KENT COUNTY. 321 



was returning from a trip outside the county, by way of the Grand river cross- 

 ing at Lyons, and as he came to the ferry he found a man standing discon- 

 solately with a bundle of seedling apple trees beside him. While arranging 

 to cross with the ferryman he inquired of the stranger what was the matter, 

 where he was going, etc., ascertaining that the man was entirely out of 

 money and could not pay his ferriage, and was on his way to Ionia, hoping 

 there to dispose of his trees for a little cash. Mr. Smith had compassion on 

 the man ami paid the fee, taking him over the ferry. The man expressed 

 great obligations, and as they walked toward Ionia together they talked 

 apple trees, prices, etc., and finally struck up a trade, the result of which 

 was that Mr. Smith took the bundle of seedlings into Bowne. These trees 

 were mostly planted by Asa and Loren B. Tyler. Charles N. Foster and 

 William A. Beach were then little boys, and each was given a nice, straight 

 seedling for his own. Foster's bore first, and in 1863 it was reported to have 

 borne more than ten bushels of fine fruit. The two trees are now living and 

 bearing crops regularly. 



Frederick Thompson and Isaac Wooley planted some trees on what is now 

 known as the Jonathan Thomas estate as early as 1837, and a Mr. Kent 

 planted seedling apples about the same time. About 1840 Peter and John 

 Malcom, Daniel McNaughton and John A. Campbell planted seedling or- 

 chards in the same township. 



Paris and Gaines were originally one township, and the very first trees 

 planted in this town were on the Barney Burton place, now known as the 

 •Garfield farm. Mr. Burton started a seedling nursery here, and furnished a 

 good many trees to the early planters in his own town. Mr. S. S. Buck, on 

 section 34, planted an orchard from this nursery in 1844. 



About 1840 A. L. Bouck had a small nursery on what is now the line be- 

 tween Paris and Gaines, on the old Kalamazoo road. As early as 1838 Foster 

 Kelly and Mr. Blaine brought peach trees from Orleans county, New York, 

 and planted in this township, near where they now reside. J. VV. Woolcott, 

 in this town, planted seedling apple trees in 1843, and top-gl-afted them. 

 Eobert Jones was an early planter in this township, and brought his trees 

 from Adrian, while the Brewers secured their first nursery trees in Ypsilanti. 

 There is now a small nursery in Caledonia, on section 36, owned by J. B. 

 Proctor & Son. 



About the time when Mr. Bouck and Mr. Burton had their nurseries, Mr. 

 •Godwin, in Wyoming, started quite a variety of trees on the new Kalamazoo 

 road, which was well patronized. Remains of the nursery are yet standing, 

 -on the place owned by Augustus Godwin. S. M. Pearsall is supposed to 

 have planted the first orchard in the town of Alpine; he brought the trees 

 from Troy, Oakland county, in 1843. They were brought in wagons, and 

 cost him, when planted, about |1 each. Mr. Pearsall brought into the coun- 

 try from Avon the White Astrachan, or, as he then called it, Transparent 

 Moscow. Very soon after this Mr. Noel Hopkins planted his orchard in 

 Alpine. 



One of the oldest apple trees in Kent county stands in the garden of the 

 writer (Charles W. Garfield), planted by Barney Burton, the body of which 

 is five feet in circumference three feet from the ground, at a point below the 

 enlargement caused by the branches. The top has spread nearly fifty feet, 

 but has recently been shortened in. 



The nursery interest of Kent county received a severe shock from the hard 



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