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THE FRUIT REGIONS OF MICHIGAN.

FIRST ARTICLE.

87, JOSEPH, BENTON HARBOR, WATERVLEIT, COLOMA, RIVERSIDE, HARTFORD, HAGAR, BERRIEN, MILLBURGH, SODUS, PIPESTONE, BAIN. BRIDGE, KEELER, ROYALTON, LINCOLN, STEVENSVILLE.

BY HENRY 8. CLUBB.

THE PIONEER PEACH REGION.

Of the numerous fruit regions of Michigan, that known as the St. Joseph, but which now includes the numerous villages and townships named at the head of this article, occupies deservedly a prominent place, and although for apple culture there are undoubtedly older fruit regions than this, yet in the regions to be treated in the present series of articles in which peach culture is a principal feature, the St. Joseph fruit region stands, as to time of development and amount of produce, pre-eminently first, and I presume I shall be accused of no injustice in placing it among the fruit regions of the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, in extent, productiveness, and priority of discovery in this honorable and distinguished position.

ST. JOSEPH VILLAGE AND RIVER.

Entering the St. Joseph River sixty-one miles northeast of Chicago, there appears in view the beautiful village of St. Joseph, erected on the south side of the river, on a fine eminence, and extending nearly a mile or more on the lake shore, which is here a nearly level bluff, forming a bold headland or promontory at the confluence of the St. Joseph with Lake Michigan, partially cut off from the main land by the circuitous course of the river. The principal buildings being of brick, gives the village a more solid and substantial appearance than is common to western villages of the same size, and denotes a degree of wealth, prosperity and comfort attained usually only after many years of successful business enterprise.

BENTON HARBOR AND THE PAW PAW RIVER.

On the north side of the stream the Paw Paw River enters the St. Joseph, immediately opposite St. Joseph village, and on the east bank of the Paw Paw

the village of Benton Harbor is located, and spreading up from the valley to the high land on the east, presents a very beautiful and business-like appearance, its houses being interspersed with factory chimneys, and its wharf lined with shipping, warehouses, and mills. The harbor of St. Joseph is one of the naturally good harbors of Lake Michigan, owing to the large flow of water from its magnificent river, which at this point is aided by the Paw Paw. The Benton Harbor at the mouth of the Paw Paw has been improved by dredging and is of sufficient depth for the lake steamers and propellers. There is now a separate custom house at Benton Harbor, established in 1871, owing to the large increase of business in that village, and in the tabular statement which follows these articles it will be seen that the shipments of fruit are greater at Benton than at St. Joseph. This is owing to the wide extent of land devoted to fruit on the north and east sides of the St. Joseph which is cut off from St. Joseph village by that river, which for several miles here runs parallel with Lake Michigan, leaving St. Joseph on a comparatively narrow belt. This is a geographical advantage possessed by Benton Harbor which has tended to bring it into prominence as a fruit-shipping point.

EXTENT OF THE ST. JOSEPH FRUIT REGION.

The fruit region we are here attempting to describe covers an area about fourteen by eighteen miles in extent, and is spread over eight townships. Mr. L. J. Merchant, editor of the St. Joseph Traveller and Herald, published in 1873 a catalogue of fruit-growers and shippers in the St. Joseph Fruit Region, and after giving a list of the growers and number of trees grown by each in each of these townships, with their post office addresses, he recapitulates. We take the liberty of adding to this valuable table the number of fruit-growers each township, as shown by Mr. Merchant's catalogue:

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Benton.

3,1721 214 109 134

Bainbridge..

8324 61 4

34

Hagar

626 261 12

51

Lincoln....

Royalton.

1,973 288 1034 223
6234 371

81 281

23 526|

1,453 295

32.110 5,427 204,721 10,935 67,092 1,223 736 479 29,185 928 28,693 300 114 4,847 2,694 40,195 1,600 15,970 231 70 35,154 4,092 140,987 11,108 28,567 2,327 4,631 49 3,050 671 45,140 4,098 20,685 324 1,214 91 31,240 5,013 96,068 17,168 23,514 2,860 5,193 115 Sodus..... 342 10 22 27 1,167 508 17,724 771 8.330 20 172 32 Watervliet... 462 14 1,331 471 20,447 913 18,785 75

St. Joseph.. 1,221 71 33 106

Totals... 9,2544|6567|2737|505||109,636|19,355|594,467|47,621 211,636 7,503 13,094 841

These figures are under, rather than over the precise number, and show in the aggregate the energy and zeal with which fruit-growing has been pursued in this favored region.

HISTORICAL SKETCH.

As this is the pioneer peach region, perhaps I may be excused for indulging in a little history. The first peach tree planted in this region was raised

from seed by Mr. Burnett, who came to this region about a century ago. When B. C. Hoyt came in 1829 he found the tree, which lived and continued to bear fruit until 1839. Mr. Hoyt, whose garden was on the bluff, was the first to raise peaches which found their way into the Chicago market, in 1839. They were bought by the cook of a steamer, packed in barrels, and taken to Chicago as a speculation. In 1834, long before St. Joseph commenced the peach business, Mr. Brodiss, who lived six miles from Niles, on the St. Joseph River, brought peaches down the river in a canoe and sold them in the village of St. Joseph. They were all seedlings. About 1834 a family named Abbee planted some improved varieties of peaches and apples, which were obtained from Rochester, N. Y. These trees were afterwards transplanted from the village to Royalton township, and fruit was brought from them to St. Joseph in 1837. In 1840 Capt. Curtiss Boughton commenced the business of transporting peaches in barrels and dry goods boxes on his vessel to Chicago, where he sold them at enormous profits. sometimes realizing $45 per barrel. This high price naturally drew attention to the business and led to the settlement of the country, especially in the vicinity of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, resulting in the above statistics in about thirty years. This extension of peach-growing has been gradual. Mr. George Parmalee planted his orchard here in 1848. He subsequently enlarged to ninety acres. Capt. Boughton planted 130 budded peach trees in 1849. In 1850 his shipments were 10.000 baskets. The Cincinnati peach orchard of sixty acres was planted in 1857. It is now owned by Messrs. Perkins & Sheldon, of Chicago. Notwithstanding the destruction of some of its trees to prevent the spread of the yellows, there were 40,000 baskets of peaches shipped from this orchard the present season up to the period of my visit, Sept. 29th, 1874. No less than 3,360 baskets have been shipped from this orchard on a single day. The average net price obtained was 40 cts. a basket, all cost of packing, freight, and commission being deducted.

THE YELLOWS IN PEACHES.

The disease known as the Yellows has committed ravages in this region. After several years' tampering with this disease, the fruit-growers generally appear to have adopted as the best remedy, the immediate destruction of the tree so soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear. Although this remedy bas caused the destruction of many hitherto valuable trees, and in some instances, entire orchards, it is undoubtedly the safest course to pursue, and is likely to prevent the spread of the disease to any alarming extent. Had this plan been adopted at first, instead of trying to cure the disease, the disasters would have been comparatively few, and but little loss would have been sustained. It was thought that hot water applied to the roots would cure the Yellows, but that remedy has been abandoned. As a special committee was appointed by the State Pomological Society to investigate the subject, and their report was published in the Annual Report of that Society, for 1873, I refer to that report for information, and to the tabular statement of the exportation of peaches for the present season appended to these articles to show that notwithstanding serious damage has been sustained by the Yellows in this region, the production of peaches is fully up to the profitable standard. The plan of extirpating every tree as soon as it is known to be affected with this contagion, and other precautions being taken by planters, will, we believe, limit the ravages of the disease so as to prevent any more serious disasters from this cause. We are strengthened in this belief by the fact that in this region,

where the disease first appeared in Michigan about six years ago, since the affected trees have been destroyed the spread of the disease has been so checked that this year it mainly affected the early varieties, such as Hale's, Crawford's, and Sugar peach, and during the dry season of July and August, while the later varieties were but little affected, and since the rains of September, the disease and its symptoms have almost entirely disappeared from the orchards, leaving only trees laden with as fine a crop of peaches as was ever gathered in this region. The disease has been mostly confined to the old bearing orchards.

THE CROP OF 1874.

On the high lands east of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, and along the line of the Chicago & Lake Michigan Railroad, the crop of peaches this year was enormous, and many who were discouraged at the ravages of the Yellows are now contemplating extending the area of peach planting.

MANUFACTURES CONNECTED WITH FRUIT GROWING.

The villages of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor profit not only by the shipment of peaches, but this business has led to the extensive manufacture of fruit baskets. These have gradually been reduced in size from those that would hold two-thirds of a bushel to the present, which hold less than one peck. We present engravings of the baskets now manufactured and in use at

[graphic][graphic][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small]

the present time in the St. Joseph region. Figure 1 represents the common basket used most extensively. It is called the peck basket, and is sold by A. W. Wells & Co. at St. Joseph, at $6 a hundred. The peaches are piled up in this basket and covered with red tarlatan or mosquito netting* which is sewed around so as to cover the peaches without hiding them from sight. The basket of ripe peaches thus packed is a very beautiful and tempting object, especially to the inhabitant of a 25x100 ft. lot in a city like Chicago or Milwaukee, and sells very readily at from 50 cts. to $1 25 in the retail markets of those cities. Figure 2 is the same basket as that represented by figure 1, but with what is called the railroad top. This top is ingeniously fastened on and is above the tarlatan. It serves as a handle with which to carry the basket, and also enables railroad and steamboat men to pile the baskets without injury to the fruit. The top adds $1 50 per hundred to the cost of packing. Figure 3 represents the fancy grape and cherry basket with the new Wilcox patent railroad top. This is an elegant basket and helps to sell the fruit. It costs $7.00 per hundred, and the top $1 50 extra. A new top has also been invented, made of the same thin material as the baskets. It covers the fruit almost from view and avoids the expense of tarlatan, as the smallest fruit will not escape through the slats of this lid. All these baskets are made of veneer, which is cut from revolv

The practice of covering baskets of fruit with netting originated with Mrs. George Parmalee at Benton Harbor. It has Low become general.

ing blocks of wood, usually elm. The blocks are first steamed or soaked in hot water until soft, and the veneer is then peeled off by a sharp knife placed against the block while revolving in a lathe. The veneer is separated as it comes off into lengths convenient for handling and has the appearance and flexibility of harness leather in the hands of a working tanner. It is cut with great rapidity and laid in piles. It afterwards is cut into slats by suitable machinery and is passed on to persons who form the basket on iron blocks or

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moulds. Small hoops are then tacked on and the basket is complete. Figure 4 represents the crate, in which 16 quart berry boxes are packed. The berry boxes are made of veneer produced in a similar manner as just described, and are made very rapidly.

Perhaps the most extensive manufactory of baskets is that of Messrs. Colby, Ingham & Co., Benton Harbor. It is a building of four stories, and there are about 60 hands employed during the season. The heaviest work is performed by men, and the lighter work by young women and boys. Mr. Colby reports as the season's work 2,000,000 quart berry boxes and 600,000 peach baskets. Young women earn from $1 50 to $2 00 a day according to their dexterity, being paid by the thousand.

The other manufacturers of baskets are Messrs. Wilcox & Paget, St. Joseph, who report 285.000 fruit baskets. Their business in berry box veneers amounted to $4,000. A. W. Wells & Co., who report 400,000 peach baskets and 1,400,000 quart berry baskets. They started seven years ago and now employ on the average forty-five hands. They have sold 6,000 baskets a day since July. The St. Joseph Basket Manufacturing Co. report 100,000 peach baskets sold this season. They manufacture bushel baskets, waste-paper baskets, and a great variety of baskets for various purposes, and appear to be doing a good business. Mr. L. Carpenter, of Benton Harbor. we understood, manufactured about 150,000 peach baskets this season. Mr. Knapp, of Coloma, was believed to have also manufactured 150,000 peach baskets, making a total of Peach baskets made in this region.... Berry quart boxes, not fully reported.

1,685,000 3,800,000

Some of these baskets and boxes were shipped to other fruit regions, where the manufacture of these articles has not yet been commenced, but the main bulk has been used in the region herein described, and most of the manufacturers informed us that they could not keep pace with the demand for home. use, although their mills were run to their utmost capacity.

FRUIT CANNING.

The Victor Packing Co., of Benton Harbor, is engaged in canning fruit, tomatoes, green corn, etc. Hon. A. B. Riford is president of this company. This institution furnishes employment to a large number of hands, including young women.

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