ALLEGAN COUNTY. 291 



In 1870 the vegetables and fruits shown at the county fair were exceedingly 

 fine. 



The Woodland Horticultural Society was organized by Secretary Garfield, 

 of the State Pouiological Society, on June 2d, 1880. 



On February 20th, 1883, a horticultural society was organized at Hastings 

 by Secretary Garfield, with the title of Barry County Horticultural Society, 

 auxiliary to the Michigan State Horticultural Society. 



According to the census of 1884, Barry county had, of 



Apple orchards, 7,G08 acres, 222,784 bearing trees, yielding in 1883,101,485 

 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, 389 acres, 23,397 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 6,391 

 bushels of fruit. 



The value of orchard products of all kinds sold or consumed in 1883 was 

 $48,426. 



Vineyards, 37 acres: grapes sold in 1883, 13,760 pounds, 



wine made in 1883, 212 gallons. 



Nurseries, 7 acres; products sold in 1883, $936. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $2,159. 



ALLEGAN COUNTY. 



This county was set off by an act of the Legislative Council of the Terri- 

 tory, approved March 2d, 1831, and it was organized in pursuance of an act 

 of the same body, approved August 25th, 1835, which took effect on and after 

 the first Monday of September, 1835. 



The county seat is at the village of Allegan. The name is that of an 

 Indian tribe in the Alleghanies. Gan, in the Indian dialect, signifies lake. 



Secretary G. H. La Fleur, of the Allegan Pomological Society, contributes 

 many of the following particulars : The first settler of this county was Syl- 

 vester Sibley, who purchased a homestead in what is now the town of Gun 

 Plains, on June 15th, 1831. A few days later Samuel C. Wells effected a 

 location, and in September they were reinforced by Hull Sherwood. During 

 the next year four more settlers arrived and settled in the same town. Dur- 

 ing the year 1833 nine more persons were added to this settlement. 



In 1834 Elisha Ely (Pioneer Collections, volume 1, page 97, says Alexander 

 Ely), of Rochester, Xew York, purchased lands within the present village of 

 Allegan. He was soon followed by some of his eastern friends, from whose 

 beginnings has sprung up a village of four thousand people. This and the 

 settlements which rapidly accumulated about it were mainly made for agri- 

 cultural purj)oscs, though in part for the manufacture of the neighboring pine 

 forests into lumber. 



Pioneer Collections (Vol. 7th, page 305,) state that Joseph Fisk came to 

 Allegan (village?) on March 7th, 1834, at which time L. S. Prouty was the 

 only settler. At that time there were no settlt rs between Allegan and Lake 

 Michigan, and only the family of W. G. Butler at Saugatuck. 



HOKTICULTURE IN CENTRAL ALLEGAN. 



Many, if not most, of the early settlers brought with them and planted apple 



