HISTORY OF MICHIGAN HORTICULTURE. 221 



them in the ground at once, and raised a nursery, supplying himself and 

 neighbors. Nathan H. Pray (my father), of Windsor, in the east part of 

 the county, in the fall of 1837, located and raised a nursery from the seed, 

 having the seedlings grafted, and supplied many in his vicinity. Jay Hawkins, 

 of Vermontville, in the west part of the county, planted first apple seeds in 

 1837, and raised a nursery, supplying many of the first settlers in his part of 

 the county. He also grafted pear in thorn bushes, and from them the first 

 pears were raised. S. S. Church and Walter S. Fairfield started the first peach 

 nursery in Vermontville from pits. Orrin Dickinson, of Vermontville, brought 

 seed with him from Vermont for his orchard. The people of Vermontville 

 planted first fruit seed from the fall of 1836 until the fall of 1837. Star Hoyt, 

 of Sunfield, in the north part of the county, sowed apple seeds about the same 

 time, from which many early orchards sprang. 



I have not been able to hear of any natural trees found by the first settlers 

 in bearing. 



INGHAM COUNTY. 

 BY GEO. W. PARKS, LANSING. 



Agreeable to your request, I have made inquiries and gathered what facts I 

 could in reference to the early history of fruit and trees in Ingham county. 

 The first apple trees planted in Ingham county were set out by David Rodgers, 

 in the town of Stockbridge, in 1835. He built the first house in the county in 

 1834, and in 1836 he sent to New Jersey and got peach pits. They grew, and 

 were the variety known as Red Cheek Rareripe. Thomas Sill set an apple orch- 

 ard in the same town in 1836 ; all were native sorts. A. Standish set an orchard 

 in the same town in 1838; all were native trees but two. One was Yellow Har- 

 vest and the other Greasy Pippin. Mr. Law planted an orchard in 1837 in 

 same town. 



Among the early orchardists of the town of Aurelins were John Barnes, Rob- 

 ert G. Haywood, Elijah Wilcox, Michael Matteson, H. Roswell, D. Maxson, 

 who planted orchards in the years 1837 and 1838. 



The first to plant trees in the town of Lansing was A. F. Cooley, who planted 

 native trees in the spring of 1837. He obtained the trees on the bank of the 

 Grand river near the present location of the city of Lansing. They were sub- 

 sequently ingrafted with good kinds, and they are healthy bearing trees at this 

 date. Mr. Cooley planted peach trees on same farm in 1844, which bore fruit 

 in great abundance after attaining to proper age, until the year 1855, when 

 they were killed by cold winters; peaches having succeeded only at intervals 

 since, when we have had several mild winters in succession. 



The first to plant orchards in the town of Onondaga were the Baldwins and 

 Johnsons, who planted in 1837-8. The first nursery planted in Ingham 

 county was planted in January, 1838, by J. F. Cooley, the ground being free 

 from frost at the time named. The seed was brought from New York. The 

 nursery contained 2,000 native trees, and they were sold to settlers in the 

 neighborhood. James Bignal planted a nursery in the town of Stockbridge in 

 1850. It was made up of native stocks which were ingrafted in the body 

 three to four feet from ground ; they gave good satisfaction to planters. The 

 trees did well and were healthy, and are bearing to date. 



Geo. W. Lathrop planted a" nursery in the city of Lansing in 1850, he being 

 the first to introduce trees ingrafted in the root. In 1856, J. S. Harris 



