MISSAUKEE COUNTY. 363 



Trestern portion of this county during the first half of the last decade. 

 Beyond the operations of lumbermen little was done in the way of a settle- 

 ment of this coiinty, until the construction of this road opened an outlet. 



According to the census of 1884 the county had of apple orchards, 5 

 acres, 75 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 50 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, none. 



Vineyards, none. 



Nurseries, none. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $1,095.00. 



MISSAUKEE COUNTY. 



This county was laid off by act of the Legislature approved April 1st, 1840, 

 and it was organized in pursuance of an act approved March 11th, 1871, 

 which organization was perfected on the second Tuesday after the first Mon- 

 day in April, 1871. 



Lake City is the county seat. 



This county lies upon the western portion of the central plateau, with a 

 drainage almost wholly southeastward into Muskegon river; although the 

 Manistee river crosses the extreme northwest corner, and its branches drain 

 the northern margin. 



The county has an elevation of six or seven hundred feet above the level of 

 Lake Michigan. Its most convenient outlet at present is by way of the 

 Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad, which passes through the eastern por- 

 tion of the adjacent county of Wexford, lying west of this county, the con- 

 struction of which about the beginning of the last decade, afforded the access 

 needful for the settlement and development of this, as well as adjacent 

 counties. 



The county is even yet too recently settled to have properly demonstrated 

 its capacities as a fruit-growing or horticultural region, although its wild 

 native fruits are assurance of abundant capacity for the production of what 

 are usually designated as small fruits. 



The census of 1884 affords some indication of the condition of fruit culture 

 at that time, when the county reported of apple orchards, 137 acres, 1,122 

 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 425 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, 5 acres, 70 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 35 bushels of 

 fruit. 



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

 $356.00. 



Vineyards, none. 



Nurseries, none; products sold in 1883, $150.00. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $956.00. 



That the soils here possess the requisite elements for the successful growth 

 of fruits, and that the modifying influence of Lake Michigan is potent, even 

 at this distance, would seem to be obvious from the foregoing census reports. 



