Horticulture In Washtenaw County

In the forthcoming report of the state horticultural society for 1887, there will be a history of the horticulture of this county, written by T. T. Lyon, of South Haven. The following extracta will be of interest to horticulturists and old residente of the county: " Ad orcbard was p'anted, in 1824, by Oliver Whitraan. in Ann Arbor township, wbich was rapidly followed by other similar plamations, as settiements occurred. "A nall apple tree nursery was planted in 1825, by Deacou Israel Branch, on the ground now occupied by the Buchoz block. In 1827 Ezra and Horace Carpenter (latherand fou) planted half an acre with apple seeds, and two years thereafaer commenctd to sell trees therefrom. "Deacon Mills raiseda lew loeusts from the eed, and from tbem, in 1828 planted six trees on the block now occupied by Mr. Keek. Trees, mostly locusts, were also planted on Court House Square, which were cornmitted to the care of the ' boys.' " A general nursery, with greenhouse attached was starled in 1833, near Ypsilanti, by E. D. & Z. K. Lay, which at one time covered lóurteen acres. It was continued till about 1855, when it was discontinued by the remaining brother as a relief from excessive care. " The flrst apple seeds were planted in soutriern Wathteiiaw in 1831. by Royal Watkins. These were selected seeds, trom a favorite apple tree in Keene, New Hamphire, known by the family as ■ Old Juicy.' The hope to succeed in leproducing the quality of the original tree, however, was not realized. 'ihe seedlings had been browsed by deer so severely that, when planted in orchard, two yeajs lattr, they were started anew from the ground They were never grafted, and at present but oue remains, which is kept as a landmark. It now meaMires nine feet ana seven inches in circumference at one loot above the ground The branches have a spread ot forty-five feet. It has borne ten barrels of apples in a single year. "In 1835 a nursery was commenced in Man chester by James Nowlin, and one in Freedom in 1838, by James Wintou. From these were supplied the trees for nearly all the orchards of tliis reeion. 'In 18E0 S. B. Noble (for some time horticultural editor of the Michigan Farmer) commenced a Email nursery of fruit trees at Anu Arbor, which was discontiuued after a few years, upon the death of the proprietor. " In 1828 a number of old fruit trees were standing at Ypsilanti, which were said to have been planted by the early Fren h tradera. These have uow mostiy duappeared. Most of the eanier apple trees, planted over fifty years smce, are now dead or marl y so. Of grafted varieties, Rhode Itland Greening has proved the longest lived "There is on the premises of C H. Worden, of thiscity (Ann Arbor) a famous apple tree of great age, whkh is yet vigorous. ïhere were more than eight barrels ot apples taken from it last year (Ifc8u). The fruit is of excellent quality, always takhig the piemium at our county faire whenever the eommittee can agree as to i Is name. The tree is known to bemore than fity years old, but how much older cannot be ascertained.' "Much taste is manifested atboth Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in the planting of shade and ornamental trees and shrubbery in streets well as in public and private grounds. In the latter city, indeed, it may be fairly charged that the close planting, with the subsequent growlh if it has i ot already unfavorably affected the cheerlulness as well as healthiulness of residences, must surely soon do so in mauy cases unless prevented by aresort tothinning. "Fairview Park coustitutes part of the omamental grounds attached to the residence of Mr uD. Watkins, of Manchester, upon his farm of over eleven hundred acres of excellent land situated on both sides of the line between AVathteuaw and Jackson counties. It was laid out and planted by the present proprietor and covers about twenty-five acres. The location of this as well as ol the grouuds more immediately about the retidence, is naturally admirably adapted to the purpose, and these advantages. together with the original timber growths, have been carefully utilizi d for the purpose of seeuring early and satisfactory retulis. Among these uative trei s are nine white oaks, ranging irom twelve to eighteen feet in circumference. The plan involves the idea of a densely shaded centre with outlyine groups and single trees, somewhat after the manHer of the approach to a íorest i rom an open prairie. r Mr. George D. Kies has an extensive youne fruit plantation near Manchester, induding more or leí small fiuits, together with forty acres of pears, mcBtly Angonlcme, a late autumn variety. Ner this-village are teveral other plantations of apples, pears, peachetand other fiuits, for commercial (urpotet. to whieh the .- lis and the rolling surface and thorongh drainage of this región teem tobe well ada] ted. " Eecently the eltvated, rolling lands along the Hurón, in the viciuity ol Ann Arbor, have been discovered to be well adapted to the growth of fruils ; and they are being exiensively devoted to thiB use lor commtrcial purposes. 'A building especially intended for the purpose of retaidint! the ripening of fruits hasrecently been construcled by J. D Baldwin of Ann Arbor, Ín which, without the use of ice, he is enabled lo keep even the most perii-hable fruits duiing thewarmest wealher, at so low and equablea temperature that, when the state oí the markei renaers it deirable, their over maturity may be preveitedlor Eeveral days, whilelong keepers can be kept at so low a Itmperature that the procets ot maluriug ismainly suspended during winter aud tpring, enabling the owner to place thim upon ihe maiket after othershave disapptared, thus conimanding higbly satisfactory prices. ' In Ib75 Jacob Ganzhorn, spefking of fruits in Washtenaw county , remarked : There are a few orchaids here whieh bore large crops in Ib74 These have gone through the cold winter of 1S74-5 without injury to the trees, aie finely Oled with Dlofeiom buds this spring, and Beem tvery wav thriity and bealthy.' "Oi the pear lie stated that Prof. Baur had planted one thoutand trees withm the past two years, and had been rtmarkably suecessful with them. "Mr. 8. W. Dorr in 1678 slaud that there were about two hundiecl and fifty acres of peach or charda in the immediate vicinity of Ann Arbor that his ov ti placéis higbjSOhiüh that his well is one hundred and four feet in depth to the water, and that he gets peaches six years out of seven. His place is in southwestcrn Washtenaw. '■ In the spring of 1370, Charles H. Woodraff, of Ann Arbor, planted seeds of Concord grape. From these sprang the grape known as White Aun Arbor, wbich flrst frtiited in 1S7M. At the Wathtenaw eouuty fair of thatyearit was awarded a special premium. It is, however, alleged to have defect that stand in the way of ia general popularity. ' Woodruff Red is another seedling of the Concord by the sameperson, originated in 1874, and first fruited in 1877. The fruit was shown at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, at Boston, in 1881, and was offered to the public in J885. lts alleged hardinessand produeti véneta, together with the ciear. bright color of the fruit, and the large size of both berry and bunch, combine to reuder it attractive as a grape for general cultivation. "The cemeteryat Ann Arbor is the vork of a private association. It embraces a beautiful tract of land southeasterly from the city, upon the bluff overlooking the valley of the Huron. sufficiently but not objectionably diversifled in surface. The natural growth, mostly of young oaks, had not been removed, and has been so utilized as to require coinparatively little artiücial planting. K In laying out, advantage ha been so far taken of the natural inequalitiesof the surfacethat comparatively little grading has beeu found needful, while a few evergreens plauted mainly along the drives, suffice to impart variety to the whole. " Krom lts ineeption the enterprise has been under the management of J. Austin Scott, of this city.who has, without stiut, given his time and encrgies to the work of bringing the enterprise up to its preseut very satisfactory condition.