Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-05-22
THE PRAIRIEs.


ject Of much curiosity to persons from the
wooded regions of the east, and we have
often heard strangers enquire why timber
will not grow on them. Anywhere east
of the Allegheny mountains the growth OF
various kinds of timber seems to wage a
continuous was against the efforts of the
agricul,urists, and if a field be neglected
for few years it will be invaded on all
sides by vigorous growth of young trees
and yet the soil there seems to be no bet
ter adapted for such vegetation than ours
here in Iowa or Illinois, where the great
praires prevail.
As we consider this a subject of consid-
cradle local interest to US of the prairie re-
gions, we will give short summary of
What seems to lis reasonable speculations
on the matter in question.
The geological formations of the Missis-
sippi valley show that it was all at one
time submerged, and that by some con-
vuIs;on of nature, or perhaps by slow de-
grees, it was raised to its present elevation
In rising thus from the bottom of the sea,
the whole was an unbroken plain Of mud
and sand destitute of all manner of dry
land vegetation. The water draining from
this plain followed out the course of the
present river, and by ages of attrition on
the substrata of rocks have formed the
deep valleys in which they now flow, leav-
ing the uplands high and dry. These up
lands being composed almost entirely OF
alluvium, offered soil of unequaled rich
ness for the support Of vegetable growth
as soon as the water had sufficiently drain
ed off. This region being Of vast extent,
the winds were the principal agents in
SOW ing the seeds Of grasses and many 9th
er small plants being extremely light, and
some of them furnished with tufts of down
to enable them to float in the air, were
soon carried from the neighboring noun
tain lands and spread over the surface of
this new region, where they Immediately
took root and presently formed rank and
dense growth which SO completely monop-
olized the soil as to exclude the growth Of
any trees whose seeds might have been car
riel there subsequently by birds or other
agents.
This heavy growth of light plants, ac-
cusnulaiing from year to year formed
deep beds of inhamahle material which
produced spontaneousrfires long before hui
man footsteps had marked the SOIL These
fises completed the destruction of all man
ner OF trees which might accidentally take
root, nothing escaping save grass and 9th
err perennial plants. These we hold to be
the causes which at first prevented, and
has ever since continued to prevent the
growth of timber On the vast regions oc-
cupied by the prairies, and not any i'll
adsptdeness of the soil for such growth. On
the contrary, no where will trees grow
with so much rapidity as on the praries,
if protected from the scathing fires.
| The reason why the banks of most
of the streams are heavily timbered is a
very simple one, and is in our opinion as
follows:
| The rains having washed away most Of
the soil from the hill-sides adjacent to the
rivers, the grass grew there but sparngly,
and consequently the seeds of vario is
trees brought from other sections by he
stream, Or by birds, found room to take
root, and were not destroyed by the fires
owing to the scanty vegetation around
them. The streams also, arres Ged the
progress of the fires and thus afforded a
protection to the timber on the opposite
side.-[ Dubuque Herald.
The President CoMlNa WEsT.-We