230 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In the south-west portion of the county, orchards were set out first by a Mr. 

 Squires, about 1825, and a little later by Mr. Arnold, arid a little after by 

 Lazarus Green, a Quaker, who settled in the township of Washington in 1822 

 or 1823. Mr. Green had for a long time the largest orchard in the county, 

 and was somewhat noted as a fruit raiser. lie went about the county grafting 

 at an early day. In the northern portion of the county the first planting was 

 done by Mr. Asahel Bailey, and at about the same time by Dea. Rogers, Gad. 

 Chamberlin, Mr. Gates and others. Mr. Ira Phillips was also an early fruit 

 raiser. After the year 1830 settlers came in fast, and each provided in some 

 way for a supply of fruits. Many brought seeds with them, while others found 

 in the woods little seedlings growing in places where Indians or hunters had 

 camped when on some expedition. The largest orchard within the county, 

 known to the writer at present, is situated near the village of Eichmond, and 

 is owned by Mr. Oanby. It covers 20 acres of land, and contains about 1,200 

 trees of the best varieties. One of the most thrifty, and apparently most 

 profitable orchards is that of Mr. Chas. Perkins, near Richmond village. This 

 orchard is situated upon a sandy ridge of land inclining to the south, is rich 

 and always dry. The smoothness of the trunks, the vigor of growth, and the 

 size and fairness of fruit in this orchard are wonderful. Mr. Perkins has only 

 a few of the best known varieties, which he strives to improve by good culture 

 and judicious training, and lets others experiment with new varieties. 



Peaches and the smaller fruits are not cultivated to a large extent, but it is 

 the aim of many farmers to provide a succession of fruits for their own con- 

 sumption, from the strawberry to the early and late apples. Prominent among 

 the cultivators of the peach, is Mr. Loren Andrews of Washington, who has an 

 orchard of 1,200 trees, bearing this year (1880) about 300 bushels. 1,600 old 

 trees have had their time and are being removed. Many smaller orchards are 

 located in various portions of the county, along the ridges of land. 



The secretary of state, in his report for the year 1879, reports the number 

 of acres in orchards: — apple, 5,458 acres; peaches, 700 acres; bushels sold in 

 1878— apples, 148.330; peaches, 1,004 bushels. 



It will be observed that the yield per acre is very small, only a trifle over 

 27 bushels; at 50 trees per acre, a little more than one-half bushel per 

 tree. This is explained by the fact that more than one-half of the orchards 

 in the county have not yet come into bearing. From five to seven years ago 

 a large amount of trees were set, both to replace those beginning to decay and 

 to increase the amount of land in orchard. In respect to quality of fruit, 

 Macomb stands " way up." The varieties are standard and the fruit excellent. 

 The only discouraging feature is that a good crop gluts the market, and no 

 outlet is found for it. No. 1 apples of standard kinds are to-day begging for 

 buyers at 15 to 18 cents per bushel. 



Since writing the above I have received a letter from Mr. Green, son of the 

 Lazarus Green referred to in my article, which I copy entire. He says : 



As near as I can calculate from recollection, the first two and one-half acres of 

 the twelve of my father's orchard, were set in the spring of 1827, the balance in 

 1830. They were trees from a nursery of his own raising, started from roots 

 brought in a box from Genesee county, N. Y., in the spring of 1822. A con- 

 siderable share of the old orchard was set with a sweet apple, a great favorite 

 of my father, called by him the "Rhode Island Slug Sweeting." I find no 

 such name in the books now, but it answers to the description of the Jersey 

 Sweeting exactly. My father was something of a fruit fancier in his day. 

 Kept a nursery some 15 or 20 years, from which hundreds of orchards in Ma- 



