The true northerner., 1880-09-03
EARLY HISTORY OF FRUIr-GROWING IN
VAN buren, COUNTY.
BY A. @. GLIDDEN.

4
/ ters OF fact, recognized at the time as OF slight
Importance, are now becoming historical. Old
clocks and old crockery are heir looms. Even
| the spot where the first shanty OF the pioneer
stood is consecrated ground. Gray haired vet
Grams recount their early exploits with pardon
able pride as they swing in hammocks IN the
ample shade OF the trees they planted. A few
years more and they who planted the seeds of
our earliest trees will be lald beneath them
Hammocks will swing, children will laugh in
the shade, strangers will eat of the fruit, but
the memory Of him who planted the tree will
fast fade away. 1t is very appropriate that
these items shall now be gathered.
The pioneers Of our county came principally
from New York and New England. They came
to make homes. They " came to stay They
had been accustomed TO the use OF fruit and
they thought that nothing would conduce so
much to the comforts of their new homes as the
fruits they were familiar with; so they, in many
instances, brought with them seeds and cions.
The first apple seeds planted in the county was
in the spring OF 1886, by John Lyle, sen., bro't
| by him the fall before from Utica, Y. They
were planted on the farm now owned by L.
Adriance northwest OF Paw Paw, near the
southwest corner OF the farm, adj dining the
road Only pint OF the seed was brought and
Part was reserved for the next springs plant
ing, fearing lest some change of climate might
destroy them all. The balance of the seeds
were sown IN the spring of 1887, across the
road, west, on the farm now owned by Thomas
Tnckey. Mr.. Lyle was not nursery man, and
he let his scn-in-law, Edwin Barnum, have a
part OF the seedlings, which he transpanted to
his farm, or clearing, west OF the village; and
George Smith, tailor OF Paw Paw, who knew
something of grafting, had some OF them.
In the spring of 1898 James Lee came in
from Ogden, Monroe county. New York, and
brought with hlm CONS of several of the then
well known varieties, and most OF the older or
chards now have some OF those old varieties
viz: r. 1. Greening, Seek Further, Spitzen-
burg, Spice Sweet Roxbury Russell, Big Stem
Harvest, Holland Pippin Early Harvest Swaar
Twenty Ounce, Sweet Bough, Cheesboro Rus
sett, Redstreak Harvest and Ok Heart These
cions we're divided between Smith and Barnum
aud grated on their seedlings,-Lee receiving
one-third for the cions.
Joshua Bangs came to Paw Paw in 1886, sent
back to Monroe county, New York, for some
apple seeds, and planted them in the spring OF
| 1887. He had learned to bud and graft before
leaving home, and was the first 10 bud seedlings
IN this county. In 1910 he set an orchard from
the seedlings in his nursery, and most OF the
old orchards in the vicinity of Paw Paw are
from that stock. The first apples grown near
Paw Paw were from the orchard OF MIR. Bangs.
! 1t may be stated as a matter OF interest that
this seeding orchard, after growing to twelve
| inches CT more in diameter, began to die out
several years ago, and last fall (1879) the trees
were all dug out and the field is now (Sept 1st,
18S0) ripening good crop of corn.
John Hunt came to Michigan from Vermont
in 1887, cleared a small piece OF ground on his
farm five miles east OF Paw Paw, and the next
! spring went to Dunham's nursery, south OF Kal-
amazoo, and purchased apple trees for an Or
chard, which Is still standing, although showing
! signs CT decay.
! After the Bangs seedlings were used up, the
Durham nursery furnished most OF the trees to
the settlers, although some came from Ply
mouth, Wayne county, and few from School
craft and Cooper, Kalamazoo county. THIS was
between 1S40 and "A.
Isaac Barnum came to Paw Paw in 1886, from
Cayuga county, N. Y, and brought with him
peach pitts. From these pitts came the first
peach trees grown in the county. They were
natural seed and none but seedlings were known
for years. Some OF these chance seedlings were
Of very excellent quality, and one, the Shows
| a.. 4 y
Elder Samuel Gilman removed from Ogden.
Monroe county, n. Y, to Paw Paw, in 1885,
Mrs. Gilman brought with her seeds OF various
kinds, among them plum pitts. These she
planted, and in that early day raised yearly
crops Of Damson, Gage and Yeow Egg plum.
Barren trees of these seedlings are now seen on
several of the old settled farms.
1t will be seen that these early settlers came
mostly from western New York, where fruit
growing was a success, and they desired as
nearly as possible TO reproduce the homes they
had left.
Wild plums, huchleberres and blackberIies
were the only fruit known to these early set
tiers before their trees were large enough to
bear.
Dr.. j. Andrews. of Paw Paw, built his house
in 1856, and that fall stocked his cellar with
three barrels OF Greetings, bought N Plymouth
and brought here by teams. ibis was he first
large shipment OF apples to this place. A few
years before James Lee bought bushel of red
apples IN Detroit and brought them in his
wagon 10 his place three miles southwest Of
Paw Paw. The Indian Chief Tepeau and his
household lived near and they were elated with
the red apples. They would pay almost any
, price for them, pass them from one to another
and call them muskeem as, n,usheen ms.
Robert Morrison, when young man, teamed
flour from Paw Paw to st. Joseph. Once while
at the latter place he found few ba. iels OF ap-
, Piles for sale. They had come around the lakes
from Buffalo. He bought half bushel at q
fabulous price, brought them home and invited
the young people for niles around to party
and entertained them sumptuously on the hall
/, bushel Of apples-a greater rarity then than
; tropical fruits would be now.