Casco Township

Casco Township

Especially in the western townships, after their area was denuded of the forests, was horticulture encouraged. Unfortunately, statistics for individual townships are lacking, but it is true that the ^^reater proportion of the fruit-raising interests are in two western ranges of the county. Saugatuck, Douglas, Fennville, Glenn and several smaller places in Casco and Ganges, besides South Haven just across the county line, are all busy fruit-shipping centers. For a more detailed account of the fruit industry at these points and some mention of persons prominently engaged in the business, the reader is referred to the histories of those centers in a previous chapter.

The most graphic account of the fruit industry in the county is found in the following figures of production for three decades. The corresponding items for the adjacent counties of Van Buren and Ottawa are appended for suggestive comparisons :

It is noteworthy that, so far as the figures for the census years given are to be relied upon, the acreage and fruit production of the county have not increased during the last ten years. Allegan county began raising fruit in quantities for commerce about 1870. In fifteen years the fruit business had been developed almost as far as at present with regard to acreage and yield.

It appears that other forms of productive farming are encroaching somewhat on the fruit business. In the northwest part of the county a large acreage is devoted, especially by the Holland population, to the production of sugar beets. A large sugar factory in Holland consumes all the yield of this section. Another product that has been profitably cultivated is peppermint, though not to the extent found in other southwest Michigan counties.

Undoubtedly this diversification of farming, which is one of the modern progressive tendencies, has reacted against some of the staple crops, both of cereals and fruits, and the farmer of to-day, in order not to "put all his eggs in one basket," gives attention to various crops.

With regard to the present outlook for the fruit business, an address by H. G. Welch of Douglas at the recent meeting of the State Horticultural Society did not indicate a very promising future, as he said that owing to the combined effect of frosts and freezing, yellows, "httle peach," and San Jose scale, many of the jwach-growers are going out of the fruit business. If this continues for the next five years as in the past, the acreage of orchards in Michigan will be greatly reduced. The trouble is largely due to the neglect of the owners, who leave the trees without cultivation and do nothing to replace the plant food. At present it would be better for the owners if one-half of the peach orchards were dug out. While San Jose scale and yellows can be readily detected in orchards, it is extremely difficult to detect the presence of "little peach," especially in orchards that are neglected, and hence this disease is more difficult to handle. The future is bright for those who cultivate, prune, and spray their orchards, and if the fruit is carefully graded and honestly packed even better prices can be expected than in the past. In some sections where peach trees are being taken out the land will be reset with apples.

The Saugatuck and Ganges Pomological Society, organized in Douglas in September, 1871, was first known as the Lake Shore Agricultural and Pomological Society, its scope of work and influence embracing the entire western half of Allegan county. It is significant of the increasing prcaninence of fruit raising in the county that in 1877 it was decided to drop ^e name Agricultural and also to confine the society's interest, in the main, to Saugatuck and Ganges townships. A quotation from this resolution in 1877 has direct bearing on the growth of the fruit business during the early years of the seventies, namely: "Since the organization, seven years a^o, the production has increased from not enough to supply home consumption to over 100,000 bushels for shipment from the towns of Saugatuck and Ganges alone, and only a small proportion of the trees in full bearing," The production of peaches in 1906 was over one million bushels, besides a large amount of other fruits.

The first president of the society was D. W. Wiley, who has been prominently identified with the fruit interests of this section of the county for over a third of a century and is the present incumbent of the office of president of the society. Other well known farmers and fruit growers were among the first officers, namely: J. J. Holmes, S. R. Lewis, James McCormick, B. F. Dressier, R. C. Eaton, R. B. Newnham, C, A. Ensign, E. W. Perry, J. S. Owen, H. H. Goodrich, J. P. Leland, Alexander Hamilton, J. F. Taylor, Thomas Grav, Daniel Gerber, Levi Loomis, H. L, House, D. C. Putnam.

Besides Mr. Wiley those who have been longest and most directly concerned in the society's work have been ; Will Dunn, J. P. Wade, P. Purdy, Robert Reid, Sr., Thomas Gray, and Levi Loomis. The present most active members are Ed. Hawley, Edward Huchins, R. Bennett, John Crane, C. E. Bassett, H. H. Goodrich. C. B. Welch and H. G. Welch. The present officers of the society are : D, W, Wiley, president ; C. B. Welch, secretary, and H. G. Welch, treasurer.

r of 1905 Allegan county was visited by the state factory inspector, and his report on the establishments of the county furnishes the latest official statistics of manufacturing. The number of factories inspected was 89 and the total number of employes 1,067. These were distributed according to villages as follows :

TJie details of the report showing name of factory or firm at the time of inspection, the location, kind of output and the date of establishment are given below :

In I9CX) there were 234 establishments in Allegan county classed under the head of manufactnrine:. The total of capital was $1 .-^48.3 ^6, the average number of wa^e-earning employes was 1,066. representing about -^ per cent of the population, and their earning; capacity was measured bv the sum of $445,014, These plants produced articles valued at $1,862,480.

Of the thirty-one paper and piilo mills in Michie:an three are located ill Allegan county, one of them being; among the largest in productive capacity. Mr. Georg-e E. Bardeen, one of the leading manufacturers in Michigan, who is at the head of the plant at Otsego, recently contributed an article on the progress of paper manufacture during the past thirty-five years, and the following extracts will be pertinent to this history :

"In 1870 there were very few mills in this state, all having a daily capacity for production : Soda pulp, 24,000 pounds ; ground wood pulp, 40,000 pounds; book, writing and print paper, 19,000 pounds; wrapping paper and boards, 27,000, a total of 110,000 pounds. At the present time we have about 33 mills in this state with a capacity for the daily production of rag, wrapping and boards of 541,000 pounds; fibers and news, 547,000 pounds; book and writing, 704,000 pounds; ground wood pulp, 139,000 pounds ; sulphite pulp, 466,000 pounds, a total of 2,397,000 pounds, showing an increase of over 2,000 per cent since 1870.

"Statistics show that in 1870 Michigan stood number twelve in the state hst of mills in the United States, and in 1905 it stood number seven in the list of mills, the increase meaning more than the actual figures represent. In 1870 Michigan stood number fifteen in the list of tonnage and in 1905 it stood number five in this list, and, too, during this period the two mills making soda in the state have discontinued, so that no soda wood is produced within the confines of the state. In the meanwhile the production of all other grades has increased many fold. It is a matter of interest that in 1870 a rag news paper was considered the best news paper produced and sold at 14 cents per pound. The same paper today sells for 1.85 to 3 cents per pound.

"In 1870 the products of mills in Michigan were mostly marketed within our state and Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Today they are shipped to almost every country on the globe, and while the production of rag paper has increased very materially, the great increased production is due to the use of sulphite and ground wood pulps.

"The book paper industry was started by L. A. Barnes at the Peninsular Paper Company, Ypsilanti, in the early '60s. The Kalamazoo Paper Company was started in Kalamazoo in 1867, B. F. Lyon being the first superintendent. In March, 1870, he was succeeded by S. A. Gibson. The product was high grade rag news. In June, 1870, G, E. Bardeen joined the Kalamazoo Paper Company's forces. In September, 1872, the Kalamazoo Paper Mil) was entirely destroyed by fire. A new mill was built and started up in May, 1873, making book paper.

"In 1887 Messrs. Bardeen and Bryant started the Bardeen Paper Company at Otsego, later the Botsford Paper Company; afterwards the Wolverine Paper Company (now the Kalamazoo Paper Company) was built. Then followed the Bryant Paper Company, the King Paper Company, the Superior Paper Company, the Lee Paper Company, the Standard Paper Company and the MacSinBar Paper Company, all officered and run by parties formerly with the Bardeen Paper Company. The Kalamazoo Paper Company sold their mill to the Gibson Paper Company and built a large mill east of their mill No. 2. The Gibson Paper Company sold to the Monarch Paper Company, who have demolished the mill and are erecting a modern mill on its site.

"George E. Bardeen started as bookkeeper of the Kalamazoo Paper Company in 1870, then became secretary and later president and manager of the Bardeen Paper Company, vice-president of the Lee Paper Company, and treasurer of the MacSinBar Paper Company.

History Of Allegan Colnty 505

"Noali Bryant, who started as machine tender for the Kalamazoo Paper Company in 1874, was made foreman and then superintendent of the Bardeen Paper Company, and later president of the Bryant Paper Company. F. H. Milhani started in 1887 as receiving clerk of the Bardeen Paper Company, later was bookkeeper, then secretary and manager of the Bryant Paper Company, and is now the secretary of the Superior and Munising Paper Companies. John King came to the Bardeen Paper Company as machine tender, then was made foreman and later superintendent of the King Paper Company. Walter S. Hodges started as bookkeeper for the Kalamazoo Paper Company, later held the same position with the Bardeen Company, and was made president of the Superior Paper Company.

"Henry D. Eddy came to the Bardeen Paper Compan>' as a clerk and was later made manager of the Standard Paper Company. George O. Comfort started as bookkeeper for the Bardeen Paper Company, later was with the Bryant and the King Paper Companies, and is now president of the Monarch Paper Company. F. D. Haskell came with the Kalamazoo Paper Company in 1887, later was made president of the Gibson Paper Company and is now secretary of the King Paper Company. F. M. Hodge came to the Kalamazoo Paper Company in 1887 and has been with them as president since the death of Mr. Gibson. Norman Bardeen was first with the Bardeen Paper Company, later becoming secretary and manager of the Lee Paper Company. W. H. Goodenough. superintendent of the Lee Paper Company, came from the American Writing Paper Company, and lias always been identified with high grade mills.

"Mr. W. B. McClellan started as a paper dealer in Minneapolis and later joined the Bardeen Paper Company's forces and is now president of the MacSinEar Paper Company, S. W. Simpson came to the Bardeen Paper Company as a machine tender, later was made superintendent, and is now vice-president of the MacSinEar Paper Company. R. W. Reynolds joined the Bardeen Paper Companv's forces in 1899 and is now secretary of the MacSinEar Paper Company."

The Michigan P.\pee Company, of Plainwell, which ranks foremost among Allegan county's industrial concerns, was established in 1887 as a corporation. Among the prime movers in its organization were such well known business men as J. W. Hicks, H. W. Page, C. O. Gilkey and William J. Thomas. It was established as a one machine mill, and its product included finished book paper, French folio, catalogue and specialties.

Its present officers are: J. D, Wagner, president: F, M. Storms, vicepresident : J. I. Bush, treasurer : J. W. Gilkev, secretary and manager, and William J. Thomas, superintendent. In addition to the officers the directorate includes: R. L. Soide, of Plainwell: E, W. Bowman and G, E. Dunbar, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; J, W, Beardsley, of Holland. Michigan, and F, C, Miller, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Under the capable management of this corps of officers the business grew at a rapid pace and it soon became apparent the plant must be enlarged. In the spring of 1906 the capital stock was increased from fiftv-six thousand to one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars and the plant shut down for remodeline. With the exception of the engine room the old plant was torn down and immediately new buildings were erected as follows: A stock house and sorting room, including; three stories and basement, one hundred and twenty-eight by sixty- four feet in dimensions; a two-story chemical and duster room fifty-six by forty feet; cooker room, two stories and basement, forty-six by ninety feet; beater room, one story and basement, one hundred and thirtyeight by sixty-six feet ; bleach room, thirty-two by seventy-five feet ; machine room, one story and basement, two hundred and eight by sixty feet; finish room, seventy-two by sixty feet, one story and basement; engine room, one story, sixty-four by forty-eight feet; boiler room, one story, thirty-two by forty-eight feet, and thirty-five feet high ; and coal house, forty-eight by forty-eight feet. It is equipped with the latest and best improved machinery and has been increased to four times its former capacity. The floors and supports of the buildings are of solid concrete, and both in construction and equipment the plant will be unexcelled. From one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five people are given employment, about half of them being women. Every convenience has been provided for the employes, notably a rest room for the women. The plant is provided with water and steam, and the entire plant equipped with the automatic sprinkler, which guarantees safety from fire.