattle peculiar to North Am
ca-bufalo. wild horses, elk, anteI
white and black tailed deer. noun
y sheep, tue grizzly bear, wolves, the
badger, porcupine, and smaller amir
inrumerable. The aggregate numbe
'1As this cattle, by calculation from sound d
s.n exceed one hundred million. No AM
fires ever sweep over the Great PA