The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-06-11
A POMOLOGICAL OUTRAGE.

A Michigan Fruit Orchard Destroyed
Fifteen Hundred Trees Girdied I'm
Night.
From the Chicago Tribune, May 29.l
Our fellow citizen, Martin Green,
Esq, long and widely known in this
community as an enterprising con-
tractor on the canal and harbor
work, is among those of Chicago res
idents who early saw the noble prom
ise of the st. Joseph Michigan) re-
gion for fruit culture. For years,
with the most liberal and generous
skill, he has been beautifying and
creating an orchard paradise at Ben
ton Harbor, adjoining st. Joseph,
and his extensive grounds had reach
ed the condition of being full OF
trees of the choicest description OF
peaches, plums, apricots, cherries,
pears and apples. 1t is estimated
that the value of his premises could
not have been less than $50, 600. In
a single night this promise has been
blasted, and on the morning follow
ing it was discovered that, by actual
count, l 800 of his choicest trees had
been hacked and girdled-this state
ment being at once indicative of the
extent of the noble orchard, and the
bulk of the enormous knavery that
sought this method of revenge. Ev-
idently no single hand could have
done the work. for it was thoroughly
done, the bark of tree after tree hav
ing been carefully cut and hacked
aud drawn back with the evident
denomination that the malice should
not fiji af its object.
Tno excitement among the neigh
boring fruit farmers was Intense
The trees we're in full bloom, their
masses of blossoms sadly attesting to
the extent OF the loss inflicted. The
most active sympathy at once took
active shape. While the local author
tiles and citizens at once entered
upon measures 10 'ifGr rewards for
tue arrest oi the villains, creating a.
fund of $500 for that purpose, a.
large force Of the most experienced
OrchsTdists, with their assistants,
went into sanitary commission
effort to succor and save as far as
could be. Some of the trees, il was
seen instantly, were beyond help,
but an investigation Was made, and
taken TO rescue, il possible,
from 1000 to 1880 of the trees by
processes which, at this season of the
brisk flow of sap, needed to be speedy
to be effectual. Tho whole region
was laid under contribution for rags
and grafting-waX.
The grafting-wax was heated in
large kettles women and children
stripped and dipped the rags, the
tree surgeons tenderly closed the
gaps in the ragged and torn bark, and
bound the oritices closely with the
bandages, afterward painting the
whole literally with the hot wax to
the air and protect the re-
pairs that must be left to nature,
on the trunks of trees or the
limbs OF men. 1t will be among the
most interesting snd important of all
the problems of fruit culture ever
reached, the solution of this matter
of Martin Green's ravaged orchards,
and fruit culturists in all sections of
the country will await with esgerness
the result OF the field hospital opera
lions among these Benton Harbor
victims of one of the most remarka-
BILE and atrOcious outrages it has
ever been our province to record
The value of the trees thus visited
could not be estimated at less than
twenty thousand dollars. Up to the
lime of our advices, no direct clew
has been gained to the perpetrators.