USA > Ohio > A history of the state of Ohio, natural and civil > Part 6
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Linnæus simplified science, and rendered it easy to under- stand, so that any child of twelve years old could understand and comprehend it. MISS ELIZABETH BUCHANAN of Cincinnati is an excellent botanist. Since the days of Linnæus, weak men have often been, the pests of science, by using terms not understood by common readers. These quacks in science, would be quite below our notice, did they not impose upon those
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WILD ANIMALS, ETC.
in power, who are sometimes quite as ignorant as these pre- tenders. No man more scorned such quacks than Governor Clinton, who often condemned them in his writings.
We have ten species of snail, or, exactly the same num- ber found east of the Alleghanies.
We have the gopher which lives in our wet barrens. The prairie wolf never lived in Ohio, nor east of the Wabash coun- try, for which we feel quite thankful, and we have not either, the green prairie fly, of the far-west, which is there so trou- blesome as to render it difficult, in the warm weather, to trav- el across those immense prairies where they dwell, unless it be in the night season.
But our wild animals will soon be destroyed, indeed, they are mostly killed off already.
WILD ANIMALS, SERPENTS, TORTOISES, AND OTHER AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS, QUADRUPEDS AND INSECTS.
The wild animals of this state, are such as were formerly inhabitants of Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. Among the carniverous animals we have the bear, black and yellow wolf and the panther, and the black and gray fox.
Of those animals, that are carniverous and herbiferous, we have the opossum, raccoon, polecat and mink. The wood- chuck or ground hog, and rabbit, are herbiferous. Of squir- rels, we have the black, gray, striped and fox squirrels. We have too, the red, and flying sqirrels. The native rats are black and small, but the boats on the Ohio river have long since introduced the wharf rat. Mice are of the same species with those in the eastern states. We have the weasel, and a small porcupine. Beavers were once here, in large numbers on the high lands, at the heads of our rivers, but with those . who caught them, they have long since disappeared from among us. A few otters remain, along our rivers, and the muskrat is more common, doing injury, to our canals in places.
We had once the bison and the elk, in vast numbers all over Ohio. When Circleville was first settled, the carcasses, or
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
rather skeletons, of fifty individuals of the family of elk, lay scattered about on the surface, which the Indians had left here. We had an abundance of deer, and they are numerous still in the newer parts of the state. They are the common red deer.
Our serpents are rattlesnakes, of two species, one is a large one, the male black and the female yellow. These inhab- ited all this state, especially the hilly regions, and they are there now. The small spotted rattle snake, dwelt in the north- western corner of the state, in the prairies there. It is scarce- ly twenty inches in length and is quite venomous. Cap- tain James Riley encountered not a few of them, while trav- eling in that region. Wherever hogs run in the woods, they destroy the rattle snake. At an early period of our settle- ment, the large rattlesnake was found along the Scioto, in considerable numbers, but the newly settled inhabitants, as- certaining that these serpents burrowed in a large stone mound a few miles northeastwardly from Circleville, after the ser- pents had gone into their winter quarters, fenced in the mound, and, as the serpents came out of it in the spring of the next year, they killed them, so that it is a rare thing now, to find one in this region. Five miles above Columbus, on the main branch of the Scioto river, there was, formerly, a den of serpents, of the rattlesnake family, and a Mr. Thomas Back- us, who then owned the land there, endeavored to destroy the serpents, by keeping a fire, during the winter months, in a cave, where the snakes had entered their den. This expedient, not succeeding, he fenced in the den, and put a large number of hogs into it. This effected his object, and very few of these serpents are now found at, or near the place.
Why the bite of this serpent should not injure the hog, we do not know, unless it be, on the principle, that oil is an antidote to the poison of the serpent. The oil of olives, is known to be an antidote, and the fat of the hog may be so, likewise.
The hog is fond of eating the serpent, and his poison is no
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WILD ANIMALS, ETC.
protection against this, his worst enemy. We have two or three species of black snake, very long and slender, one with a white ring around his neck. We have water snakes of sev- eral species and the common garter snake, but none of our ser- pents are poisonous, except the rattle snake, and the copper- head. The two latter, are mostly confined now, to our hilly region, and will soon be gone. We have three species of tor- toises, viz: large black, small brown, with yellow spots on its shell, and the soft shelled tortoise. The latter lives wholly in the water, and is equal to the sea turtle, for food. It weighs from six to ten pounds, sometimes more.
Lizzards are common in the woods, and in pleasant weather bask on old logs, in the sun shine. Newts are common, in our waters. And in the Ohio river, and indeed, in all our rivers, is an animal, between the newt and alligator, and is often tak- en on hooks set for fishes. It is sometimes two, or, even three feet in length, and of a most disgusting appearance. Is it the Proteus-lateralis ?
Cray fishes are quite abundant, in our low lands, some of which are six inches long, weighing eight ounces. They taste like the lobster, and have the property of reproducing their antennæ, when broken off. Their limbs when cooked, taste like the lobster or oyster-saltish. We have all sorts of frogs and toads. Our bull frogs are larger than any east of the mountains.
Our insects are too numerous to be even enumerated, unless we devoted a large space to them. One of the most interest- ing and curious, is the cicada. It is somewhat smaller than the harvest fly. They are said to appear at regular periods, which some persons have fixed at once in seven years. Others have asserted, that these periodical returns are once in four- teen years-others say, once in seventeen years. His com- mon name is "locust," he appears by the middle of May, and they are all gone, early in July. When he first appears, on the surface of the earth, he resembles a grub worm; is half an inch long, and three-eighths of an inch in diameter. He rises from the earth, perpendicularly, by a hole, which he makes,
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
with equal ease through any kind of soil, whether of sand or of clay. They first appear on the surface, in the night, and are then white and soft. They crawl up some bush, tree or limb, and wait until the sun dries their shells, which envelope them. This shell bursts on the insect's back, out of which prison the locust crawls. Their bodies are very tender at first, and they cannot then, either crawl or fly far. In this state they remain one night, their bodies still moist, their wings expanding, and during the day following, they begin to fly a few feet, at a time, and by the first night, they can fly several rods. The insect has now arrived at full maturity.
When the state was first settled by us, and during twenty years afterwards, wild bees were very numerous. The Indi- ans collected great quantities of honey, and sold barrels of it to the white settlers. In the woods along the Ohio river, but more still in the forests immediately around all our prairies, bees lived in the hollow trees. During all the warm weather, these useful and industrious insects hovered over the profusion of wild flowers in these meadows, and flew through the air to and from their homes. Along the intervals of all our rivers among the wild roses and sweet briars, they plied their busy work, spun through the air like so many wires, in right lines, and lulled to rest, the wild man, by their buzzing, humming music. But they are become scarce, and tame bees have not, as yet supplied their place. We rear but few bees, and honey is not. often seen in the state. Why, we do not know.
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BOTANY.
BOTANY.
TREES.
OAKS.
White oak, Common European oak, Mossycup oak,
Over cup, white oak, Post oak,
Quercus macrocarpa. Quercus obtusiloba.
Over cup oak,
Quercus lyrata.
Swamp, white oak,
Quercus prinus discolor.
Chesnut, white oak, Rock chesnut oak,
Quercus prinus monticola.
Yellow oak, Smali chesnut oak, Willow oak,
Quercus prinus acuminatus. Quercus prinus chincapin. Quercus prinus phellus.
Laurel oak,
Quercus prinus imbricaria.
Upland willow oak,
Quercus prinus cinerea.
Running oak,
Quercus pumila.
Bartram oak,
Quercus heterophilla.
Water oak,
Quercus aquatica.
Black Jack oak,
Quercus ferruginea.
Bear oak,
Quercus banistera.
Barrens scrub oak,
Quercus catesbœi.
Spanish oak, Black oak,
Quercus falcata.
Quercus tinctoria.
Quercus coccinea.
Quercus borealis.
Quercus palustris.
Quercus rubra.
Scarlet oak, Grey oak, Pin oak, Red oak,
Quercus alba.
Quercus pedunculata. Quercus olivaformis.
Quercus prinus palustris.
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
WALNUTS.
Common European walnut, Juglans regia.
Black walnut,
Juglans nigra.
Butternut,
Juglans cathartica.
Pecawnnut hickory,
Juglans olivœformis.
Butter nut hickory,
Juglans amara.
Water butternut hickory,
Juglans aquatiqua.
Mockernut hickory,
Juglans tomentoso.
Shellbark hickory,
Juglans squamosa.
Juglans laciniosa.
Thick shellbark hickory, Pignut hickory,
Juglans porcina.
Nutmeg hickory,
Juglans myristicœ porcinis.
MAPLES.
White maple, Red flowering maple,
Acer erocarpum alba.
Acer rubrum.
Sugar maple,
Acer saccharinum.
Black sugar maple,
Acer nigra.
Norway maple,
Acer pseudo platanus.
Box elder,
Acer negundo.
Mountain maple,
Acer montanus.
DOGWOODS.
White flowering, Yellow do
Cornus florida alba. Cornus flava.
COFFEE TREE.
Coffee tree,
Gymnocladus canadensis.
MAGNOLIAS.
Big laurel, Small magnolia, Cucumber tree, Heartleaved cucumber, Umbrella tree,
Magnolia grandiflora. Glauca.
Accuminata.
Cordata.
Tripetela.
BOTANY. 73
PAWPAW.
Pawpaw,
Annona triloba.
BUTTON WOOD.
Button wood, or
Platanus occidentalis.
Sycamore-two species,
PINES.
Yellow pine,
Pinus flavia.
POPLARS.
Poplar,
Populus.
Cotton tree,
Populus argentea.
Balsam poplar,
Populus Balsamifera.
Heartleaved,
Populus Candicans.
White poplar,
Populus canescens.
American aspen,
Populus tremuloides.
TREES NOT VERY COMMON.
Crab apple,
Malus coronaria.
Mountain laurel,
Kalmia latifolia, rare.
Black birch,
Betula nigra, do.
Yellow do.
flava, do.
Black alder, or Alnus,
Alnus ohicnsis.
Buckeye, two species,
Pavia lutca.
Sweet buckeye,
Pavia ohicnsis.
Besides the above named trecs, we have many more. Among the trees enumerated above, the over-cup-acorn oak, the white and black oaks, the sycamore, the beech, the black walnut, the white wood, the sugar maple, the shell barked hickory, the chestnut, the yellow pine, the common European walnut and several others are the largest trees we have grow- ing in this state. Their height is often one hundred feet, and their diameter, from three to four, or five feet. We have two or more species of mulberry and so congenial are our soil 10
G
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
und climate to their growth, that this state might, with more propriety, than any portion of Greece, be called " MOREA." We have about four thousand plants natives of the state, and we know of no plant, either in Tennessee or Kentucky, not a native of this state. Of the oak family, we have more spe- cies, than any other state has, and if any native tree deserves to be an emblem of it, the OAK, deserves that distinction. The walnut has the next claim on us.
Whether we consider our latitude, our climate, our soil, our se- condary formation, or our low elevation above the sea, we readi- ly ascertain that our botany is rich. To those of our patrons, who, are thorough botanists, and possess all the large works on botany; any remarks which we can make, in this volume, ne- cessarily brief on all subjects, would be useless. To common readers they would be equally useless. We shall therefore con- fine the remarks which follow, to our grape vines, flowering shrubs and plants, and to such as are medicinal or useful in the arts of life.
And we begin with a parasite and lover of all the trees, and shrubs, which we have noticed, under this head of botany. That parasite and courtier is the grape vine.
FAMILY.
Grape vine,
BOTANICAL NAMES. Vitis.
SPECIES.
SPECIES.
Fox grape,
Vitis Vulpina.
Sweet prairie grape,
Vitis Sciotoensis.
Hill grape,
Vitis Accuminatis.
White grape,
Vitis Alba maxima.
Red large grape,
Vitis Rubia maxima.
Frost grape,
Vitis Gigantea ohioensis.
Besides these, there are a great many varieties, of these vines.
THE FOX GRAPE has a large fruit, as big as an ounce ball, it is whitish in color, and produces abundantly. It is cultivated in many places.
The WHITE GRAPE, is the largest grape and the shortest vine, growing in rich, wet and swampy grounds, in Brown and Cler-
Y
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BOTANY.
mont counties. Its fruit is transparent, showing every seed, in the grape, which is nearly an inch in diameter. The vine, attains a height of only ten feet, and half an inch in diameter. It deserves to be extensively cultivated, by Longworth of Cin- cinnati, who has been long worthily employed, in cultivating all sorts of vines, native and naturalized.
The next valuable native vine, now attempted to be introduc- ed to public notice is the SWEET PRAIRIE GRAPE. Its fruit is red, and when wild, grew extensively along the banks of the Scioto, in our once extensive natural meadows. It never grew more than twenty feet in height, and its vine, was only one inch in diameter. It grew near the plum bushes and covered them, in the proper season, with its vines loaded with the delicious, sweet clusters of its fruit. Twenty years since, we have seen at one view, (near us on the Scioto,) treeless meadows, with whole acres of these vines, loaded with fruit, and covering the low plum bushes. Packed in sugar, these grapes produce excel- lent raisins, and pressed, their juice makes a most delicious wine, which we prefer to any imported from Europe. A Mr. Myers near us, raises more and more of them annually, which in appearance and flavor resemble the grapes brought from Lisbon. They are exactly alike, except ours is a native, and thrives best here, of the two.
There is a larger grape than these, found originally on Deer creek, some twenty miles southwest of Circleville. The fruit is larger, but hardly so sweet as our Scioto, sweet prairie grape. The last one, or DEER CREEK GRAPE, is naturalized and thrives well.
THE SCIOTO HILL GRAPE VINE, grows on gentle acclivities, in this region, and attains, twenty or thirty feet in height, and its stem is half an inch in diameter. It grows on sunny sides of hills, among under-brush, and bears fruit well, when not too much shaded by trees. Its fruit is not so large, as either of the forementioned grapes, and it is rather too well stored with seeds. For a tart or jelly, it has no rival in any country, so delicious and pure is it, to the taste. It makes an excellent preserve, and is highly prized by all who know its worth.
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
All these vines, we cheerfully, and pressingly and warmly introduce to our friends, N. Longworth, Esquire, of Cincinnati, and to William Prince and sons, of the Linnæan garden, Long Island. We wish also to introduce it to all other lovers of a vine, of modest merit, genuine and modest worth. Having brought forward these vines, humble, as to pretension, show and parade, which they avoid, like those of the human family, who rely solely on their own intrinsic goodness and worth; we now mention
THE FROST GRAPE,
Whose vine, in diameter, is from twelve to eighteen inches, and whose topmost boughs often tower more than one hundred feet on high, covering the tops of the largest trees, along the Ohio river, and, all its tributaries. This most stately vine, after climbing to so great a height; after all its lofty pretension, show, effort and parade, produces a fruit that is small, of a sourish-bitter taste, and is of little or no val- ue. It resembles, in all respects, a cold, heartless politician, who flatters, some foolish, weak man in power, to help him up to the highest station, in a state, which the parasite merely shades with his luxuriant foliage, without producing in return for the favor, a single cluster of any value. But we dismiss the whole grape family, with a few remarks.
We have, in Ohio, not only one of the best regions for the grape vine, but the very best grapes, now already, for wine or for rai- sins, and these are natives of our own soil and climate. Lying in the same parallels with those countries of Europe, where the vine flourishes best, our soil is even superior to theirs, for our own most delicious grapes. Having the fruit, the soil and the climate best adapted to these grapes, all that is now needed, is the disposition to cultivate our own vines! Every family in this state, who own a few acres of land, might raise, annu- ally, all the grapes which they need. Properly trimmed, and taken care of, the vine never grows too old to bear fruit, and there are vines now in Italy, which are two thousand years old. Such a vine might be laid on a stone wall, on any sunny side
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BOTANY.
of a hill, in our hilly region, and be trained along, for miles in length. Even one such vine, might in time support a great number of persons, by the sale of its grapes, wine, vinegar, brandy, fuel, &c. &c. A volume would hardly suffice to tell all the advantages, which this state might derive, from the cul- tivation of the vine. Our hilly region is, in places, fit for noth- ing else, yet it is adapted best of all places, to the cultivation of the vine.
The vines, imported from Switzerland and the Cape of Good Hope, cultivated at Galilopolis by our old friend, MENAGER and others; by N. Longworth Esquire of Cincinnati; and, by the peo- ple of Vevay, Indiana, thrive very well. and produce abun- dantly, but, we prefer our own Ohio grapes, to all others, in the world. The wines of the places which we have named, are hard, and contain so much spirit in them as to make one's head ache, severely, after drinking a bottle of it at dinner, whereas, our wines, made along the Scioto and Miami rivers, from our own grapes, never produce any disagreeable effects, on those who drink them. This wine is as delicious as cham- paigne or Burgundy. It makes one's lips water to even think of our own delicious wines, made of our own native grapes, without either sugar or spirits of any sort, in them.
Our cider-wine, is composed of cider, twenty eight gallons, and grape juice, three or four gallons, In such cases, sweet apples are used to make the cider, and this mixture sells at about fifty cents a gallon. It is used in the upper Miami coun- try, as well as all along the Scioto river.
Besides the grape, we have the currant, in our gardens, whose berries are often used in the fruit, either new, preserved in pots, or made into wine. This plant, thrives no where, better than in this state, and no where produces more or better ber- ries. They make an excellent wine, but, require a great deal of sugar to render the wine palatable.
c*
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
NATIVE FLOWERING PLANTS.
We mention only a few of them, not for the mere botanist, but for all other readers. Those who want technical terms, are referred to Nuttall's Botany of the United States.
FAMILY. Red bud.
BOTANICAL NAME. Cercis.
SPECIES. Canadensis.
This plant is between a shrub and a tree, and it is every where dispersed through the woods, along the Ohio river, and all its tributaries. Whoever sees, but even once, the red-bud, in early spring, will never lose the impression, made on his mind, through the eye. The tree is then, one surface of beau- tiful, red blossoms. It is redder than the peach blossom, which it much resembles, in aspect. Its whole top appears to be one mass of red blossoms, forming a delightful contrast, with the dull, brown woods around it.
To any lover of nature, who passes along the Ohio river, in a steamer, the red-bud, offers a rich treat, in early spring. In- stantly, almost, after this tree shows its red blossoms, the fami- ly of dogwood, cornus florida, of two varieties, one with white and the other with pale-yellow blossoms, opens its flowers and adds much to the beautiful aspect of the woods. These two trees or shrubs, as we please to call them, are nearly of the same size. One species of dog-wood has a white and the other a pale-yellow flower, and they both expand their large blossoms, about the same time. Thus, we have red, white and yellow flowers, in every direction in the woods, at the same time. At a distance, each tree resembles in aspect, so many large bunches of flowers every where dispersed in the woods.
In autumn, the red-bud, is loaded with its pods, filled with seeds. The pods, siliquae, are about as large as the pods of a small bean, whereas, the cornus, is loaded with red berries, rivalling in its aspect, the red-bud, in spring. Thus each tree, takes its turn, in wearing its beautiful scarlet livery.
Several birds live on the berries of the cornus florida in win- ter, and man uses the bark of its roots, as a medicine. It is denominated the "yellow bark," and is as valuable, as the quin-
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BOTANY.
quinna of South America, and is often sold in the shops, under that name. The wood of the same tree "the American box- wood" is a very valuable wood of which to make flutes and other musical, wind instruments. It is used also by the engraver of wood cuts, in his trade. It is equally valuable as the English boxwood, which it very much resembles.
FAMILY. BOTANICAL NAME. SPECIES. Triloba,
Pawpaw. Annona.
This is a beautiful bush, between a shrub and a tree. Some of them grow thirty feet high, and are three or four inches in diameter. Its trunk is straight and smooth, its leaves are long, and they are shaped like those of the tobacco plant. Their co- lor is a bright green. Before ripe, its fruit resembles in ap- pearance, that of the date of Austral Asia. This resemblance exists too, in its shape, size and color. The fruit grows in bunches of three, four and five in number, and sometimes, they are twelve inches long and are three inches in diameter. Its flower is trumpet shaped and is of a pale red color. Its blos- soms appear about the same time, with those of the dog-wood and the red-bud. The pawpaw grows all along the Ohio, and its tributary waters, in the richest soils. For the size of the tree, it bears the largest fruit of any plant in our own forests. The seeds of the pawpaw are of a dull-brown color, they are flat, and of a large size. When ripe, its fruit furnishes the opos- sum with a delicious food. The squirrel prefers it, when near- ly ripe. When fully ripe, the fruit is yellow, and resembles the custard in taste and aspect.
Thus far, we have followed the season in its advances, as to time, but having mentioned one trumpet-shaped flower we wil- lingly refer to others which bear similar shaped blossoms. Of these, there are ten or fifteen species. The largest one, THE CREEPER has a stem several inches in diameter. It is a vine, ascending our loftiest trees, to the tops of their highest boughs. Itis already extensively domesticated. This creeper and crafty politician can climb up the side of any house, and cover the whole roof, with its vines, leaves and bunches of blossoms. These vines have flowers, several inches in length, trumpet-shaped,
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
of a beautiful red color. When the flower falls off, a pod, (sili- qua) appears on the vine, instead, which grows several inches in length. The seeds are all winged, very light and are easily transported by the winds, to a great distance. These plants will soon cease to be wild, where our cattle can get at the vine, which they are fond of cating, at least its bark, which being destroyed, the vine dies
There are other trumpet-flowers, of a white color, as large as the one which we have described These are all about to dis- appear from the same cause with the red flowered one.
We have less ambitious trumpet flowers, than these of every color, tint and shade the red, the white, the blue, the green, the yellow and of every intervening shade of color. The vines of the latter. are some of them longer, others shorter, running along upon the ground, or ascending any little eminence, where they can show themselves and breathe a purer air. These flowers are indeed very beautiful. Besides these, we have two species of honey suckle, which climb the highest trees of our forests, in our bottoms, and show an abundance of flowers.
But, we have a rose, a multiflora, growing in our richest, moist lands, which ascends the very highest tree, it can find, in all the woods, to the very topmost bough of a tree. It blooms for months together, hanging in festoons, from branch to branch, and even, from tree top to tree top, clothed with its gorgeous bunches of roses. Its aspect regales the eye, the bees that hover among its blossoms, charm the ear with their humming noise, while its odors fill all the air, with their delicious per- fumery. This rose is domesticated. How many other wild roses we have, besides many sweet briars, we cannot say, but we know, that we have many growing in every sort of soil, and accommodating themselves to each, in size, color, and aspect. Bit, for the present, enough of these ambitious flow- ers, that boldly challenge our observation, and compel us, to notice them, and celebrate their praises.
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