HISTORY OF MICHIGAN HORTICULTURE. 233 



A large portion of the other sixteen townships was covered with pine forests, 

 some of which still remain. Many of these forests were interspersed with 

 beech and maple and oak timber, some quite large tracts being entirely covered 

 with beech and maple. These tracts are generally level land on which fruit 

 trees do not as yet seem to thrive well. As the country becomes older and the 

 farms are underdrained, apples will doubtless be a successful crop throughout 

 the entire country. Orchards are doing better on the high, rolling lands, even 

 where the pine timber has been removed, than on the level lands from which 

 the beech and maple have been cleared. The severe winter of '74 and '5 killed 

 or severely injured all the young orchards of the northern part of the county. 

 Trees that survived seem to be recovering from the effects of that winter, and 

 all young orchards set since are making a strong, healthy growth. 



A part of the township of Montcalm, lying north of Eureka, has good fruit 

 lauds, and some of the apple orchards are doing remarkably well. It is a 

 noticeable fact that the heavy oak timbered land, having strong soil, has been 

 the best adapted to the growing of apples. The trees are healthy and long- 

 lived. 



Sidney, lying east of Montcalm, has some good lands for orchards, but is 

 yet quite new, with but few bearing trees, and the same is true of the townships 

 further east and north. 



In Crystal, Chauncy Case has a good bearing orchard. In Ferris, David 

 Eschliman has a good variety of bearing trees, including peaches, pears, plums 

 and cherries. Christopher Hare of the same township has a fine bearing ap- 

 ple orchard. In Richland, Mr. Merry has a good orchard, and other orchards 

 are getting a good stand. 



John Eiches probably has the best orchard in the township of Cato, and 

 Isaac Gilleo of Winfield has a good orchard. The high, rolling, timbered 

 lands of these two townships are well adapted to all kinds of fruit, and many 

 young orchards are doing well. In Maple Valley, R. N. Wright, Elias and. 

 James Ferguson have good young orchards, just coming into bearing. This 

 township has a great deal of strong, rich land, and is well adapted to the 

 growth of fruit. The same is true of the township next west, Pierson. John 

 and Owen Pierson were the first that planted orchards in this township, and 

 now have good, healthy, bearing trees. Youug orchards are being started that 

 are very promising. 



In Reynolds, the north-west corner township of the county, John Moore has 

 the only good bearing orchard, and there are but few desirable locations for 

 fruit raising in the entire township. 



But little has been done with the raising of small fruits and berries in the 

 county, there being usually such a supply of wild blackberries in the newly 

 chopped pine forests, that there is no inducement for the cultivation of such 

 fruits. Strawberries and raspberries do well however, and enough are grown 

 for home consumption. * 



We consider the future of fruit growing in Montcalm county as very promis- 

 ing. Being near the northern limit of successful culture in the interior of the 

 State, our market will always be good. Good varieties have usually been 

 planted, and the quality is always of the best. 



