The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1859-06-01
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WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 1, 1859.
THE PAST, PRESENT AND FU-
TURE OF OUR COUNTY.

Progress in the right and praiseworthy,
is always cheering. The stand-still, do
nothing principle don't work at all in this
age Of steam, telegraphs and balloons
We must go-ahead, or, some of our ju-
niors in their young-American progress will
run against us and greatly disturb our
equilibrium, or knock us into pi. We
are ashamed to go backward; it is dan
gerous to stand still; hence, onward is
the motto. 1t is pleasing to retrospect,
consider what we were, what we are, and
what we may become; especially so, when
we are ascending the difficult, almost per-
pendicular and long-strided ladder Of fame,
honor, and wealth. This is as true of
Towns, Counties, States and Empires, rs
of individuals. Ottawa county, like all
others, had natal day; was nursed by
pious progenitors, and even its swaddling
clothes were fabrics that exhibited the
enviable worldly position and humble at
titude of the sire, and all who looked up
on the new born, and marked its well
proportional symmetry of body, plant
limbs, and the native fire Of its eye,
prophesied that it was bound to go ahead,
and even would outstrip its youthful COM
panions. But somehow, in the trial, il
signally failed; and The inquiry is often
uttered, why is it that Ottawa county inn
proves so slowly, and is so far behind 9th
er counties of similar age, &c? The
answer is just here. True wealth and
progress is ever found to depend upon the
extent and perfection of agricultural pur-
suits. Hence, those Towns, Counties and
States in which the population are more
generally engaged in tilling the soil, are
far more prosperous, wealthy, and intelli-
gent than those whose principal business
is diverted to some other channel. Cal
ifornia, for instance, with all her rich de-
posts of gold, never assumed a position
of real worth and permanent importance,
till she attained an enviable rank among
the great sisterhood as State Of unsur-
passed agricultural resources; and the
wealth of her fields, to-day, is of far great
or value to her citizens, than the riches Of
her mines. The more wealthy portions
of the New England, Middle and West
ern States are clear examples of this fact.
I In the infantile and even more mature
days Of our county, the great mass Of
citizens were engaged, either in buying
pine, cutting pine, rafting pine, saving
pine, or marketing pine, to the exclusion
of almost every other interest. This was
particularly true of the Western portion o.
the county. The Eastern, which to-day
contains far more real wealth and occu.
pies by far the most important position
morally, religiously, and socially, has de.
voted its attention principally to agricul
ture. During our early history, those
engaged in our pineries found scarcely
time to cultivate few feet square around
their rude and often temporary dwellings
and summers were spent by many il
comparative inactivity, consuming the
earnings of the winter; and hence, nc
real progress was made in wealth or so
cial improvement. And upon no class o
our citizens has the late monetary pres
sure fallen with more disastrous effect.
than upon our lumbermen-we NEAR
those who furnish logs for the manufacturer
: But, during the past year, far greater at
tention has been turned TO the farm
chopping, clearing and fitting for crops o
vegetables and grains for home consump
ton and market. This is vastly in on
favor, and will give a fresh impetus L
our prosperity.
The number of acres Of land in on
county in 1855, according to the agricul
tural statistics, those returned, was 40s,
l42, of which only 22,16O acres wer,
improved, or little more than one acre
in twenty. Only 1882 bushels Of whea
were raised, nearly all of which was pro
duced in the townships of Chester, Cast
nova, Holland, jamestown, Polkton, Tall
, madge, Wright and iceland. Othe
{ grains and fruits raised bear the like pro
portion. Let any individual pass through
those towns, to-day, and they will find ,
very marked difference in the appearance,
of general wealth and prosperity from
that found in the remaining lively,