OTTAWA COUNTY. 331 



The Western Michigan Lake Shore Horticultural Association, at its second 

 annual meeting, had delegates in attendance from various locations along the 

 east shore of Lake Michigan. During a two days' session it received the 

 report of a committee appointed to prepare or revise the society's list of 

 fruits. This report, Avhich is signed by Jacob Ganzhorn, S. B. Peck, Town- 

 send E. Gidley, and Thomas Wilde, adds the following to the lists of the pre- 

 vious year, viz.: — Apples: Summer — Benoni, Oldenburg, Sweet Bough. 

 Autumn — Gravenstein, Golden Sweet, Hawley. Winter — Jonathan, Lady's 

 Sweet, Bagley Sweet (?), Peck's Pleasant, Westfield. 



Pears — Standard, Bloodgood, Flemish }3eauty, Sheldon, Howell, Lawrence, 

 Clapp's Favorite. 



Plums — Washington, JefEerson, Lombard, Columbia, McLaughlin, Imper- 

 ial Gage, Green Gage. 



Quinces — Rea. 



Mulberries — Downing, 



Grapes — Isabella, Clinton. Varieties not fully tested but promising — 

 Crevelling, Ives, Salem, Martha, Eumeian, Wilder, Rogers J^o. 5, Lindley, 

 Agawam, Merrimac, Rogers No. 33. 



Gooseberries — Downing. 



Raspberries — Clark, Miami Black-cap. 



Blackberries — Lawton, Kittatinny, Wilson. 



Strawberries — Triomphe de Gand. 



In January, 1870, an Ottawa County Farmers' Club was organized. Dur- 

 ing its discussions Henry S. Clubb remarked: "A gentleman residing at 

 Lament, well situated for knowing the facts, told me that the apple crop 

 alone saved the credit of the farmers last fall. The price of wheat, being 

 low, did not meet the expense of raising, and had it not been for the apples 

 the farmers would have been unable to pay their grocery and dry goods bills." 



On September 29th and 30th, 1870, the sixth exhibition of the Western 

 Michigan Agricultural and Horticultural Society was held at Spring Lake. 

 This being the society's sixth exhibition, its organization is supposed to have 

 occurred in 1875. 



At this exhibition over one hundred entries were made, consisting of grapes, 

 apples, pears, canned peaches, strawberries, and other fruits; also a good dis- 

 play of vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, egg-plants, squashes, pumpkins, 

 sweet corn, seed corn, pop-corn, etc. 



House jDlants, consisting of salvias, coleus, fuchsias, geraniums (single and 

 double) and numerous other choice plants, the foliage plants taking the lead 

 for novelty. A Russian sunflower was exhibited, measuring sixteen inches 

 in diameter, four feet in circumference, thirteen feet height of stem, which 

 was three inches in diameter. This was grown upon the sandy soil of Grand 

 Haven. 



In 1871 the fruit and floral departments of the annual county fair were 

 excellent. The whole county is adapted to the growing of fruits, either 

 large or small, and the lake shore region is especially adapted to peaches and 

 grapes. At Holland fruit is largely grown for export. The region bordering 

 on Spring Lake is noted for the production of peaches and grapes. Numer- 

 ous other localities have also acquired a similar reputation. 



From a careful and concise statement of the fruit product of the vicinity 

 of Spring Lake for the year 1871, the following is condensed : There were 

 one hundred and forty tons of grapes and eighteen thousand baskets of 



