HISTORY OF MICHIGAN HORTICULTURE. 22? 



the woods. Mr. Page and his sons gathered gooseberries, currants, raspberries 

 and blackberries, as well as plums, from the valley of Grand River, and by care- 

 ful selection succeeded in growing very fine smooth gooseberries of large size; 

 black caps were grown that rivaled the cultivated sorts in size and quality; 

 white blackberries were found and propagated, and plums were found, large 

 and delicious, that ripened as early as August. All these added to slips of culti- 

 vated fruits and ornamental shrubs, made the nucleus of the future nursery. 



The first apple seeds planted were from fruit gathered from the old French 

 trees about Detroit and shipped to Grand Haven around the lakes, and from 

 thence up the river in Mackinaw boats. The apples were eaten with the 

 understanding that the seeds should be saved, and no guest was treated to any 

 of the fruit without this proviso being put in. A quart of seeds thus obtained 

 were sown ; at the same time a bushel of peach pits were planted, producing 

 trees that were sold readily without budding at good prices. 



Mr. Page grew the wild cranberry here, and his garden was a resort of 

 people who wished a feast of fruit. He also raised about the first melons grown 

 in the country. 



It might be well to speak of the nearest attempt at gardening outside of 

 Grand Rapids. As early as 1835-6, "Yankee" Lewis had a nice garden at 

 Yankee Springs, in the edge of Barry county, and people coming through 

 from Kalamazoo were delighted with his thrift and good taste. Upon the 

 site of this garden are now located orchards containing over 4,000 trees, in a 

 very prosperous condition. 



Really the nursery business proper, in Kent county, was started by Abel 

 Page and Sons in the year 1845. It was planted north of Ooldbrook, and the 

 first 10,000 root grafts were purchased at Monroe, of one Hartwell, a nursery- 

 man there. Two-thirds of these were apples, the remainder divided between 

 pears, cherries, plums, etc. To these more were added rapidly, until in two 

 or three years the number of trees in the nursery reached 250,000, and for 

 nearly 20 years about this amount of stock was carried. 



In 1850 the first mammoth pie-plant root was brought into the country, by 

 the father of John B. Colton, in a pot swung under his wagon. From this 

 Mr. Page secured a slip for one dollar, and the next year sold five dollars worth 

 of plants from it, and two years thereafter sold Judge Withey enough pie-plant 

 for Independence day's dinner, for $2.00. 



The first Lombardy poplar was brought into the country by Samuel White, 

 and planted near the head of Stocking street. From this slips were taken to 

 stock the Ooldbrook nursery. When getting the first nursery stock at Monroe, 

 Mr. A. T. Page secured a quart of seed from the common yellow locust. This 

 was planted, and. from this seed in a few years, over $2,000 worth of trees were 

 sold. 



A few trees of the very best sorts were imported from Hodges' nursery at 

 Buffalo, by Page while he was starting his nursery. These were most of them 

 sold again, but a few were retained and planted out in the nursery grounds 

 from which to get grafts, and to use as an advertisement for the nursery as 

 they came into bearing. The first fruit thus grown was very precious, and 

 preserved with the greatest of care. The first trees sold were seedlings, and 

 customers asked no questions. They were glad to get anything of fruit tree 

 kind, but as soon as the first grafted trees bore, more anxiety was shown in 

 getting good varieties. 



The root grafts bought by Page were some of them sold at three years of 

 age, and distributed through Kent, Ionia, and Ottawa counties. 



