'57 H /^ s^7 T y THE "]rUIIPORT ORCHABO & VINRARO COMPAUr HAVE M^Si) fj^^ Secured aliont Eiiliteeii Spare Miles of tlie Clioicest IN THE CELEBRATED "MICHIGAN PEACH BELT." NEAU THE TOWN OF FRUITPORT. Splendid Harbor, Railroads. Charming Climate, Beautiful Scenery, Pure Water, G-ood Society, in one of the Finest Peach Growing Regions of any Country, Address;, £. L.. CRAIAT^ FRUITPORT, J Tia Spring Ulj^, MICHIGAN. CHIOAG-O : Mathews & Co.. Printers, 140 South Water Street. 18G9. . '.^-!. y, -i^^ K^'^'' INTRODUCTION. To the men of character, enterprise and intelligence, who are seeking new homes, new fields for business activity, a salubrious climate, beautiful scenery, great natural advantages, and a pros- perous society infused with New England principles, and also with the genuine spirit of indomitable enei*gy and advancement, to them the following pages are offered for their most careful and serious consideration. FRUIT GROWING. There are few fields of labor which offer so promising a pros- pect to honest industry and moderate capital, especially in those sections where the soil and climate are exactly adapted to it, and where marketing facilities are cheap and accessible. Tens of thousands of instances might be shown in which men have en- gaged with small means and little experience in the growth of peaches, grapes and other fruits, and from several crops have reaped gains which have brought to them a comparative compe- tence. This cannot be wondered at, when the nature of the business is considered, and the peculiar advantages attending it. First :— It is almost absolutely without any risk or great anx- iety. Only a small tract of land is required, so that a small part of a person's capital need to be invested in land — the bal- ance can be judiciously expended for improvements, and the com- forts and conveniences of life. The profits of a few acres of fruit will exceed those of one or two hundred acres in a farm. The land is always a safe investment, and its cultivation always profitable. There is no property so secure as the ownership of the soil. It defies fire, floods and thieves. The fluctuations of markets, the rise and fall of goods, and the condition of the stock and money markets, need not cause the fruit grower sleepless nights and terrible presentiments of failure and bankruptcy Second : — Another important advantage Is the natural advance of property in value, as improvements are made and population increases. Hundreds of instances might be pointed out, where orchard lands were bought in a wild state for a few dollars an acre, and improvements were made, and in a few years every acre would sell for as many hundreds of dollars as it cost dollars, meanwhile making the owner wealthy by the proceeds of his fruit. Third : — The healthfulness of the occupation. It needs no demonstration to prove that vigorous health is one of the most precious forms of wealth, and greatest sources of enjoyment. Light and cheerful exercise in the pure open air, constantly aided by the most pleasing influences and impressions, almost insure the continual health of body and mind. And this is not confined to the husband ; the wife and children need not be urged to enjoy the fresh air, and partake of healthful exercise ; their very sur- roundings make it almost an impossibility to do otherwise, and as the laws of health are absolute, health and buoyancy of spirit invariably follow. The advantage of a hearty, vigorous family over an invalid, nervous wife and weak, sickly children, no one will dare to estimate by dollars and cents. In the one case life '.is a bui'den and disaj^pointment, in the other it is filled with pleasure and satisfaction. Fourth: — 'Another advantage is the availability of all kinds of labor. Thousands of families are solely dependent on the la- bor of the father, and, if deprived of that by sickness or accident, destruction and suffering ensue. There may be several strong, healthy children, but their labor will bring scarcely any compen- sation, and they are a burden instead of an assistance. But in fruit-growing, if necessity requires, the aid of the mother and chil- dren may be invaluable, and every boy may become a source of strength and profit to the family. The Value of industrious and business habits thus acquired, is more than vast inheritances. Fifth ; — The leisure which is afforded for self improvement,. Those who work for others ten or twelve hours a day, year after year, have but little time or disposition for study and reflection,, In fruit-growing, much time may be devoted to intellectual pur- suits at certain seasons. When the small capital required, and the safety and healthfulness of this pursuit considered, no business can be found to offer greater attractions. Several hundred dollars profit per acre yearly for well cultivated orchards, vineyards and gardens, is only a usual return. Besides it affords an independent life, which should be prized "above rubies." The following on this subject is taken from an article in the N". Y. Independent of Jan. 21st, 1869, entitled " What shall we do?" There are thousands of men in the land to whom the above question Is one of the most momentous importance. Thousands of young men just ready to leave the parental roof, and commence the battle of life for themselves, look out in the busy world around them to see what business they can engage in that will afford a certain and liberal pecuniary return, a residence in an intelli- gent and refined community, which confers all the blessings of social, moral, intellectual and religious advancement, and which will yet allow them ample leisure for the improvement of the mind, and the cultivation of those tastes and refinements, which are the glory of a truly civilized people. Thousands of men who have given up the harrassing cares and anxieties of business life, and have retired with a suflicient competence to insure a comfortable support in their declining years, yet wish to engage in something which will relieve the monotony and tedium of mere existence, and which will give to the mind that freshness and exhilaration, and to the body that exercise which are indispensa- ble to the fullest enjoyment of life. There are thousands of men who have been the sport of misfortune, who are broken down bankrupts and crushed to the earth by defeat and discourage- ment, who have not the heart or means to enter again into the fiuctuating ex- periences of mercantile life, yet who are compelled to do something to satisfy the necessities of themselves and those dependent on them. There are also thousands of clerks and book-keepers who have spent the best part of their lives in the harness of servitude; who have but a few hun- dred dollars to show for their years of toil ; whose pale faces, stooping forms, and debilitated health daily admonish them that they must change their man- ner of life, or Nature will visit them with a terrible retribution. At the same time the spirit of their manhood is longing for a life — independent, free and un- fettered — by which they can sit under their " own vine and fig-tree," and be amenable to no employer but themselves. There are also thousands of farmers and artizans, once sturdy and full of vigor and endurance, but whose rheumatic pains and over-worked, broken- down frames render them unfit for the exhaustive and incessant toil of the farm, the shop or the factory ; whose habits of industry will not tolerate their idleness ; but who long for some light, remunerative labor, which would re- cuperate their enfeebled constitutions and deal lightly with the growing infirm- ities of years. There are also tens of thousands of active, enterprising, vigorous, live men — with fertile brains, ready hands, native ingenuity, and indomitable energy— who are anxious to engage in some business which opens an illimitable field for all these qualifications, and with genuine pioneer spirit seek a new country and new associations, in which to build magnifioent fortunes and A,ise them- selves to positions cjf influence, dignity and trust. ^ To all these we offer a few suggestions, which, perhaps, may assist them in finding a satisfactory answer to the momentous inquiry, "What shall we do ?" It is needless to say that many of the avocations of life are so crowded by earnest competitors, that to engage in them is not only undesirable, but the risk of failure makes it positively dangerous to do so. The professions are thronged by hosts of needy aspirants, who sour their tempers and embitter their lives by their struggles for success, and their almost unavailing efforts to eke out a scanty and precarious existence by all the strategy which want and absolute necessity can master. The road to commercial success is covered with the unnumbered failures of the vast majority ; while only a few exceptions who survive the perilous or- deal, ever reach the coveted reward of a sure and permanent prosperity. In the staid city of Boston, statistics inform us that ninety-five out of every hun- dred who embark in mercantile life, foil ; and this in spite of the terrific ener- gy, the sharp inventive mind, the industrious and economic habits, and the gen- eral morality of the Down East Yankee. The mechanical trades offer, it is true, a respectable livelihood ; but how few, after laboring faithfully the best part of a life-time, have succeeded in giving their children a good education, and in raising themselves above the necessity of continual labor ! The farmer, independent as he is, has generally to toil early and late foi nearly a life-time, before he surrounds himself with the conveniences of life ; and he enjoys a comparative competence in his old age, if at all, at the fearful sacrifice of a body rendered prematurely infirm and miserable. There is one branch of industry against which the foregoing objections can- not be urged. It is comparatively undeveloped, and in certain localities the extent of its boundless wealth and resources are not even suspected. We refer to our fruit interests, and especially that of the peach. The localities for the successful culture of the peach are yearly becoming fewer and more contract- ed ; and, hence, in those favored spots which seem especially designed by Prov- idence for that purpose, any labor expended is sure to be repaid with a muni- ficent reward. The peach is one of the most delicious fruits of any clime, and the demand for it is absolutely imlimited. In the Western States it can only be grown with certaintj^ and success in the celebrated " Michigan Peach Belt" — ■ a strip of land perhaps fifteen miles wide, on the eastern coast of Lake Michi- gan, which seems by the peculiar modifications of the lake on the climate, to- f ether with a soil of wonderful adaptation to the culture of all fruits, to com- ine every requisite which the most fastidious horticulturist could suggest. The great Northwest, and many sections of the Middle and Eastern states, are mainly dependent on this tract for their supply of this luscious fruit ; and when we think of the miglity cities, populous towns, thrifty villages, and immense rural districts, filled with homes of wealth, luxury and refinement, in this the most wealthy and populous portion of the continent, it is utterly impossible for the mind to estimate or conceive the consumption of such a people and the demands of such a market. But nature would seem determi)ied to keep pace in her profuseness to man, with his wants. The extraordinary success with which the peach producer has been already rewarded must soon cover such portions of this tract as are convenient to ports and rail-roads, so as to aflford market facilities, with flourishing orchards, which shall supply our markets and tables. In the fruit business, much depends on the accessibility of a ready market ; and when this is combined with the f or 40°. The great body of the lake is never frozen over. The wdnds moving over its surface are consequently warmed in cold weather, and cooled in warm weather. As the prevailing direc- tion of the wind, both summer and winter, is from the westerly points of the compass, the influence of the lake is most extensively felt along the Eastern or Michigan shore. The amount of this influence diminishes toward the interior, but is distinctly felt in extreme weather, in all parts of the State. The region of country along the lake, however, for a distance inland which may be about 40 miles, enjoys a climate of a decidedly local character. During the prevalence of the severest cold of last winter, (1867) the mercury stood from 15 ® to 20 ® lower at Milwaukee than at Grand Haven, immediately opposite. A region defended, like that along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, from the extreme yicissitudes of our Northern winters, and preserved equally from the torrid heats and protracted drouths of our Southern summers, would seem to be favorably situated, for drawing forth the utmost capacities of the soil. As it is obvious that a favorable soil is an essential condition to the full eifect of so propitious a climate, I ought to add, that on the immediate shore of the lake, the soil is generally sandy, and covered by a forest growth, consisting of evergreen and deciduous trees, intermixed. From half a mile to three miles inland, the soil becomes more loamy." Prof. Wiachell says elsewhere, " Our cold winds generally proceed from the Southwest or West. Passing over the open water of Lake Michigan, sixty miles in width, the temperature of which never sinks below 32 ^ , it is impossible to avoid abstracting a consider- able amount of heat, so that when these cold westerly winds strike the Michigan shores of the lake, the severity of the winter gales is materially mitigated. The equalizing influence of the lake is much greater than is generally supposed, and the whole belt of country bordering it on the East, is alFected by its hydro- graphical position, much like the peninsula of Florida, Sweden and the British Islands." He claims. that the Northwestern shore of Michigan is far better protected than the St. Joseph region, for the very obvious reason that the Southwest winds sweep round tbe head of the lake, or pass over a small body of water, before striking the latter place, but cannot touch the Northern shore, without passing over the entire width of the lake, which, as before said, greatly mitigates their severity. He says of the Northern shore, that "the tubers of the dahlias remain in the earth with impunity, and delicate green-house roses f^tand out with greater security than in Alabama and Louisiana." As to its fruit- growing capacity, he says " I doubt whether any other portion of the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, will be able to compete with it. It has been a complete surprise to the inhabit- ants to learn that peaches, apples, grapes, pears, raspberries, strawberries and other fruits, can be cultivated with success. The discover}^ has given a wonderful impetus to this branch of enterprise; and unless my judgment greatly misleads me, we shall hear of this region as the fruit orchard of the country, and shrewd men with horticultural tastes, will thank me for directing attention to this open avenue to wealth." Such are the statements of one of the ablest scientific authorities of the United States, who is thoroughly familiar with the region, and surely no one is better qualified to give a correct and reliable opinion on this subject. FRUITS. At a convention of Fruit Growers held at Spring Lake, Feb. 3, 1869, the extraordinary fact was vouched for by practical fruit growers, that at Spring Lake and vicinity, during the last ten years, there had only been one total failure of the peach crop. and only two partial failures, while at St. Joseph there had been only four full crops of peaches during the same time. The writer of this was shown a fine old orchard at Spring Lake, by a gentle- man residing near it, who said it had borne every year for the last eleven years, to his personal knowledge, and was an old bearing orchard when he first saw it, and this, too, without particular care. There is a peach orchard more than two miles inland east of Fruitport, which has yielded a full crop every year for the last twelve years, and others less distant are equally prolific. For the reasons already given, this region is better protected from winter winds, consequently the peach crop is far more certain. The profits from some orchards seem almost incredible to believe. Last year the profits of some orchards were about $1000 per acre. There were exhibited at the convention alluded to, some of the most superb apples ever seen, which grew in the vicinity, and all the facts cited on apple raising, showed that trees bear at an early age, and with a prolificacy that is truly astonishing. The ex- perience given as to the yield and profits of grapes and small fruits, was also remarkable. A nurseryman and fruit grower (Mr. Ganzhorn) of several years experience at Sprhig Lake, said that the strawberry, raspberry and blackberry, could be success- fully cultivated at a profit of from $500 to |1,500 per acre. The above is taken from the Report of the Convention, and also the foUovv^ing item : " Mr. Jno. L. Edgar's experience with strawberry culture had been a success. His first crop from about 75 rods of ground had yielded 117 bushels of berries, which he sold for $555. Eighty bushels, sold . in Milwaukee, brought him $9 per bushel. For the ' Jucunda' he received 30 cents a quart." These facts speak for themselves, and need no further comment. They show that Prof Winchell's opinion is no exaggeration when he " doubts whether any other poition of the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, will be able to compete with this country as a frnit-growing region." But the best evidences are the or- chards, vineyards and gardens themselves, and to show the extent and progress of fruit-culture in the vicinity of Grand Haven, the following is taken from the paper of Prof Wiuchell, before referred to : " From the statistics of the ' Lake Shore Horticultural Association,' I learn that there are already under cultivation, in the immediate vicinity of Grand Haven, 7,603 apple trees ; 1,286 pear trees ; 26,580 peach trees; of which 12,664 were set last Spring. Of plum, nectarine, apricot and quince trees, there are 756. There are 18,693 grape vines, of which 1,700 are bearing, and 14,993 newly set. These trees, and many others which I have recently examined, are in a state of health and vigor which cannot be surpassed." He then says that still further North " it seems to be completely demonstrated that these fruits are destined to be as successfully cultivated as in the St. Joseph region." Since 10 then fruit-growing has received a wonderful impetus, and there are now several times that number of trees and vines under culti- vation. SOIL AND TIMBER. The soil at Fruitport and vicinity, is a rich, warm, sandy loam, exactly adapted to fruit-growing. It is far richer and heavier than the soil at Spring Lake and near the Lake Michigan shore. Prof. Winchell's statement of this fact has been cited before. Every acre offered for sale by the " Fruitport Orchard and Vine- yard Company" is dry, elevated and undulating, without hills, rocks, stones, or a foot of waste land. Until fruit trees and vines bear, immense crops of potatoes can be produced, so that the land pays from the very first year. Some tracts are covered by a heavy growth of valuable timber, principally hemlock, maple, beech, white ash and cherry. The timber is magnificent — many noble monarchs of the forest, of immense proportions, run up, like a mast, 50 or 60 feet, without a branch. There are single trees on nearly every acre, which will more than pay for the acre, at the prices at which these lands are now offered. The beech can be cut into cordwood for lil.OO per cord, and will sell for about $3.50 per cord at the vessel. Hemlock tan bark can be cut for $1.50 per cord, and sells from $5.00 to $8.00 per cord. The logs can then be sold, or sawed in lumber. The white ash and cherry can be sawed and shipped to Chicago, where it is worth from $25 to $40 per 1000. There are a great many small hemlock trees which run up straight, from 30 to 50 feet, and which will make from three to five railroad ties each. The price for cutting ties is eight cents each, and they sell at the creek for about 25 cents each, and at Chi- cago for about 40 cents. The ties alone, will pay for the land on many tracts. 1 hese prices will be much enhanced as shipping facili- ties are increased, and the rates of freight become more reason- able, but above all, by the fact that every year the consumption of all these articles increases enormously, while the supply is rapidly diminishing. A Chicago hardwood lumber merchant recently informed the writer that there was far more difficulty in obtain- ing hardwood lumber than in selling it. Ash, cherry and maple are constantly applied to new uses, and are rapidly increasing in value. The labor of preparing the land for cultivation is not very gi'eat, for there is no underbrush and no grubbing or digging up of saplings. The custom is, to plow with the stumps in, and to set out the fruit trees or vines, and plant potatoes, without at- tempting to take out the stumps. They are not so close together but that the ground can be well cultivated, and they soon decay so that they can be removed. The ground pays a large profit from the beginning, by crops of potatoes and vegetables. Peach trees bear to some extent the third year after planting, but there 3s not a full crop till the fourth year. At Fruitport one of " Hales 11 Early" nursery trees produced ten full grown luscious peaches fourteen months from the setting. The timber is of great value to the settler, for in the winter months he can cut wood, railroad ties and logs, and sell them for cash, and thus make high wages, besides large profits. Experienced men have made estimates of the timber on some tracts, and consider the following figures safe, and underneath the actual amounts. On an acre there are : 50 railroad ties, worth say 22 cents each $11.00 6,000 feet hemlock lumber " $8.00 per 1000 48.00 '750 "pine " " 10.00 " " 7.50' 350 "ash " " 20.00 " " V.OO 175 "cherry " " 20.00 " " 3.50 3 cords Hemlock tan bark 5.00 " cord 15.00 25 "ofbeech and maple wood 3.50 " " 87.50 $179.50 It will be seen that the above are minimum prices. When all this is taken off the land, it will sell for far more than it cost, because fruit-growing is so profitable, that cleared land cannot be obtained fast enough. Suppose we allow one-half for cost of cutting, handling, &c., even then an acre clears $89.75 in cash, besides a large amount of small wood for fuel, and the land is cleared ready for fruit purposes. Some of these lands are offered for less than half of the net profits on the timber alone. Thus it w^ill be seen that a man can make high wages while he is cutting his timber, obtains his fine fruit land for nothing, and receives a handsome sum of money per acre besides. If every State in the Union were challenged, could a locality be pointed out, offering equal inducements or so generous a reward? The facts and figures given above are a sufficient answer. HARBOR AMD MARKETS. The splendid natural harbor of Fruitport, has already been de- scribed, and its importance to these lands will at once be seen. Every one knows that freights by water, are vastly cheaper than by rail, so that the fruit, produce, lumber, &c,, can all be shipped at low rates, and the competition of vessel and propellor owners will have the tendency to reduce their prices in the future. This water communication brings these lands, practically for marketing purposes, in close proximity to Chicago and Milwaukee, so that a ready and accessible market is always certain. There is not another point on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, with so good a harbor, and possessing such varied resources and extraordinary natural advantages. But beside the harbor, there are the railroads, which make the Eastern market accessible, and which make sure growth and prosperity doubly sure. These two powerful interests 12 combined, will very soon bring to it that business life and activity, and that commercial importance which its position and resources indicate. MANUFACTURING AND BUSINESS. The shipping facilities of Fruitport, together with the immense quantities of the finest ash, maple, cherry, hemlock, beech and pine, which are tributary to it, are such that for many kinds of manufac-. turing, it cannot be surpassed. The expense of wood for steam power is scarcely more than the cutting, and there will be fine water power when the dam is completed. For the manufacture of bricks and pottery, it is affirmed that it cannot be equalled in the West. There are immense beds of the purest fawn-colored clay on the banks of Spring Lake, which are covered by a layer of sand, and these make bricks, which Chicago architects, builders, and brickmakers, all admit, are of a hardness, fineness of texture, smoothness of surface, and of a beautiful, white marble-like color, whidh is superior to any bricks ever seen by them before. There is one yard already in operation with a capacity of from 20,000 to 30,- 000 per day made with a machine driven by steam, which cost about $5,000, comj^lete. These bricks will readily bring in Chicago, from $15 to $20 per 1000, and can be shipped cheaply by water. So far, the bricks have been sold at the yard at $12 per 1000. Vessels can run up to the yard and load up. As for the manufacture of pottery, those familiar with the profits of the business, can readily appre- ciate the advantages already noticed. A point, destined as this is, very soon, to be a populous and prosperous community, and possessing so many extraordinary resources of wealth, affords a fine field for all branches of business. HEALTH. The climate of this region is more even and salubrious than that of any other inland State. The prevailing breezes are from the Southwest, and come laden with all the elasticity and invigorating j^roperties which Lake Michigan can inspire. Prof. Winchell says, in speaking of iS^orthern Michigan : "Billions diseases are foreign to the country. No ague was ever known to be indigenous to the region. The uniformity of the temperature, and the purity of the air and water, are also favorable in pulmonary diseases, and I have learned of some rheumatic affections that had been cured by a few month's residence." The lake breeze sweeping iip the length of Spring Lake, together with the beautiful scenery, makes Fruitport one of the most healthful and attractive locations for residences that can be found. As a summer resort for health and recreation, it has few equals, and doubtless its charms will attract many who are in search of homes, with beautiful surroundings, and in a healthful, bracing and uniform climate. 13 ADVANCE OF PROPERTY. Any one familiar with the history and growth of the West, is well aware that the rise of property based on the healthy growth and development of a town or community, is one of the surest and easiest sources of profits, and has alone brought in- dependence to thousands. Careful examination and deliberate iudo-ment, will enable a person to perceive the natural advan- tao-es of a location, and the tendency of events and improve- ments, which must make it an important point, and thus sagacious men are careful to locate where they will participate in the wonderful growth and prosperity which is sure to follow such signs. iFruitport and vicinity, is not surpassed, in indications of future prosperity. At St. Joseph, wild lands sell from $100 to $500, and orchards from $300 to $1200 an acre, according to location and improvements, and this without a railroad, and with a poor harbor, which renders navigation dangerous, and in rough weather impossible. At Fruitport, with a splendid harbor, a railroad soon to be completed, more certainty of crops, and treble the natural advantages, choice lands can be obtained for one- third of St. Joseph prices. This can not long be the case. These lands now offered from $25 to $50 per acre, will soon be worth at least as much as St. Joseph lands. THE CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. Most of the people at Fruitport and vicinity, are from the East, but Western pluck and go-aheaditiveness has also many excellent representatives. They are thoroughly imbued with the great ideas of the age, and the institutions of education and religion are supported and appreciated with genuine Eastern zeal. It is the pride and ambition of the originators of this movement, to found a community, whose refinement, virtue and intelligence shall be as remarkable as their material prosperity, and they are directing their efforts accordingly. By the course they are pur- suino-, and will pursue in the future, they will succeed m bringing to<^ether, what they most earnessly desire— the most select people, and thus secure those invaluable blessings which refined and cultivated society alone can confer. The sale of intoxicating beverao-es are expressly forbidden, and their exclusion becomes a part 'of the contract of every deed. PRICES. Town lots in Fruitport, of i acre each, commanding a mag- nificent view of the harbor, from $150 to $200, and a limited number to those who will build the present season, $100 each. Choice parcels near Fruitport of 6 acres each, for orchards and vineyards, from $150 to $260 each, and ten-acre lots from $260 to 14 Some tracts of fine fruit land, covered by heavy timber, are oifered from $20 to $30 per acre, according to distance from the town. These are cash prices, and are fully one-third lower than in any peach-growing location on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, while the advantages are vastly superior, as has been shown. The Company deem it the best policy, to oifer extra- ordinary inducements, and sell a portion of their lands at ex- tremely low rates to actual settlers and residents, and thus enhance- the value of the balance. The title is indisj^utable, and full war- rantee deeds will be given. A GOOD HOME can be secured for a small amount of money. A few acres of fine fruit land at the prices given, is within the reach of nearly every one. Building material is cheap — timber plenty, and mills con- venient, so that improvements can be made at small expense. ROUTES. If in the East, proceed to Detroit, there take the Detroit & Milwauke Railroad to Spring Lake ; w^hen there, inquire for the Middlemist House, and directions will be given as to going up Spring Lake to Fruitport.". If in the West, j^roceed to Chicago, and take the propeller for Grand Haven, at Goodrich's dock, and from Grand Haven to Spring Lake, &c. CLOSING REMARKS. Information has been given as to the general subjects of inquiry connected with Fruitport, and it is nothing more than a simple statement of facts. If the statements seem to be extraordinary, it must be remembered that this is an extraordinary region, and an accurate description must, to some extent, appear the same. It is believed that what has been said, will be abundantly corrob- orated by every intelligent person, after a careful examination of this locality. Visitors must expect to see a new place ; but they will find the splendid natural advantages, and the plain indi- cations of speedy growth and prosperity, which have been enumerated. The great leading facts given herein, were not asserted by the Company or any one connected with it, but by one of the highest scientific authorities in the United States, recently State Geologist of Michigan, and now Professor of 15 Geology in Michigan University — positions which, above all others, qualify him to speak as he has done. The statements of one of the most highly respected, and leading business men of the State are also given, and both these gentlemen made these assertions before the " Fruitport Orchard & Vineyard Company" was ever dreamed of, and it has therefore been deemed prefer- able to make use of their statements. The foregoing probably gives all the information which parties may wish before visiting Fruitport, but if further particulars are desired, address as briefly as possible, E. L. CRAW, Fruitport, via Spring Lake, Michigan. -^^ 015 099 477 # \ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 016 099 477 «i Conservttkn Resources Ug-F^nec* Type I Ph 8.5, Buffered