Kennicott Documents

Sempletown, Nov 9^th 1856

Friend Robert

Your plants, music, and letter have all been duly received, and I fear you will accuse me of seeming neglect, that I have not long ere this answered and told you how glad I was to get them all. But sickness, company, and now housekeeping are the causes of the delay, and I hope you will not only overlook my remisness, but perhaps like the answer as well, as though it had been an expression of my first thoughts, on receiving your favors.

The plants I set out, as near as I could as you directed, and I assure you, though you call it a "small installment" it fills a large place in my store of good things, and instead of your being in our debt, (though we have never considered you so) I feel as though you had given us a pleasure we never could return, and that we really entertained almost "angels [illegible]". Flowers beautiful, sweet flowers, surely are gifts from heaven, and the one who can pass through

life and never read the lessons of purity, of beauty and life beyond; loses a thousand sweet thoughts and consolations that help to lighten the burthen of life. To such an one though "the wilderness blossom as the rose" life is one dreary waste.

And music, soul inspiring music; ah! it has ever a voice to me; it fills my heart, till I mount or I fall with its cadence and melody. All through the world, the great Creator has set his handiwork to strains of harmony. The ocean is the bass, deep wonderful and grand; The winds are the soprano, now soft and sweet and ^as the murmurs of a shell, now rising and swelling and clear as an aeolian harp; and the birds and the streams are tenor and alto. Glorious music and free to all as the air we breathe; glorious, touching music that ever seemed to me but an ernest of the golden harps and the melody of angels and seraphs in the city of the golden gates.

But perhaps you will think me enthusiastic. Well, I believe I had rather be thought

so, than be like those stupid mortals of whom the good book says "eyes have they, but they see not, ears they have, but they hear not." Perhaps you will realize by this some of the pleasure you have given me, and which I can never thank you enough for.

The song I will sing for you the next time I see you, it is very pretty, and the instrumental seems to me prettier than ever, appreciating as I do the delicacy that learned and remembered, a thoughtless wish. I have also received some some Musical papers from Frank; please give him many thanks from me. They are just what I like as they are ^have the only musical news I get, and some very pretty music.

Mother has been in Chicago for some time, though I presume you have been apprised of it, as she told me she would send her card to the Prairie Farmer office; hoping to meet some of you. John and I are keeping house, or rather John keeps meal times, and the girl keeps me. We have some laughable times, but you know experience is a wonderful teacher, and I try to be an apt scholar.

Things have changed very much since you left. At the fair ground, instead of tents, and "shows", and hundreds of our prairie farmers walking, seeing and thinking, now the last plank is gone, the birds and rabbits have come back, and the wheat stands thick and green. I walked out there alone, and sat down on the fence rails and tried to realize how many hearts had beat high with pleasure and hope, on that very spot, and how they had gone by, down the stream of Time. Then I fell to dreaming, how we were all sailing away over life's sea, leaving the present, with the green fields and holidays of youth; leaving it and losing it, save some random mark upon the calendar of memory, that tells us how we once were happy, and that 'tis past.

We have had quite an unexpected call from Winter too; and the ground is quite white with snow, and old Boreas whistles round the chimney tops. Summer is really gone, and daylight is going so I must tell you good bye for the present. I would be pleased to hear from you often, should you take pleasure in writing to me.

Your friend Lizzie Fitch

[page turned, written in the left side margin] My compliments to your father. Hope he is well.

Head & Body 1 7/8 tail 1 1/4 head 13/16 hind foot to end of nail 7/16

Mr Robert Kennicott. West Northfield. Cook Co. Ill.

[page turned] [illegible]

Sorex longinostris

[partial postmark] TON

[stamped] J. Kennicott Brenton Collections

[handwritten] Bloomington

Nov 10^th 56

Friend Bob

your letter of the 3^rd was received and I have done as you requested and I can tell alittle about the gopher the gopher had from 4 to 6 young at A time and but one litter in aseason An oald Farmer [illegible] told me that he had watched the gopher for about twelv years and he thinks that they have thair young About the middle of Aprile

he toald me that the gopher digs his hole with his fore feet and carrys the dirt out in his Pouches and as soon as the frost goes out of the grownd in the Spring he begins to dig his hole the meadow is the place Moste [illegible] Prefferrable to them the one that I dugout had his roots in Aside Chamber enclosed I send you some of the roots that I found When I dug the hole out some of them wer three inches long and some of them was as larg as hickorynuts and I cut them smaller so' as I could send them ine this letter

the gopher throws up the ground ine the meadows And they also destroy the roots of the grass and osage orange and they sometimes bother the roots of the apple [illegible] tree

When thair is mutch grass About the roots the large Prairie Squirl Thwas here about six years ago but they left then and I did not see any but the the one that I had at the Fair last year till this summer and they again re turnd igreat numbers they only harm that they do is they dig up the corn in the spring they dig holes in they meadows for to winter in and lay[illegible] up corn for winter he digs astraite hole about 2 feet below the surface of the earth and about 4 yard long

we also fav[ink smeared] have the sriped gopher they ar about din[ink smeared]. action like grey squirl the Field mice haar[ink smeared] plenty and do but little harm

this is all that I can tell this time for it is 10 oclock but if you want to know anything write to me

yours in haste Samuel Arny

PS the roots I found was About three feat below the surface of the ground

Racine Nov. 11. 1856

Dear Bob [sketch of a bug]

Your very welcome letter of the seventh must be answered –

The Arvicola Austerus is abundant on the low prairie lands in the vicinity of marshes and ponds of water, in the fall they leave their abodes and seek corn shocks - wheat and oat stacks, and also hay stacks where they will doo much damage – They bring fourth from 4 to 6 at a litter – The young when partly grown are much darkr than the adult – (nearly black) The males do not associate with the females while the young yet suck – Last season ^{late in Oct.} there came a continued wet spell which overflowed the low meadows and marshes and forced the Arvicolies to the higher grounds, in some localities in consequence of this they became excessively numerous – in one such a situation, no great distance from Racine, they overran a ridge. - My attention was directed to the fact by a large flock of Black hawks (Archebuteo St Johanas) which continued in

higher ground. I can tell the moment I see the burrow which species I shd find by the amount of earth thrown out of the holes, in other respects this species is much like the A. Auranus in habits – The young of this species are not darker than the adult unlike the cinnamon colored species – If this specié takes up his abode under a corn shock they dig such an extensive series of runways that it will be difficult to capture them –

I took out of a Prairie Rattlesnake 6 large mice – You are correct - Meadow mice is the legitimate pray of the this snake – they can crawl in the holes and follow them to their retreat and devour the young – The S. vulpinus also is another snake that destroys mice to a great extent. I believe if these snakes - owls & hawks, wesels and spermophiles were exerminated that the Arvicolidae would soon overrun the prairies to such an extent as to be a public calamity. Reccommend then the protection of all them except perhaps the Rattlesnake – Foxes dig up and destroy many mice, also Prairie wolves – the Arvicolea are

now sensibly on the increase in the vicinity of Racine – now doubt caused by the destruction of their natural enemies – messingers commissioned by god to keep them in due bounds –

I have got a story to tell about the Squirrels and deer mice and also about the Jerribillis – which by the by doo hibernate for I have found them in that condition – But I have now no time – I want you to come up next week and I will go with you and make “original” investigation – I can firnish you with interesting matter enought - for ten pages I will warant you – why I wish you to come next week is that we can over hall the Miceries I also have a number of interesting specims –

Mrs Hoy is sitting at my elbow mounting some gray wings there is now in town about 500 - I shot 8 at one discharge yesterday – Come up next week -

Yours Truly P.R. Hoy

[stamped between lines 14 and 15] J. Kennicott Brenton Collections