The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-09-10
EARLY HISTORY OF FRUIr-GROwING IN
VAN BUREN COUNTY.
BY A. @. GLIDDEN.

CONCLUDED
A. d. Healey, of South Haven, is reported as
having grown last year 5000 baskets of peaches
on place OF 20 acres, over three acres not in
trees
SOUTH HAVEN.
The early history OF fruit-growing IN Van
Buren, county without South Haven would be
the play of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet
left out. / may say that no one place in the
State has furnished so much practical knowl-
edge of fruit growing to the public as the or
chardsts and fruit-growers OF this region. It's
Society was organized in 1871 with Norman
Phillips as its President, who continued in Of
fee sour years. T. I. Lyon held the Office for
two years, and II. E. Bidwell, w. H. Hurlbut
and G. III. Wigglesworth each one year. j.
Lannln is the presiding officer at present. The
society has held weekly meetings through all
these years, and the amount OF practical knowl-
edge acquired, and the facility OF expression
attained by lis members is a matter of sur
prise to the uninltiated. This discussion of
topics has led TO nearly uniform practice IN
the several branches OF fruit-growing. Where
dssimilarity prevails, it is among the non
essentials so that a standard OF excellence is
reached which the tyro can initiate without
much fear of going astray.
The early history OF frult-growing here was
not in any sense fortutous. Those who began
had purpose in view. S. b. Morehouse was
one of the first to plant an orchard. This was
in 1852, within what is now the village plat
Randolph Densmore also set an orchard about
the same time on an adjoining lot This was
two or three years after the old Parmaee or
chard at st. Joseph While st. Joseph had cul-
tivated fields ready for the reception Of trees,
South Haven had an unbroken forest, reqIir-
ing the labor Of years to remove. So the
progress was SLOW. James L. Reed, Joseph
Dow, S. G. Shelter and c. III. Sheffor we're
among the early planters. The first vineyards
were set in 1858. Orrs Church set one and
one-half acres, and A. S. Dyckman set one acre.
Aaron Games first introduced the Delaware
grape IN any considerable quantity in 1864 A.
s. Dyckman in an address before the September
meeting OF the State Pomologlcal Society in
1872, said: with our few. hundred acres Of
fairly organized, we are just upon the thresh-
old Of successful culture. The incpient idea
Of our pomologlcal history gave us only the
necessity of putting the trees into boles in the
ground between great stump-roots, then fold
our arms and wait for beneficent providence,
with sunshine and showers, to do the rest.''
The first fruit kshlpped from this part was
probably about the year 1862. No statistics
can be given that will indicate with any GER
tainty the shipments OF fruit. Quite guam
tity comes from down the shore in AlleSan
county. Some is taken by sailing craft, OF
which thsre is no record. The crop the pres
ent year is by far the largest ever ralsed and
the interest is greatly increasing and will con-
tlnue to do so unless the yellows get the start
OF the wde-awake fruit men,
NURSERIES,.
The Association nurseries and the Hopkins
nursery OF South Haven comprise about 100
acres; both started in 1874, are still running
and growing trees successfully.
a. A. O!ds has nursery in Hamilton grow
ing apple and peach trees; he has about ten
acres in stock.
Bragg q Nelson, OF Paw Paw, are growing
peach trees extensively. They are now bud
ding the stock on nine acres Of ground, which
they estimate will make about 100000 buds set.
C.S. Hoskins Is budding about 10000 peach;
he has about four acres In nursery, including
apple, peach and small fruit.
Several other parties who once grew large
amount of nursery stock in the vicinity of Paw
Paw have either gone out OF the business or
removed to other locations Not more than
10000 apple trees, all told, are now growing
that will be marketable and no new stock Is
being set.
LARGE TREES.
We have no large pear trees in our county,
and peach trees do not attain remarkable di-
mensions before they begin to decay. But we
have one apple tree which may be considered
remarkable for its age; it stands III the yard
on the farm Of Eaton Branch, adjoining the
village of Lawrence on the northwest. 1t was
planted IN the fall of 1887; 1t measures now
six feet and one inch in circumference, three
feet from the ground; its branches spread to q
diameter of 40 feet; it is 40 feet high and still
growing. The variety is the Red Romantic. 1t
was purchased by Mr. Branch from Isasc Gbbs,
four miles west OF Kalamazoo, with a few 9TH
ers, and planted as before stated, in the fall OF
'37. One other CT the trees is little larger
around but not so tall nor spreading. The soil
is strong clay loan, remarkably well suited to
the growth OF apple trees
Wild plum and crab-apple trees, once so nu-
merous here, have entirely disappeared. The
curculia and codling moth have prevented the
fruit from maturing, and Nature seems tired OF
its fruitless endeavor to provide for perpetu-