OCEANA COUNTY. 353 



NEWAYGO COUNTY. 



This county was laid off by act of the State Legislature, approved April 1st, 

 1840. It was organized in pursuance of an act approved June 27th, 1851, 

 which provided for the perfecting of the organization on the first Monday in 

 January, 1852. 



The county seat is Newaygo, an Indian word signifying ''much water." 

 It was incorporated as a village in 1867. 



The early occupancy of this county seems to have been mainly for lumber- 

 ing purposes. But little informatioQ respecting these matters can be obtained, 

 and the same is true of its condition horticulturally. 



A Newaygo County Agricultural Society was organized in 1871. 



In 1874 a union agricultural society was organized at Fremont Center, 

 which being located in a more especially agricultural region, may have been 

 intended to absorb or supersede the earlier organization. The two regions 

 are, however, in a measure independent of each other ; the one finding its 

 outlet to Grand Eajaids over the Grand Rapids and Newaygo railroad, and the 

 other being tributary to Muskegon over a branch of the Chicago and West 

 Michigan railroad. 



According to the census of 1884, this county had of apple orchards 2,435 

 acres; 47,890 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 21,332 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, 62 acres, 4,041 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 639 bushels 

 of fruit. 



The value of orchard products of all kinds of fruit, sold or consumed in 

 1883, was $16,396.00. 



Vineyards, one acre : grapes sold in 1883, 500 pounds. 



wine made in 1883, 3 gallons. -^ 



Nurseries, none; products sold in 1883, none. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, 12,546.00. 



OCEANA COUNTY. 



Oceana county was set off by an act of the Legislative Council of the Ter- 

 ritory, approved March 2d, 1831, and was organized under the provisions of 

 an act of the State Legislature, approved February 13 th, 1855, which pro- 

 vided for the perfecting of such organization on the first day of June, 1855. 



The county seat is at the village of Hart. 



The following account of the topography of the county is condensed from 

 a valuable communication by D. L. Garver, of Hart: — 



There is, perhaps, no other single county in the State which presents a 

 greater variety of soil and surface — of rich agricultural land and barren, 

 sandy plains. A small portion is tenacious clay, and about one-half the 

 county is a rich sandy loam. The remainder is not regarded as desirable so 

 long as better lands are available. A portion of the surface is quite hilly, 

 but much of it is only gently rolling. 



In the southwestern portion of the county, in the township of Clay Banks, 



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