1010 MICHELIA 



MICHfiLIA(P. A MicheIi.lC79-1737. Italian botanist). 

 Magnotidce<e. Twelve to 17 species of temperate and 

 tropical trees, mostly natives of mts. of India, 2 of which 

 are cult, in our southern states for their handsome mag- 

 nolia-lilce foliaffe and red or li:il>- yellow, fniKiiuit lis. 

 Fls. mostly axillary, solitary: s> iiiN iml i.i,!- iiN;!:ir. 

 9-15 or more, in 3 or more .s' ri 'l 



nolia; carpels in a loose spiki-: 



2 or more: fr. a lonfr, loose di- . i ,. ; i,,.. -; ,•.,::,.:. 

 carpels, which split down tlir li;i ^v . ... .1., hki .M.iyuL.h.i. 



Champ&ca, Linn. 



long, 2><i-J ill. I.r.i.i. 

 puberuloiis t.. n. :itli 

 sepals oblonu', :..mIi 



■. .• iKitiv of the Himalayas: 

 liu' I., i, l.ing point, 8-10 in. 

 : ,.l...v. , |i:ileand glabrous or 

 I ', in. I.. rig: fls. 2 in. across; 

 liii.ar: tr. 3-4 in. long. 

 .v.v. n.ju'crs i;d. 

 fuscita, Blume. Lvs. elliptic-lanceolate: none of the 

 sepals or petals linear. China. B.M. 1U08 (Mag>tolia 

 fiiscdlu). M. B. Coi-LSTON. 



Mifhiliri fiisriilti is one of the most popular garden 

 shrubs in the soutliern states. It is known as the Brown- 

 flipwend or Banana shrub; also Magnolia fitseatu. It 

 is slinilil.y ill Ik. I. it. attains a height of 10 to 15 ft. and is 

 II. ii'.!:. li III in the middle and lower South. The 

 shin . • '^ and petioles are covered with brown 



tnni. li . are 1-1 K in. across, brownish yellow, 



e.l_ i I .- limine, exhaling a strong banana fra- 



grain . . I in i! I,, .1111- period extends from the end of 



left. 



lithe 



servatory i 



northern sections. 

 P. J. Berckman's. 



MICHIGAN HORTICULTURE. Fig. 1399. The loca- 

 tion of the lower peninsula of Michigan is a most fortu- 

 nate one for the pursuit of horticulture. Flanked on 

 either side by a great body of water, the climate is modi- 

 tied materially both summer and winter, thus affecting 

 the kind and quality of products that can be successfully 

 grown. Peaches are regularly ripened on a parallel 

 that forms the northern boundary of Vermont ; even 

 figs have been ripened in the open air in the south- 

 western corner of the state. This modification of cli- 

 mate affects not only temperature, but humidity; and on 

 the side of prevailing winds during the heated season 

 there is greater immunity from drought as a result of 

 the moisture-laden atmosphere. 



Michigan is covered with drift, and the soil in the 

 western portion is, in considerable measure, open and 

 porous in character, but having as a constituent proper- 

 ties admirably soiled to the growth of trees. The kind 

 of timber gn.win- natnrallx' ii|..ni tin- s..il nf western 

 Michigan ba-, . i. ■,■..> ..l manx |H.,.|ii,. with r.-ard to the 

 character of III.' -ml. i',l^.n\ in i-.- h.-nv-v tinili.i- has usu- 



maple and basswood. Thi-s'i....' inn. I'w.-t 



ern Michigan to the growth .n ii,,- i,,,,, 



a strong factor in favor of .. u i i 



the finest orchards are ii)inii I In 



There was a wide ran ■:.■ I r nn -n - n :i.,..,i. .,, 

 Michigan, and the . n i ,i i n 



brought by the Fnin i i ,i i ,i . .■ ;. .: i . , > . ,n 

 wonderful vigor and ii , '! i .i ii,,, tr.,, 



are still standing in li Mn .M inis..ionary 



stations. For a go... I i . : . i tin- .arly settle- 



ments in the statn. t- . n in ].f<..lurts were 



raised simply as an tn-.- [. .nun i ■ .-i iln- lanii liome or 



the town garden. iMa.k.-i Imrn. nlmi-. h-is i.,||owed the 

 rapid growth of cities and tin- .l.v.|..].iii. nt ...f modern 

 methods of transportation. 



The apple-growing region cnvirs tlm s.iuthern part, 

 extending northward and covering what i.s known as the 

 "Thumb" (south of Saginaw bay), reaching as far north 

 on the Huron shore as the Straits of Mackinac, and 

 on the western, with a somewhat wider belt, to and in- 

 cluding the Urand Traverse region. This same area 



MICHIGAN 



is well adapted to the growth of the pear, cherry, and 

 most of the small fruits. Peach-growing for profit is 

 followed in a rather narrow belt along the west shore of 

 Michigan, technically denominated the "peach belt,"and 

 upon reliefs of ground over a much wider area, extend- 

 iiiL- ' :-'Ti T.vr-tity to forty miles toward the interior from 

 I I M .n: the northern terminus of this belt is 



I I I -.- bay. At the date of this writing (1900) 

 , 1 1 ~ing apple region lies in the middtewest- 

 iiii |i.iii ..I ill.' lower peninsula. The aggregate acreage 

 ilevuted to apple-growing in the 39 apple counties is 

 202,587; and the acreage of peaches in the 12 counties 

 in which this fruit is grown commercially is 39,051. 



In the evolution of commercial horticulture in Michi- 

 gan, specialties have been deveh.p. .1 i.n.l \., . tin. I the 

 peach a leading product whereviiii lully 



grown. To illustrate the rapid in 1 i 1. :.'row- 



ing in the state, it is enough t.. :. il.it th. a\.rage 

 number of trees planted in the state aniniallv. between 

 1890 and 1900, was 750,000. The shipments' from the 

 western part of the state are uniformly large, and the 

 aggregates are often, in productive years, enormous. 

 The color of the fruit is not as high as we find it in 

 southern latitudes, but the quality is superior. From 

 the lake ports a large proportion of the peach crop is 

 shipped to Milwaukee and Chicago for distribution, but 

 from the interior places of shipment, peaches are dis- 

 tributed in every direction by rail. The development of 

 the small fruit interest for market has been in the region 

 of large cities and lake ports. From the cities at the 

 mouth of tlie St. Josepli river, in the height of the small 

 fruit -.■ — n. ii i- iii.t i:.r.- t.. Iia\ .■ tin ^lii].inents aggre- 



^'tit.- L'li.." I 1' . ill' 'i.. . 'I'll LI iinliistry is widely 



s.-aii.ii'l" . I ' ,. I ,n. i-n i.-ni ,.i ih, l.iwer peninsula. 



'I'll.- .'..Inn . . i I. I III .- .. I I , I : . Tin. 1 1 iitii the character 



of the s,.il. In.- I ii-i I I n i|- '. i; hiy of fruit. In 



recent years a li - ;, - i , , Liven to this in- 

 dustry in the \i i i i \ i i'.uren county, 

 from which i-n i i i-N are shipped 

 annually. Plum- ..i. l ii v n ii\.i .i luLn- portion of the 

 southern peninsula, and to some extent, in the northern 

 peninsula, but the fruit reaches its greatest perfection 

 in Oceana and Mason counties. 



The wide range of horticultural products grown in 

 this state, and the wonderful development of certain 

 specialties, in localities suited to them, have been due to 

 the admirable method of disseminating exact and valu- 

 able information upon horticultural subjects in every 

 corner of the state. This has been accomplished by or- 

 ganization. The state horticultural society, with its 

 numerous branches; the organizations devoted to com- 

 mercial horticulture; granges, farmers' clubs and insti- 

 tutes, touching in their work, according to locality, the 

 various branches of horticulture, have all been valuabla 

 means for disseminating information. The Fruit Cata- 

 logue of the Michigan Horticultural Society has been a 

 text-book fur every planter: this, in recent years, has 

 been mi|i|.1i m- nt. .1 in .-.1111111 ai.l.' l.nll. I ills from the hor- 



ticullnr.ii 1 ' ii ■■■ 1-1 iin - .[-' run. nit station; and 



the linn. .1 I , III. f. .: ii-n't i.-ni' ■, I . :is a profession, 

 bec.iinin LI. !. I .1.1 - . L .i.ilv i.iiblic-spirited 



ami w .n ...jni;i.i. .1. M1...1 . .... .\-.-rs have never 



l.n..|i L'liiii \ ..1 ii..ul...-iiiiL 1.. .1 I I. r products in at- 

 '■■in-ir. .. «:i . ^ III int.. . ...... ami even inter- 



iind 



' ■:■- iliat w. r. ill early days considei-ed to be 



-iin[.lv Liii.l. n pr... hints hav.' developed to such an ex- 

 tent that now they are field crops; this is notably true 

 of celery, chicory, mint, potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, 

 cucumbers and melons. The quick and satisfactory 

 communication from the lake ports with the large cities 

 of Illinois and Wisconsin has stimulated the culture of 

 the muskmelon and tomato to such an extent that they 

 are not now reckoned as garden crops. Kalamazoo 

 celery is shipped over a large area of the civilized world. 

 The soil seems admirably adapted to the production of 

 a high grade of product, and the method of growing and 

 handling has reached far toward perfection. It is true, 

 also, that other points in the state are developing as 

 celery centers, and giving their names to the exported 



