The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1910-08-05

together I'm a magnificent display, OF
great educational value, nearly al
made by associated effort of communi
ties, counties or districts, aided by the
railroads and large land and othel
companies. This so fully impressed
the great advantage of cooperation
that | determined at an early date or
my reurn home again to call attention
to the desirability of joining these
three counties for the raising of better
/ crops of all kinds and particularly
more intelligent marketing.
Beyond reasonable doubt, if these
counties would join and cooperate to-
gether making use of the scientific
knowledge obtainable, from the Col
lege, experimental stations, bulletins
and by the experiences and observa-
tons of growers frequently exchanged
at convenient meeting places. the yield
and prices would be doubled and trip
led and the net profit still more in
be desired and to the extent that the
Land Show shall stimulate and aid in
obtaining them. will il be time and
money well spent The thing most de-
sired by the compiler of these stats
tics is that it shall result in a perma-
nent cooperative association of these
three counties for the raising of better
fruits and a more intelligent market
ing of them.
Fruit Belt" first was applied to Ber-
rien. Van Buren, and Allegan counties.
The census shows them as leading,
hence an appropriate name for the
combination is WEST MICHIGAN'S
PRIMO FRUIT BELT" They are
three highly favored counties in a
highly favored state which possess so
many advantages in common as to
make it desirable to group them into
a closer union of cooperation for the
better development of their varied re-
sources.
They have an area of over 1000
square miles or about the same as the
State of Delaware, located to the east
of Lake Michigan, so enjoying the pro-
tecting influence of the prevailing
winds across a large body of water,
which enables us successfully TO raise
the tender fruits and vegetables in a
higher latitude than interior places or
those on the opposite side of the lake,
also brings to this side in warm wealth
er large numbers of people to enjoy it's
cool breezes.
Besides the 70 miles of coast on |
Lake Michigan, there are approximate |
ly 400 lakes within this territory, near
ly all having outlets to the four rivers, |
their branches and a number of creeks !
directly into the lake These ,
not only have a beneficial influence ,
upon the climate, but furnish excellent
outlets for the drainage of the land
also provide ample water for domestic .
purposes and irrigation if it were |
needed, besides by the elevation of
their sources above Lake Michigan to
supply with the aid of electricity, the |
power for manufacturing and transpor-
tation purposes. The soil is rich and
varied, with little waste land. The
population was 123,303 in 1904, the last
census figures obtainable. Traversed
by such railroads as the Michigan Cen
trail, its short lines and New York
Central connections, Michigan South
ern and Lake Shore, Big Four, Pere
Marquette System, Grand Rapids and
Indiana and its Pennsylvania connec-
tions, the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore &
the several electric roads, the
navigable rivers and the 70 miles of
Lake coast, make about 600 miles
within these counties. Four harbors
within and Holland so near the north .
line that It furnishes accommodation
for passengers and freight and out let's
for some of its streams. There are
over $50 stations, docks, piers and
landings in the three counties. The
early completion of the electric road
between Saugatuck and Coloma fur I
nishes connecting link of a system
with South Bend, Indianapolis and Chi
cago at one end and Grand Rapids the
other, the latter centering the passen-
ger and freight traffic to the north of
it,
This locality has proper drainage,
plenty of humus in the soil and through
careful conservation of the moisture
by intelligent cultivation, we need
have little anxiety about wet or dry
seasons.
It's market advantages are of the
best, being within three to six hours
from Chicago, the greatest city in the
world in the wide and extensive terri
tory over which it gathers and distri-
butes horticultural and farm products.
In transportation by lake, this locality
is specially favored in the easy swing
motion of the boat for the tender fruits
and ypUata hlac fraaInp, fro,,, 1.,o.