Land Utilization of Three Typical Upland Prairie Townships

OOKS CREEK, Amity, and Sunbury are three typical upland prairie townships of eastcentral Illinois (Figure 1). In the last 100 years, they have been transformed from vast silent unspoiled wildernesses of grove and prairie to the bustling activity of fertile farms with orderly mosaics of fields, a net of well-travelled highways, and busy railroads. The three townships are in the section of the Agricultural Interior known as the Corn Belt. Entirely agricultural, they depend upon produce of the farms for their wealth and well-being. Rich crops of corn, oats, soybeans, and hay, together with hogs, cattle, sheep, and poultry make the area in which they are situated one of the most valuable agricultural portions of the United States. Level to rolling topography, rich loamy soil, long growing season, adequate rainfall, proximity to markets, and adequate trapsportation facilities insure their productivity and importance. Crop failures are rare; even years of unusual drouth do not cause complete loss of important products. Although Rooks Creek, Amity, and Sunbury townships today are mere administrative units in the extensive

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