Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-07-05
GREAT CHERRY STATE
MICHIGAN LIKELY TO LEAD IN
PRODUCTION OF FRUIT.
Grand Traverse Section Is One Of the
Big Cherry Centers Of the Amer
lean ContInent-Caters to
Fancy Trade.

The Grand Traverse section OF west
ern Michigan aspires to be one OF
the big cherry centers OF the Amer
lean continent. 1t already has made
a good start toward the goal. Michi-
gan at the time the last census was
taken stood fourth among the states
as cherry-producing region, it hav-
ing in the previous ten years ad.
vanced from sixth place. II proper
tomato gains are made during the
present decade. Michigan will be sec
ond, if not first in the list. The cen
sus figures are for 1910 and since that
year there have been very heavy set
tings in the territory TO the west OF
Traverse City and these settings are
likely to continue for several years 10
come.
Eighty acres in the vicinity OF
Northport are being set TO cherries
this spring by single firm, and this
firm is preparing to set the adjoining
eighty next spring, giving them a
quarter section block. The Interest
fruit farms. a cooperative movement
in BenZie county, is setting GO acres
this season. The stock for this set
ting has been brought from Oregon.
The Betsey River Fruit Growers as
ISOLATION. also in Benzie county, set
40 acres to cherries last spring ami
will make heavy settings this year, as
will also the Grand Traverse Fruit
company whose holdings are on the
southern edge OF Leelanau county
near Empire. In Manistee county. J.
T.. Merritt has nearly forty acres Of
cherry orchard that has been set
since 1910, and the Buckley & Doug
las Lumber company has over thirty.
The above settings are a few OF tho
larger propositions. There are many
fruit growers who are increasing
their cherry orchards, by the setting
OF 500, 1000 or 1000 trees.
The present Grand Traverse cherry
region includes the counties OF Ben
zle. Leelanau and Grand Traverse.
although the region is rapidly spread
ing out and will soon include Manis-
tee county on the south and Antrim
on the north, as the fruit growers Ia
both OF the counties are going IN
heavy for cherries. The three coun-
ties have a total area OF 716.1G0 acres.
which is but a trifie greater acreage
than that OF the state OF Rhode Island.
When the last census was taken the
total number OF cherry trees was ST..
S4S, divided between the three coun-
ties. as follows: Grand Traverse, So
1884, Leelanau 1925; Benzie, 1914.
When the 1913 settings are completed
the total number of trees will not fall
much short of 100000
The reasons why this section is de-
veloping as a cherry section are three.
namely. climatic conditions. soil. and
nearness of big consuming markets.
The climate and soil are such as 10
Justify the speaking OF this region as
the natural home of the cherry. In
fact. the secretary OF the Michigan
State Horticultural society has al
ready done this in writing OF the
Grand Traverse peninsula.
The big cities of st. Paul. Minneap-
oils, Milwaukee, Chicago. st. Louis,
Indianapolis, Cincinnati. Pittsburgh,
Buffalo. Cleveland and Detroit are In
a semi-circle around Grand Traverse
and can be reached with perishable
fruits at moderate freight expense.
The first special fruit train left Ira
verse City one July morning in 1870?
II consisted OF three cars and was
loaded with cherries for the Chicago
markets.