228 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In about 1855, Hiram Rhodes established a nursery on the river, just below 

 Ada, and H. N. Peck started about the same date in the town of Grand Rapids. 

 The Kellogg nursery was started a little later on the hill between Fountain and 

 Fulton streets, and was afterwards purchased by George Nelson. As soon as 

 the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad was completed to Grand Rapids, nursery 

 stock, the refuse of eastern nurseries, was shipped in to Grand River country, 

 and sold at rates far below what the stock could be grown for here, and hence 

 the business was gradually dropped. Soon after this the Husteds started near 

 Lowell, and ran a large nursery business until 1873. 



In 1836 Mr. Robert Hilton came to Grand Rapids, and the only two orchards 

 started that were talked about then, were those of Burton, in Paris, and Chubb, 

 at Grandville. Mr. Hilton's farm was in Walker, and in 1840 he planted 50 

 apple trees about forty rods from the river. In 1845 he planted 300 more 

 grafted apple trees, purchased of Geo. Barker, who had a small nursery out on 

 Bridge street west, near city limits, and of a small nursery that stood on the 

 south of Monroe street, near the site of Aldrich's block. The orchards 

 are standing now, and before Mr. Hilton left them, in 1848, some of the trees 

 bore well. From two trees of the Fameuse variety, he took one year (probably 

 1848), twenty-one and one-fourth bushels. He grew peaches on the land near 

 the river, and in those days the locality seemed very free from frosts, even 

 more so than the higher ground. 



The towns of Caledonia and Bowne were originally one, and the very first 

 trees taken in there had a very interesting history. Mr. Reuben H. Smith, in 

 1840, was returning from a trip outside the county by way of the Grand River 

 crossing at Lyons, and as he came to the ferry he found a man standing dis- 

 consolately with a bundle of seedling apple trees beside him. While arranging 

 to go across with the ferryman, he inquired of the stranger what was the mat- 

 ter, where he was going, etc., ascertaining that the man was entirely out of 

 money, and could not pay his way across the ferry, and was on his way to 

 Ionia, hoping there to dispose of his trees for a little cash. Mr. Smith had 

 compassion on the man and paid the fee taking him over the ferry. The man 

 expressed great obligations, and as they walked on toward Ionia together, they 

 talked apple trees, prices, etc., and finally struck up a trade, the result of 

 which was that Mr. Smith took the bundle of seedlngs into Bowne. These 

 trees were mostly planted by Asa and Loren B. Tyler. Charles N. Foster and 

 Wm. A. Beach were then little boys, and each was given a nice straight seed- 

 ling for his own. Foster's tree bore first, and in 1863 it was reported as bear- 

 ing above ten bushels of fine fruit. These two trees are now living and bearing 

 regular crops. 



Frederick Thompson and Isaac Wooley set some trees out on what is now 

 known as the Jonathan Thomas estate, as early as 1837, and a Mr. Kent 

 planted seedling apples about the same time. In about 1840, Peter, John, 

 Malcolm, and Daniel McNanghton, and John A. Campbell planted out seed- 

 ling orchards in the same township. 



Paris and Gaines were originally one township, and the very first trees planted 

 in this town were on the Barney Burton place, now known as the Garfield 

 farm. Mr. Burton started a seedling nursery here, and furnished a good 

 many trees to the early planters in his own town. Mr. S. S. Buck, on section 

 34, set an orchard from this nursery in 1844. 



About 1840, A. L. Bouck had a small nursery on what is now the line between 

 Paris and Gaines, on the old Kalamazoo road. As early as 1838, Foster Kelly 

 and Mr. Blaine brought peach trees from Orleans county, New York, and 



