216 GENERAL HISTORY. 



To Geo. W. Bruckner, Monroe, for best Concord vineyard, two premiums. 



To I. E. Ilgenfritz & Co., Monroe, general nursery. 



The occurrence of the Centennial Exposition during this year involved a 

 large amount of special effort in the collection and forwarding of specimen 

 fruits from this State. For this reason the State Pomological Society omitted, 

 for the year, the offering of the usual orchard premiums and the appointment 

 of an orchard committee. 



In 1877, the orchard committee of the State Pomological Society awarded 

 premiums in Monroe county as follows: — 



To D. Ilgenfritz, Monroe, for young apple orchard. 



To Charles Toll, ^lonroe, for vineyard. 



To D. Ilgenfritz, Monroe, for quince orchard. 



After LS77 the society ceased to provide for examinations and awards in 

 this department. 



This entire region is underlaid, at no great depth, with lime rocV, which 

 constitutes a prominent element in the overlaying soils, which are mainly a 

 strong clay loam; although occasional plantations appear to be equally suc- 

 cessful in overlaying deposits of sandy loam. 



ORCHARDS. 



As was remarked in the quotation from the paper of President Willits, in 

 the early settlement of this county nearly every farm had its orchard of 

 apples and pears, and the more modern settlers seem to have afforded little 

 if any exception to this. Here, as elsewhere, however, the planting of 

 orchards for commercial purposes has only been done to any considerable 

 extent, as a response to the more recent requirements of the markets of the 

 west. 



Prominent among these recent plantations is that of D. Ilgenfritz, form- 

 erly connected with the nursery of his brother at this place, commenced in 

 1875, and including 1,000 apple trees, 500 pears, 500 orange quince and sev- 

 eral hundred peaches, plums and cherries. This plantation was made on 

 ground which had been thoroughly tile drained, and was examined and highly 

 commended by the orchard committee of the State Horticultural Society in 

 the year 1877. 



An American chestnut grove of several acres extent, and growing wild 

 among the native oaks stood, in 1829 or 1830, about three or four miles 

 northwesterly from the city of Monroe. Whether or not this yet remains the 

 writer is not informed. This and a similar one near the village of Wayne, 

 in Wayne county, are believed to be the only groves of this kind to be found 

 in southern Michigan ; although chestnut trees and even small groves, arti- 

 ficially planted, are by no means uncommon. 



A successful and satisfactory retarding house or refrigerator is in operation 

 at Monroe, intended primarily for the keeping of eggs, butter, and the more 

 perishable agricultural products, to await a satisfactory state of the markets ; 

 and furthermore for the retarding and keeping of perishable fruits to await 

 a similar contingency. 



The refrigeration is effected by means of ice, with an arrangement to avoid 

 excess of atmospheric moisture in the confined space. The room is main- 

 tained at a temperature but three or fr)ur degrees above freezing during the 

 warmest days of summer, thus holding tropical and other perishable fruits 

 without perceptible change for almost any desirable period. 



