The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-07-08
MICHIGAN AND IT'S FRUIT CROP,

EDITOR TRIBUNE Having occasion
to spend several days of the past week
in the far famed fruitregion of st. Joseph,
Mich. few observations may be of in
terest to the readers of the TRIBUNE.
After a pleasant sail to Chicago on the
steamer Sheboygan, thence via Good
rich line across the lake, arrived at st.
Joe, a pleasant, arStocratlc and busy
little town of 5000 inhabitants, the grand
center Of the shipping point Of the fruit
districts !; found the strawberry crop of
this year immense and on its last half.
From four to ten o'clock in the evening.
teams gather from every direction, de
ivering their freights of fruit, in crates,
holding each 16 CTS, at the dock, con-
signed to commission houses in Chicago.
whose agents, during the fruit season,
are As thick through the country as grass
hoppers. From st. Joe and Benton
Harbor, q rival fruit center, one mile
distant, steamers leave at ten at night.
arriving at Chicago at four in the morn
ing. During the strawberry season,
from 1000 to TO- 900 bushels per day are
shipped from those two points. The
crop this year is large, the fruit fine and
prices low. L saw 200 bushels sold to
one firm at 80 cts. per crate of Is OTIS.
Dedncting the cost of picking and the
box, left only 2 5 8 cts. per quart for
production but better returns are the
average, though considered by growers
paying crop when netting them five
cents per quart. This crop Is very
Important one TO them this season.
Peaches, their main dependence, will
scarcely yield more than sufficient for
| the home demand. In riding circuit
| of twenty-five miles of the best portion
of Berrian County, I saw thousands of
acres of peach trees that gave not sign
of life-killed root and branch by the
severe winter. Many had been grubbed
out and piled ready for the match, the
balance standing in painful contrast
with the rich, dark foliage of apples,
pears, cherries and grapes. A grower
south of st. Joe showed me an orchard
of fifteen acres, fifteen years old, from
which he last year shipped 5000 bushels
of choice peaches--this year blight
In ordinary seasons, ten acres stocked
with fruit of varieties, would afford a
handsome living, and much land pur-
chased at high rates and stocked in ex-
pectation of quick and large returns
from fruit, is now offered at low figures.
The young peach trees three and four
years old, are uninjured in the wood, but
will bear no fruit. Papers that repre-
sent the peach prospect as good in this
region, are either writing in favor of the
numerous mutt farms for sale, or have
by mistake clipped items from papers OF
former years. Grapes and the small
fruits promise well, excepting Lawton
Blackberries, which are killed to the
ground. Apples, pears and cherries
were not injured by the winter, but
starting into bloom early, severe and
untimely frosts in April have greatly
reduced the crop. The fruit region is
thickly settled, many beautiful homes
tastefully laid out and shutting out the
lifeless peach trees, the foliage of all the
fruit and ornamental trees is rich, dark
and lrxuriant, and the lover of nature
beholds beautiful and delightful coun-
try. JOHN LANDRETH.