GENESEE COUNTY. 30? 



cultural society. Its programme was a full and interesting one, and the 

 sessions well attended. 



In his "Brief of Horticulture," Secretary Garfield says: '^This is an ex- 

 cellent farming region, and a great deal of attention is given to fruit as an 

 accompaniment of the farm ; but very few are engaged in horticulture as a 

 specialty." 



In 1884 the county horticultural society reported a membership of one 

 hundred. 



In 1885 it still had a large membership, but no regular report was received. 



Lapeer county, according to the census of 1884, has of apple orchards, 

 6,838 acres, 187,810 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 111,925 bushels of fruit. 



Peaches, 140 acres, 7,240 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 727 bushels of 

 fruit. 



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

 $53,631.00. 



Vineyards, 10 acres: grapes sold in 1883, 1,594 pounds. 



wine made in 1883, 



Nurseries, none. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $360.00. 



GENESEE COUNTY. 



This county was constituted from portions of Lapeer, Saginaw and Shia- 

 wassee, by an enactment of the Legislative Council of the Territory, approved 

 March 28th, 1835. It was organized in pursuance of an act of the State 

 Legislature, approved March 8th, 1836, and which took effect on and after 

 the first Monday of the following April. 



The name is that of a county* in western New York, from which very many 

 of the original settlers came. It originally belonged to a tribe of Seneca 

 Indians. Je-nis-he-yuh, in the Seneca language, signified beautiful valley. 



On August 25th, 1835, an act of the Legislature was approved, locating 

 the county seat at a point on the Saginaw turnpike, near Flint, whence it 

 was subsequently removed to Flint, its present location, which occupies a 

 tract of land reserved by the Cbippeway Indians for the children of Jacob 

 Smith, a white Indian trader of much influence with the tribe. 



John Todd removed from Pontiac to Grand Traverse (now Flint) during 

 the winter of 1830 and '31, and appears to have been the first permanent 

 settler at this point, aside from Indian traders. 



The first land located for settlement within the county was in 1824, and in 

 1825 a few persons settled in the southern part of the county, mostly from 

 Livingston, Monroe and Genesee countiesj New York, and a few from Ver- 

 mont. 



The south half of the county is mostly "oak openings." The north half 

 is entirely timbered land. 



An agricultural society was organized in the county as early as February 

 13th, 1850. 



In his annual report for 1867 the secretary says : " Apples, the staple fruit 

 of this county, have been generally a good crop, though they did not realize 



