Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-01-27
THE MICHIGAN FRUIT REGION.
The Progress that has been made I'm
Fruit CuIture-St. Joseph and It's
Fruit Trade.

THE MICHIGAN FRUIT REGION.
| The Progress that has been made n
Fruit CuIture-St. Joseph and Il
Fruft Trade.
ST.. JOSEPH, Mich, Jan. 10, 1870. = A
most of your readers hive but little. il any
knowledge of this now famous fruit region
perhaps, a few words in relation to it viii
not come amiss. Ia 1869, French voyag
er visited this point, remaining but a shor
time. Five years later, Father Mayquett,
arrived and located a mission here. Sine,
that day the fortunes of the place hav,
been varied. For many years this was th.
great point Of transit from the East to Chi
cago- many stage routes centering here
and the travellers taking steamers to eros.
the lake. After the building of the Michi
gan Central Road. these stage routes wer,
discontinued, and the business of the place
! rapidly declined, and it was almost forgot
| ten by the outside world. The appearance
OF the place was anything but inviting tc
one approaching it from the lake,-most o
the buildings being below the bluff. and
having generally forlorn and dilapidated
appearance. The soil, being sandy, was
considered worthless and unsaleable at any
price.
About twelve or fourteen years ago, how.
ever, a change came over the aspect of al
fiirs. 1t was found that this apparently
worthless soil would produce excellent
peaches. and one of the old residents ven-
tured to try the experiment of sending
them to Chicago for n market. EDcourag-
ed by his success others planted peach
orchards; and then it was found that other
fruits would grow equally well. and sell at
highly remunerative rates. And the result
has been that thousands of acres are now
planted to every variety of fruit that can be
grown in a northern climate; and probably
no where in the United States can there be
found the same number of farmers within
so small an area, as most of them confine
their attention to twenty acres or less, -
some even finding five acres sufficiently re-
munerauve.
The question is often asked, ssWhy is the
eastern shore of Lake Michigan so favorable
To- the production of fruit,> and especially
the peach ?" And when told that is owing
to the influence of the lake upon the eli
mate, the query is at once suggested, why
don't the lake influence the climate upon
this shore !? Simply because our coldest
winds aIe from the northwest, west and
southwest, reaching us from across an i'm
mense body of deep water, so that there is
difference Of from ten 10 fifteen degrees
in temperature between the east and west
sides of the lake. So here, with a soil and
climate peculiarly adapted to it, is found
the great fruit garden of the northwest
Easy of access by water. the very best mode
of transportation for fruit, to the great CON-
mercial centers, Chicago and Milwaukee, is
another great advantage in the location;
added TO which is the facility afforded for
its transmit. sion all over the northwest by
means of the immense network of railroads
diverging fron these centers, and syste-
matte use of which is all that needed to
furnish highly reinunerative market for
all the fruit that can be produced there for
many years to come.
TIE fruit products OF this neighbo,hood
for the past season were as follows: $50 600
baskets of peaches, SIS. 900 bushels of straw
berries, raspberries and blackherries, g. 600
packages of pears, grapes cherries and
plums. and 7S 600 bushels Of apples. These
were generally sold a; remuneraiive prices,
paying better than any other product.
The town of St. Joseph is situated on q
high bluff overlooking the hike, containing
a population of 1900 Inhabitants. There
are many elegant residences. fine brick
stores. as fine churches as can be found in
any town Of its size and an intelligent pop
nlation. The climate is the most comfort
able in hot weather of any location in the
Northwest and if a. large hotel were erected
here, it would soon become popular place
of summer resort easy of access, and every
way desirable.
One great drawback, however, to the
of the town has been in the fact
that after the clos. of navigation, the town
had been shut out from the rest of the
world, from want ofa railroad. In fact,
many who desired to, would not visit the
place, from fear of crossing the lake, even
in mild weather. This has now been rem
died by the construction of the first Sec
ton of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore
connecting St Joseph and the
Michigan Central at New Buffalo. This
road will be extended north next season to
Grand Rapids, and from thence to Muske-
gon. developing new and productive tim
Der and farming lands, and furnishing
new outlet north and east for the fruit of
his locality. This enterprise is due to the
zeal and perseverance of A. II
Morrison, of St Joseph, who has labored
Tor years, devotine most of his time to ac-
CON plish this great desideratum for our
iowa and section, and our citizens owe him
IN everlasting debt of gratitude for his SER
vices.
The prospect is good for another crop of
Fruit the coming season, and even If our
peaches fail, the tsT-7s,ses will be forthcoming
IS very few of our fruit growers think of re-
ying upon peaches-a paying crop of some
Kind is inevitable.