Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1878 [PAGE 285]

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285

United S t a t e s . 1850—bushels 1860-bushels 1870- bushels 592,071,104 • 938,792,741 760,944,549 Illinois. 57,646,984 115,174,777 129,921,395

The acreage since t h a t period in Illinois has been as follows: 1870 1871 1872 1874 6,262,963 acres. 6,923,076 7,087,040 "

Illinois is by far t h e largest corn-producing state. Sangainon a n d Logan produced according- to t h e census of 1870 over four millions of bushels each. Fifty five counties p r o duced in excess of one million of bushels each. ERIANTHUS, Woolly Beard Grass. alopecuroides, native, L a p h a m ; Gray. ANDROPOGON, Beard Grass. furcatus, native, L a p h a m ; Cook county, Babcock; Champaign county, virginicus, native, L a p h a m . scoparius, Michx.; dry prairies, e t c . , common. SORGHUM, Brown Grass, Broom Corn. n u t a n s , Indian Grass, Wood Grass, native, L a p h a m ; Cook county, Babcock; Champaign county, saccharatum, Broom Corn, cultivated from India a n d Arabia for t h e * ' b r u s h , ' ' from which brooms a r e made. Chinese sugar cane, sorghum, imphee, e t c . , a r e supposed t o be varieties cultivated from Africa, China, e t c . , for t h e saccharine matter contained in t h e stalk. Valuable also as fodder for plants. The production of sorghum, s u g a r a n d molasses is as follows:

Year. 1860 1870

Production. Molasses, gallons.

United States. 6,749,143 16,050,089

Illinois. 806,589 1,960,478

Sugar, in 1870, 24 hogsheads r e t u r n e d from Iowa a n d Pennsylvania. Molasses, was produced in every county save one, in 1870. Shelby a n d Edgar lead. The production of broom corn, although an i m p o r t a n t industry, is not given in the census. vulgare, Indian Millet, Durra or Doura, cultivated from India. var, cernuum, Guinea Corn, Drooping Sorghum, cultivated from India. The seeds of all t h e species a r e valuable as food for domestic animals and even for bread, b u t t h e i r cultivation has been induced by other considerations and their value in this respect not appreciated. GYNERIUM, Pampas Grass, perennials. argenteum, planted from South America for ornament, t e n d e r .

EQTJISETACEJE—HORSETAIL FAMILY.

EQUISETUM, Horsetail Scouring Brush. arvense, Common Horsetail, n a t i v e , L a p h a m ; Cook county, Babcock. palustre, L . ; wet places, Peoria county, Wolf; Brendel. scirpoides, Michx.; McHenry county, Vasey. limosum, native, Vasey; Peoria county, Brendel. lsevigatum, native, Lapham. r o b u s t u m , native, L a p h a m . hyemale, Scouring Rush, Shave Grass, native, Lapham. variegatum, native, Vasey; Brendel; Peoria county. Wood says t h a t limosum is greedily devoured by cattle. Is this t h e * ' r u s h , ' ' mentioned by Governor Reynolds, when he says: " A b o v e t h e cane regions t h e r u s h e s grew on t h e sandy margins of t h e Mississippi and on sandy islands, strong a n d thick. They a r e more n u t r i t i o u s and b e t t e r on which to winter animals t h a n c a n e . " — P i o n e e r History.

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