USA > Illinois > Piatt County > History of Piatt County; together with a brief history of Illinois from the discovery of the upper Mississippi to the present time > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
Urticaceæ-Nettle family. This includes four sub-families, the Elm family, Bread-fruit and Fig family, Nettle family proper, and Hemp family. All are represented in Piatt county. The Bread-fruit and Fig family are represented by the mulberry.
Ulmus .- Fulva, Michx. (slippery or red elm). Banks of streams; collected by John Marquiss. Americana, L. (American or white elm). With the last, but more common.
Celtis .- Occidentalis, L. (sugarberry ; hackberry). Woods and river banks.
Morus .- Rubra, L. (red mulberry). Rich woods near streams. Alba, L. (white mulberry). Rich woods; introduced.
Urtica .- Gracilis, Ait. (nettle). Fence rows and waste places near dwellings. Pilea .- Pumila, Gray (richweed; clearweed). Moist, shaded grounds.
Humulus .- Lupulus, L. (hop). Banks of streams.
Platanaceæ -Plane-tree family.
Platanus .- Occidentalis, L. (plane-tree; sycamore; buttonwood). Banks of streams.
Juglandaceæ-Walnut family.
Juglans .- Cinerea, L. (butternut). Banks of streams. Nigra, L. (black wal- nut). Banks of streams.
Carya .- Alba, 'Nutt. (shell-bark hickory). Dry grounds. Sulcata, Nutt. (western shell-bark hickory). River bottoms. Amara, Nutt. (bitter-nut; swamp hickory). Moist woods.
Cupuliferæ-Oak family.
Quercus .- Alba, L. (white oak). Rich woods. Macrocarpa, Michx. (burr- oak). Rich soil. Imbricaria, Michx. (laurel oak; shingle oak). Open woods. Nigra, L. (black-jack oak; barren oak). Barren lands; collected by John Marquiss. Coccinea, Waug .; var. tinctoria, Gray (yellow-barked oak ; black oak). Both rich and poor soil; collected by John Marquis. Rubra, L. (red oak). Both rich and poor soil ; collected by John Marquiss.
Corylus .- Americana, Walt. (hazel nut). Dry grounds, open woods, etc.
. Ostrya .- Virginica, Willd (hop-hornbeam). Rich woods.
Carpinus .- Americana, Michx. (iron-wood). Along streams.
Salicaceæ-Willow family.
Salix .- Cordata, Muhl. (heart-leaved willow). Wet prairies and along streams. Nigra, Marsh (black willow). Banks of streams. Longifolia, Muhl. (long-leaved willow). Wet places.
Populus .- Monilifera, Ait. (cottonwood ; necklace poplar). Along streams.
Coniferæ -Pine family.
Juniperus .- Virginiana, L. (red cedar; savin). Reported to grow at Cedar Bluff, on the Sangamon.
114
HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
Araccæ-Arum family.
Arisæma .- Triphyllum, Torr. (Indian turnip; Jack-in-the-pulpit). Rich woods. Dracontium, Schott. (green dragon; dragon-root). Woods along streams.
Lemnaceæ-Duckweed family.
Lemna .- Polyrrhiza, L. (duckweed; duck's-meat). Still water.
Typhaceæ-Cat-tail family.
Typha .- Latifolia, L. (cat-tail). Marshy places and borders of ponds.
Sparganium .- Eurycarpum, Engelm. (bur-reed). Wet places.
Alismaceæ-Water-plantain family.
Alisma .- Plantago, L .; var. Americanum, Gray (water-plantain). Shallow water.
Sagittaria (arrow-head) :- Variabilis, Engelm. Shallow water or wet places. Heterophylla, Pursh. With the last.
Orchidaceæ .- Orchis family.
Orchis .- Spectabilis, L. (showy orchis). Rich woods; scarce.
Amarylladaceæ-Amaryllis family.
Hypoxys .- Erecta, L. (star-grass). Meadows and open woods.
Iridaceæ-Iris family.
Iris .- Versicolor, L. (larger blue flag). Shallow water or wet places. Sisyrinchium .- Bermudiana, L. (blue-eyed grass). Moist meadows.
Dioscoreaceæ-Yam family.
Dioscorea .- Villosa, L. (wild yam-root). . Thickets.
Smilaceæ-Smilax family.
Smilax .- Hespida, L. (greenbrier). Woods and thickets. herbaceæ, L. (car- rion flower). Woods and open grounds along streams.
Liliaceæ-Lily family. Plants of this family have regular flowers consisting of a perianth of six sepals, six stamens and a free, three- celled ovary. The divisions of the perianth are all similar except in trillium, which has the outer set green and the inner colored. Among the useful plants of the family are the onion and asparagus.
Trillium .- Recurvatum, Beck. (trillium; three-leaved nightshade). Rich woods.
Uvularia .- Grandiflora, Smith (bellwort). Rich woods.
Smilacina .- Racemosa, Desf. Rich woods. Stellata, Desf. High banks of the Sangamon.
Polygonatum .- Giganteum, Dietrich. Woods.
Lilium .- Philadelphicum, L. (wild orange-red lily). Prairies.
Erythronium .- Albidum, Nutt. (white dog's-tooth violet). Rich woods.
Scilla .- Fraseri, Gray (eastern squamash; wild hyacinth). Moist prairies and open woods.
Allium (onion ; garlic) .- Striatum, Jacq. Prairies and open woods. Juncaceæ- Rush family.
Juncus (rush) .- Tenius, Wild. Low grounds, fields and roadsides. Nodo- sus, L .; var. megacephalus, Torr. Water or wet places.
115
FLORA OF PIATT COUNTY.
Commelynaceæ-Spiderwort family.
Tradescantia .- Virginica, L. (spiderwort). Moist woods and meadows.
Cyperaceæ-Sedge family. Grass-like plants, distinguished from the true grasses by their solid stems, three-ranked leaves with closed sheaths, and the single scale subtending each flower. Since most of them grow in places more or less wet, their habitats will not be given.
Cyperus (galingale) .- Diandrus, Torr .; Acuminatus, Torr .; Strigosus, L .; Michauxianus, Schultes.
Dulichiium (dulichiium) .- Spathuceum, Pers.
Eleocharis (spike-ruslı) .- Obtusa, Schultes; Palustrus, R. Br .; Acicularis, R. Br.
Scirpus (bulrush ; club-rush) .- Validus, Vahl .; Fluviatilis, Gray ; Atrovirens, Muhl .; Lineatus, Michx.
Carex (sedge) .- Vulpinoidea, Michx .; Sparganioides, Muhl .; Rosea, Schk .; Lagopodioides, Schk .; Cristata, Schw., var. Mirabilis, Boott; Straminea, Schk .; Stricta, Lam .; Grisea, Wahl; Davisii, Schw. & Torr .; Laxiflora, Lam .; Pennsyl- vanica, Lam .; Lanuginosa, Michx .; Hystricina, Willd; Grayii, Carey ; Lupulina, Muhl .; Smithii, T. C. Porter.
Gramineæ-Grass family. The grasses are distinguished by their hollow stems, leaves in two ranks, and with open sheaths and two scales for each flower. The flowers are arranged in spikelets, each spikelet containing one or more flowers; each flower has a floral envelope of two scales called palets,' and each spikelet is subtended by two scales called glumes. The grasses form one of the largest families, comprising three thousand eight hundred species. Some, such as the bamboo, are woody. Two woody species grow in Illinois.
Leersia .- Virginica, Willd (white grass). Damp, shaded grounds. Oryzoides, Swartz (rice cut-grass). Wet places.
Zizania .- Aquatica, L. (Indian rice; water oats). Sloughs and margins of ponds and slow streams.
Phleum .- Pratense, L. (timothy). Fields and roadsides; introduced.
Agrostis .- Perennans, Tuckerm. (thin-grass). Damp woods. Scabra, Willd (hair-grass). Dry soil. Vulgaris, With. (red-top). Moist meadows.
Cinna .- Arundinacea, L. (wood reed-grass). Rich woods.
Muhlenbergia (drop-seed grass) .- Mexicana, Trin. Low grounds. Willde- novii, Trin. Banks in woods. Diffusa, Schreber (drop-seed, nimble-will). Shady places.
Brachyllytrum .- Aristatum, Beauv. Rich woods.
Stipa .- Spartea, Trin. (porcupine grass). Prairies.
Spartina .- Cynosuroides, Willd (fresh-water cord-grass). Wet places.
Diarrhena (diarrhena) .- Americana, Beauv. Rich woods.
Dactylis .- Glomerata, L. (orchard grass). Escaped from cultivation.
Eatonia .- Pennsylvanica, Gray. Moist woods and meadows.
Glyceria .- Nervata, Trin. (fowl-meadow grass). Low ground. Fluitans, R. Br. Margins of ponds.
Poa .- Compressa, L. (wire-grass). Dry soil. Pratensis, L. (green or common meadow-grass; Kentucky bluegrass). Common everywhere.
116
HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
Eragrostis (eragrostis) .- Reptans, Nees. Borders of ponds. Poaloides, Beauv. Cultivated grounds. Var. Mega-tachya, Gray. With the last. Pilosa, Beauv. Road- sides. Frankii, Meyer. River banks and moist places.
Festuca .- Elatior, L., var. Pratensis, Gray (meadow fescue). Grass lands. Nutans, Willd. Open woods.
Bromus .- Secalinus (cheat ; chess). Grain fields, waste places, etc. Ciliatus, L. Hillsides and woods.
Triticum .- Repens (couch-grass). Fields.
Elymus (lime-grass ; wild rye) .- Virginicus, L. Banks of streams. Cana- densis, L. Prairies and banks of streams. Striatus, Willd. Woods.
Gymnostichumn .- Hystrix, Schreb. (bottle-brush grass). Rich woods.
Danthonia .- Spicata, Beauv. (wild oat-grass). Dry soil.
Panicum (panic grass) .- Sanguinale, L. (crab-grass ; finger-grass). Cultivated grounds ; common. Proliferum, Lam .; fields and waste places. Capillare, L. (old- witch grass). Cultivated grounds. Virgatum, L .; prairies. Latifolium, L .; woods. Clandestinum, L .; damp woods and river banks. Dichotomum, L .; dry or damp grounds. Crus-galli, L. (barnyard grass). Waste places, damp grounds, etc.
Setaria .- Glauca, Beauv. Cultivated grounds. Viridis, Beauv. With the pre- ceding.
Andropogon (beard-grass) .- Furcatus, Muhl. Dry grounds. Scoparius, Michx. Dry grounds.
Equisetaceæ -- Horsetail family.
Equisetum .- Arvense, L. (common horsetail). Damp places.
Filices-Ferns. The leaves of ferns are called fronds. The stems on which they grow are usually subterranean, but in some foreign species they grow erect and appear above ground, growing to a height of from a few inches to many feet, and thus becoming tree-ferns. Ferns have no flowers, but on the backs or margins of the fronds are formed many minute spore-cases in clusters, and each of these contains many seed-like bodies called spores, which are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Under proper circumstances a spore will germinate and form on the surface of the ground a heart-shaped leaf-like expansion, a quarter or half inch across. On the under surface of this, organs corresponding to the stamens and pistils of flowers are formed ; they unite their products and form an embryo from which a fern develops like the original one. About two thousand five hundred species of ferns are known in the world, a hundred and fifty of which grow in North America ; thirty-seven in Illinois. Some of the most beautiful ferns in the world, as the maiden-hair and the lady-fern, grow in Piatt county.
Adiantum-Pedatum, L. (maiden-hair). Rich woods.
Asplenium .- Filix Fœmina, Berash. (lady-fern). Rich woods.
Aspidium .- Thelypteris, Swartz (marsh fern). Black Ash swamp. Achrosti- coides, Swartz (Christmas-fern). Hillsides and banks in woods; an evergreen species.
117
FAUNA OF PIATT COUNTY.
Cystopteris .- Fragilis, Berash. (brittle-fern). Woods; the commonest species. Onoclea .- Struthiopteris, L. (ostrich-fern). Damp grounds near the Sanga- mon. Sensibilis, L. (sensitive fern). Damp or wet places.
Ophioglossaceæ.
Botrychium .- Virginianum, Swartz. Rich woods. It may be called a fern,. but differs from the true Filices in some essential points.
CHAPTER IV.
FAUNA OF PIATT COUNTY.
P ROBABLY but few of the inhabitants of the county appreciate the value of a knowledge of its natural history. We are apt to look upon the study of insects, birds and plants as a pastime, rather than as a useful and profitable employment ; but the sooner we become acquainted with nature the sooner will we be prepared to utilize her bounties and obtain the greatest benefits from the advantages she offers us, and to meet difficulties with nature's own means. For instance : a few years ago, about 1854, there first appeared in the county an insect known as the "potato-bug." It gradually increased in numbers until the raising of potatoes was almost an impossibility. "Bug pickers " and paris-green would never have annihilated the pest, for there were enoughi who did not care to spend the time and means to preserve the crop and so surrendered their potato-patches as breeding-grounds. While bugpickers and poison were doing their feeble work, there came to our relief two or three species of insects that silently did a powerful work, and now have almost rid the country of that pest. It is true the little " lady-bug " and squash-bug have done their work of destroying eggs and young potato-beetles in spite of our indifference to them, but may it not be that in many cases we may assist these insect friends by becoming acquainted with them? Many birds, as the quail and swallow, destroy millions of clinch-bugs, flies, etc., every season. . The poor snake is persecuted on every hand, because of the curse laid upon him in the Garden of Eden, in spite of the fact that he has labored faithfully ever since that time, destroying thousands of mice, grub-worms and insects every year. If we could overcome our prejudice for these unfortunate creatures, and instead of ruthlessly killing every one we see, let him go his way in peace, we would assist very greatly the means nature offers us in destroying pests. to crop raising.
118
HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
The rattle-snake is the only poisonous serpent in the state, in spite of those blood-chilling names so miscellaneously applied, as adder, viper, copperhead, etc., and now there are very few rattle-snakes in the state. These are some of the practical purposes for which we should become better acquainted with the animal life of the county. Then there is another side, in cultivating observation, comparison, and appreciation of life, but we will leave that side for our schools and leisure hours, and look only to the practical side.
Before the county was settled the buffalo and black bear might have been found on the prairies, or in the forests along the Sangamon, when the red man alone claimed the soil ; but they have all fled at the approach of civilization, leaving only trails, bones, etc., to tell of their existence lere. The Virginia deer were not all exterminated until a few years ago. In 1869 a deer was run through the public square of Monticello. Badgers also were found when the first settlers came, but have all disappeared. As early as 1833 there disappeared a beautiful bird of the parrot family. Carolina parroquet, and the wild turkey now found in many parts of the state was once an inhabitant of the county. The Canada lynx and wild cat were found up till 1860 and the wild boar was abundant formerly.
Among the carnivorous animals of the Dog family, or Canidæ, now found in the county are :
The gray or prairie wolf, Canis lupus ;red fox, Vulpes fulvus ; gray fox, Urocyon cinero-argentatus.
Mustelidæ, or Weasel family.
Common weasel, Putorius ermineus ; mink, P. vison; otter, Lutra canadensis (very rare) ; skunk, Mephitis mephitica.
Procyonidæ-Raccoon family.
Raccoon or "coon," Procyon lotor.
Of the Vespertilionidæ or Bat family we have at least two species : The little brown bat, Vespertilio subulatus, and silver black bat, V. noctivagans · Talpidæ, or Mole family, one representative :
The prairie mole, Scalops argentatus.
Rodentia, or gnawers.
Sciuridæ .- Squirrels. Flying squirrel, Sciuropterus volucella; fox squirrel, Sciurus niger; gray squirrel, S. carolinensis ; chipmunk, Tamias striatus ; striped gopher, Spermopilus tridecemlineatus; gray gopher, S. franklinii; woodchuck, Arctomys monax.
Muridæ - Mice family.
Norway rat, Mus decumanus ; common mouse, M. musculus.
Leporidæ - Hares.
Gray rabbit, Lepus sylvaticus.
119
FAUNA OF PIATT COUNTY.
Of Marsupialia, one representative :
The opossum or " possum," Didelphys virginiana.
The number of species of birds found in the county during the year is too great to give here, except a few of the most important. There are a great many birds that pass through the country in the migrating season, stopping only a few days to take food, but as they come and make us a visit once or twice a year, we may regard them as part of the fauna just as well as those that come to remain all summer and rear their young. Not half enough can be said in favor of these little songsters that come every spring to help the farmer by destroying insects, worms, etc. There are perhaps one or two exceptions to this, and perhaps only one worthy of mention : I refer to the English sparrow. It is becoming a great nuisance everywhere. These' birds live upon grain instead of in- sects, and are driving out the useful birds. The streets of our towns and cities are full of these little brown robbers, and it is quite probable that before long means will have to be taken to destroy them.
Among the most important species are the following :
Incessores or Perchers .- Passeres.
Turdidæ, Thrush family .- Robin, Turdus migratorius; Hermit, thrush, T. pallasi ; olive-backed thrush, T. swainsoni; brown thrush, Harporhynchus, rufus ; mocking bird, Mimus polyglottus ; cat bird, M. carolinensis.
Saxicolidæ .- Blue bird, Sialia sialis.
Paridæ .- Titmouse, Parus atricapilus.
Sittidæ .- Nut-hatch, Sitta canadensis.
Certhiidæ .- Brown creeper, Certhia familiaris.
Troglodytidæ .- House wren, Troglodytes aedon.
Alandidæ .- Shore lark, Eremophila alpestris; Sylvicolidæ, warblers; golden warbler, Dendrœca æstiva; yellow rumped, W., D. coronata; magnolia, W., D. maculosa; chestnut sided, W., D. pennsylvanica; yellow-breasted chat, Icteria virens; redstart, Setophaga ruticella.
Tanagridæ .- Scarlet tanager, Pyranga rubra ; summer red-bird, P. œstiva. Hyrundinidæ .- Barn swallow, Hirundo horreorum; eave swallow, Petero- chelidon lunifrons ; bank swallow, Cotyle riparia ; purple martin, Progne subis.
Ampelidæ .- Wax wing, Ampelis cedrorum.
Vireonidæ .- Warbling vireo, Vireo gilvus. Yellow-throated vireo, V. flavifrons. Laniidæ .- Shrike, Collurio ludovicianus.
Fringillidæ (finches) .- Wild canary, goldfinch, Chrysomitris tristis ; English sparrow, Passer domesticus; lark finch, Chondestes grammaca ; field sparrow, Spizella pusilla; chippy, Spizella socialis ; song sparrow, Melospiza melodia; swamp sparrow, Melospiza palustris; snow bird, Junco hyemalis; fox sparrow, Passerella iliaca ; black-throated bunting, Euspiza americana ; indigo bird, Cyano- spiza cyaneæ ; ground robin, Pipilo erythophthalmus.
120
HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
Icteridæ .- Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus; cow-bird, Molothrus pecoris ; red-winged blackbird, Agelæus phœniceus ; meadow lark, Sturnella magna ; Bal- timore oriole, Icterus baltimore; orchard oriole, I. spurius; rusty grackle, Scoleco- phagus ferrugineus ; purple grackle, Quescalus purpureus.
Corvidæ .- Crow, Corvus americanus ; blue-jay, Cyanurus cristatus.
Tyrannidæ .- King bird, Tyrannus carolinensis; pewee, Sayornis fuscus ; fly- catcher, Empidonax acadicus.
Caprimulgidæ .- Whippoorwill, Anthrostomus vociferus ; night hawk, Chor- deiles virginianus.
Cypselidæ .- Chimney swift ("chimney swallow "), Chætura pelagica.
Trochilidæ .- Ruby-throated humming bird, Trochilus colubris.
Alcedinidæ .- Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon.
Cuculidæ .- Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccygus americanus.
Picidæ .- Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus; golden -- winged woodpecker, Colaptes auratus.
Raptores Strigidæ .- Short-eared owl, Brachyotus palustris; screech owl, Scopsasio ; great-horned owl, Bubo virginianus.
Falconidæ .- Sparrow hawk, Falco sparverius; chicken hawk, Accipiter. cooperi ; hen hawk, Buteo borealis; golden eagle, Aquila chrysætus.
Cathartidæ .- Turkey buzzard, Cathartes Aura.
Columbæ .- Wild pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius ; mourning dove, Zinædura. carolinensis.
Gallinæ Tetraonidæ .- Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus; prairie hen, Cupido -· nia cupido.
Perdicidæ .- Quail, Ortyx virginianus.
Limicolæ Charadriidæ .- Golden plover, Charadrius fulvus; killdeer plover,. Ægialitis vociferus.
Scolopacidæ .- Woodcock, Philohela minor; Wilson's snipe, Gallinago wilsoni ;: least sandpiper, Tringa minutilla.
Herodiones Ardeidæ .- Great blue heron, Ardea herodius ; great white egret, Herodias egretta ; stake driver, Botaurus minor.
Alectorides Gruidæ. - White crane, Grus americanus; sandhill crane, G .. canadensis.
· Lamellirostres Anatidæ .- Brant goose, Branta bernicla; Canada goose, B. Cana- densis ; mallard duck, Anas boscha ; blue-winged teal, Querquedula discors ;. green-winged teal, Nettion carolinensis; wood duck, Aix sponsa.
Pygopodes. Podicipidæ .- Pie-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps.
Of reptiles, fishes and insects, and the lower forms of animal life, such a limited number of species have been identified that we can notice only a few without giving even a partial list.
There are at least three turtles-the snapping turtle, painted or mud turtle, and the soft-shelled turtle.
There are no lizards, but there is a lizard-like reptile called a sala- mander (Amblystomea punctatum), and which is usually called a lizard by those not acquainted with it; but it is nearer related to the frogs than to the lizards. If there is a representative at all of the order of
121
FAUNA OF PIATT COUNTY.
lizards it is the so-called glass snake -another misnomer. It resem- bles a snake in having no limbs, but upon examination it will be found that it has movable eyelids, while the true snakes have not. By the popular tradition this reptile will break into pieces by a slight blow and then crawl together again, while the truth is, it has a very long tail in proportion to its body, and when the animal is excited the muscles of the tail become very rigid and so brittle that they break like glass by a slight blow; so that only the tail breaks off and the animal crawls away without it. It is perfectly harmless and can be handled without fear.
Among the snakes proper there are the black snake, blue racer, fox snake, milk snake, three or four kinds of garter snakes, water snakes, and formerly two kinds of rattle snakes ; the latter being the only poisonous snakes in the country, no matter how terrible or threatening they are. The snakes, though valuable aids to the farmer, are fast dis- appearing on account of a barbarous custom, so universally practiced, of killing every snake that is so unfortunate as to be found in our reach.
Of batrachians there are probably a half-dozen representatives. Besides the salamander above spoken of, there are two or three frogs, the toad and the mud puppy.
The fishes are represented by two species of cat-fish, buffalo-fish, one or two sun-fish, bass, pike, perch, and gar-pike. It is very prob- able that many times this number may be found, but little has been done with them.
Years of labor would not exhaust the insect world of a square mile of the county chosen at random ; but a little investigation and well- directed study will give one a good understanding of at least those insects most injurious to crops, and the insect enomies of the same. To be able to treat of them properly, one must know something of their nature and habits.
The Colorado potato-beetle (Doryphora ten-lineata) appeared in about 1854, but as stated above it has nearly disappeared, owing largely to its many insect foes.
The "wild potato-bug " (Lytta marginata), comes occasionally, and can be driven off by switching the vines.
The cabbage butterflies (Peiris), and especially the species rapæ- a small white butterfly-is now a great pest to cabbage growers.
The cut-worm is the larvæ or young stage of a little gray moth ; and another the larvæ of a beetle which we call the June bug or May
9
122
HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
beetle. The former is the brown grub that cuts off young corn ; the latter a large white grub.
The ground squirrel destroys a great many of the beetles. One beetle will lay hundreds of eggs in a year, so the ground squirrel, though he may destroy a few hills of corn, may save inany a hundred by killing the beetles.
The army-worm (Leucanium unipuncta), is also the larvæ of a small gray motlı.
. The chinch-bug (Micropus leucopterus) is probably the worst pest to the farmer. It was first noticed in this county in 1844.
Other injurious insects are the Hessian-fly, curculios, etc.
The lists of species is a very small one indeed, and it is to be hoped somne one will complete the work by making a note of the species not contained in the above.
J. E. ARMSTRONG, B. S., Asst. in Nat. Hist. Ill. State University, Champaign, Ill.
CHAPTER V.
CUSTOMS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
" There are gains for all our losses, There are balms for all our pains, But when youth, the dream, departs, It takes something from our hearts And it never comes again."
T THESE few lines contain a gerin of truth, and one of the reasons r that the old settlers of the county look back with longing eye and throbbing hearts to the days of "Auld Lang Syne." The youthful eye of the pioneer saw bluer skies, and greener trees, than the aged eye now sees; the luxuriant grasses waved to gentler breezes ; cooler, clearer water from rippling brook or refreshing spring laved his heated brow, or quenehed his ardent thirst ; his quickened ear caught sweeter strains in the nesting-songs of the feathered tribe, and when twilight closed the busy day he was "lulled into pleasant dreams by happy toil." Such is some of the glamour which youth sheds over the " good old times." However it was not all poetry, the early days in this county. There was a stern and practical side to the life of every
123
CUSTOMS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
pioneer. Trials and hardships found their way into each home. But interwoven with this life of simple pleasures, primitive joys, of alter- nate smiles and tears, of undiminished labor, there are many life lessons which we of later days would do well to pause and ponder.
Directed by the faithful, sturdy hand of a dear old man, whose cheerful presence yet gladdens many homes of the present time, let us gaze backward into the past and glean some of the gems from Memory's treasure-house. Lured'on by whispered tales of the abundant resources and future greatness of the new states, the first settlers of this county left their timber-bound homes of Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana and drifted with the tide of immigration into the great " prairie sea." No doubt, liad their pen been as miglity, they would have said of Illinois' magnificent prairies, as Bryant :
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.