234 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SAGINAW COUNTY. 

 BY E. F. GUILD. 



In reply to the questions proposed in your circular, I shall have to vary 

 somewhat with the answers. Ahrain Whitney set out the first orchard in the 

 fall of 1833, on section 18, town 12 north, range 3 cast, that was set by a white 

 settler in this county, although there were apple trees which had borne large 

 crops of apples at that time on the banks of the Tittabawassee river, and the 

 banks of the Saginaw river and its branches were lined with wild plums, which 

 were eagerly sought for by the early settlers and the Indians. Of the date and 

 origin of the Indian orchard (so called), on the banks of the Tittabawassee 

 river, little can be said, and accompanying this response I will send a report 

 written by Robert Ure, one of the oldest residents of Saginaw. Harvey Will- 

 iams, in the fall of 1835, bought apple trees at Judge Sprague's nursery, at 

 Chipman's corners, 13 miles east of Pontiac, from which Gardner Williams, 

 E. P. Williams and himself set orchards. Geo. F. Williams, Hiram L. Miller 

 and Norman Little all set out fruit trees the same fall. On or before 1833, 

 Col. Stannard set fruit trees on the place now owned by David Benjamin. In 

 1834 Whitney also set out an orchard on the Parker place. Groover Vinton 

 also set an orchard on the McCellau farm, and Duncan McCellan set out trees 

 on the Pruzer farm, all bordering on the Tittabawassee river, in Saginaw town. 

 This comprises nearly all, if not quite all of the earliest orchards in the Titta- 

 bawassee district. Charles A. Lull planted trees in 1835, also Phineas Spaul- 

 ding and Mr. Vaughn the same year. Phineas Spaulding planted seeds of 

 apples and in five years they produced fruit. Most, if not quite all of the above 

 trees were natural fruit, none being grafted. In the towns of Taymouth, 

 Frankenmuth, and Montrose, Genesee county, along the banks of Flint and 

 Cass rivers, were many Indian settlements, in which were many apple trees, 

 which bore large crops of fruit, some of which was of good quality, while grapes 

 and plums grew spontaneously upon the low grounds adjoining the rivers; also 

 the same along the banks of the Cass and Shiawassee rivers within the limits 

 of the county, and it would not be preposterous to presume that those orchards 

 or trees, as there were only a few trees in a place, originated in the same way 

 and about the same time as those on the Tittabawassee river, of which a full 

 history is given herein. 



In the fall of 1843, D. D. Ross settled in the town of Taymouth, and John 

 Ferguson in the town of Montrose, Genesee county, on the banks of Flint river, 

 and in whatwas called the "Indian Fields," where were several apple trees, which 

 were full size and bore large crops every season of beautiful fruit. These trees 

 bore so well, and gave such an abundance, together with the difficulty of ob- 

 taining trees, that no orchards were set out by the settlers for several years, 

 they depending on these and the bountiful supply of wild plums, grapes, and 

 other native fruits, which grew along the borders of the river at this time. In 

 1848-49-50, there was quite an emigration to the county, and a number of 

 orchards were set out in different parts. Messrs. Ross and Ferguson, together 

 with their neighbors, obtained trees from the Bliss nursery on Flint River, about 

 five miles below the city of Flint, and set out some orchards. A. K. Penny 

 and C. W. Grant of East Saginaw set out some trees at this time, together 

 with several others. Wm. F. Glasby set out a few peach trees, which were 

 probably the first that were set out in this county, and he also set out an orchard 

 of grafted fruit, which was probably the first there was planted. This was in 



