ests, with Mr. Lyle as president of the First National, while in the same year Nelson F. Choate became cashier.

When the charter of the First National expired in 1883 it was not renewed, but the bank was reorganized as a private bank under the firm name of D. Lyle & Company, Bankers. On the death of Daniel Lyle-one of the foremost citizens, a man whose memory deserves permanant record not only in financial affairs of his city, but in publicspirited citizenship-another reorganization was effected, this time a state charter being taken out, and at that date the City Bank of Dowagiac was born. Then again, in 1904, the state bank organization was dissolved and since then the bank has been conducted by the firm of Lyle, Gage & Company, Bankers, under the old name.

The first officers of the bank under the state organization in 1887 were: John Lyle, president; N. F. Choate, vice president; F. W. Lyle, cashier; I. B. Gage, assistant cashier. At the next change, in 1904, the officers became: F. W. Lyle, president; N. F. Choate, vice president; I. B. Gage, cashier; Leon R. Lyle, assistant cashier. In February, 1906, occurred the death of Nelson F. Choate, who had been identified with banking interests in the city nearly forty years. The official directorate then became: F. W. Lyle, president; I. B. Gage, vice president; L. R. Lyle, cashier; F. J. Phillips, assistant cashier. The flourishing condition of the City Bank is shown in the statement of nearly $350,ooo deposits and surplus, indicating the creditable management since 1865 and also the financial status of the city and country.

LEE BROTHERS COMPANY, BANKERS.

This institution, whose offices are in the Beckwith Theatre block, had its origin in the brokerage business begun by C. T. Lee in 1867 and the exchange bank established by him in 1875. The present firm was established in 1887, its personnel being C. T. Lee, Henry M. Lee and Fred E. Lee. C. A. Hux has held the office of cashier since 1896. This bank has deposits of over $300,000.

The Sage brothers, Martin G. and Norman, while engaged in the mercantile and milling business at Adamsville, received money and issued certificates of deposit and sold exchange on New York.

About ten years ago a private banking concern, backed by Chicago capital, was started at Edwardsburg. A failure of the Chicago enterprise resulted in closing the Edwardsburg branch. The citizens there

upon organized a "Citizens' Bank," which did business for one year, when it also closed.

FARMERS' MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY.

This company has had a longer continuous career than any other of the financial concerns of the county. It was organized May 8, 1863, its object being the insurance of farm buildings at a minimum cost and on the mutual plan. In the list of its officials during more than forty years' successful business have been numbered some of the most influential and substantial agriculturists of the county. Its first officers and directors were: Jesse G. Beeson, one of the founders of Dowagiac city, president; A. Jewell, of Wayne township, treasurer; A. D. Stocking, of Dowagiac, secretary; and W. G. Beckwith, of Jefferson, Israel Ball, of Wayne, William R. Fletcher, of Wayne, Frank Brown, of Pokagon, Daniel Blish, of Silver Creek, directors.

The present officers are as follows: Samuel Johnson, president; Frank Atwood, secretary; J. J. Ritter, treasurer; James H. Graham, C. H. Scott, Clint Elsey, Edson Woodman, Walter N. Sommers, director.

The pioneer farmers of Cass county were probably as progressive as those of any other part of the country at that time. They brought with them from their homes in the older states the methods which prevailed there. And, as many of them came from the east, which was considered the most progressive section of the country, they must have known the best methods of farming which were practiced in their day. But the first farmers of this county were confronted with a task such as has been unknown in the settlement of the more western prairie. The obstacles to be overcome were great, the implements and means were primitive. The steel plow was not invented until after Cass county had been substantially settled and improved. Whereas the western prairie sod is turned over for the first time by immense gang plows, drawn by four or five horses, or even by a traction engine, the farmer of the twenties or thirties had to depend on a wooden moldboard shod with an iron share roughly made at a local blacksmith shop.

states.

With this hint at pioneer conditions it is evident that agriculture has undergone development in as wonderful degree as any other phase of the county's history. It will be the purpose of this chapter to describe as far as possible the methods and circumstances of early agriculture, and from the point of view of the past indicate the great changes that have preceded modern agriculture.

The pioneer farmer's first work, after a rude temporary shelter had been provided, was to prepare a little spot of ground for the first crop. Those who located on Pokagon, Beardsley's and other well known prairies and, as we know, those were the favorite selections of the first settlers--were very fortunate in this respect. Relieved of the necessity to clear off the trees, they had only to turn over the prairie sod. But even so, the undertaking involved labor that one man alone could hardly accomplish. The turf on the prairies was very tough, and the ground in most places was filled with a net-work of the wire-like red root. If the location was in the oak woods, it was necessary to girdle the trees, clearing away the underbrush and sweeping the surface with

fire. The dead trunks of the trees were sometimes left standing the first season, and the corn grew up among the aisles of the blasted forests.

Although the surface of the ground had been cleared, just beneath there remained the roots of the former growth, and these, formed into massive "stools," were for several years insuperable obstacles to easy farming. An ordinary plow team would have been useless among the stools and grubs, and a common plow would have been quickly demolished. The plow used was a massive construction of wood and iron, and was known as the "bull plow." The share and coulter were of iron, and made very heavy and strong. The beam was long and of huge proportions, to resist the enormous strain brought upon it. Usually the weight of one of these ponderous bull plows was about three hundred pounds, and occasionally one was found weighing five hundred pounds. Six or seven yoke of oxen, and sometimes more, were required to pull this implement through the ground. With such an equipment, the ordinary roots were torn from the ground like straws and subsequent cultivation was made easy. It usually took two persons to do the plowing. a man to hold the plow and either a man or a boy to drive the team. This process of "breaking" new land was made a regular business by some of the pioneers, just as threshing is at the present time.

In a few years plows with iron moldboards were introduced, but as they would not scour well in all kinds of soil, they were not considered a success at first. Besides, as the ground was full of roots, of new stumps and standing trees, the wooden moldboard was less liable to break than one of iron, so it was better adapted to the conditions than the iron one. The cultivation was done with the hoe at first, then came the "fluke," a V-shaped wooden frame with five iron flukes, drawn by one horse, then the single shovel plow, then the double shovel plow, which was in use for a number of years. Among the trees, stumps and roots both the plowing and cultivation were tedious, laborious and disagreeable work. This condition continued for a number of years, until the stumps had decayed sufficiently to make it possible to remove them.

The planting was likewise primitive. As the sod was turned over, a man followed about every third furrow, dug into the top of the furrow with his foot or with a hoe and planted corn, covering it in the In some instances the corn was dropped in the furrow very near the outside, so that the edge of the next furrow when turned over would be directly over the grain. The corn would then come through between the two furrows. Wheat was sown among the stumps and trees.

same way.

The grain was harrowed in with a wooden-toothed harrow. The farmer who did not have even one of those rude implements would cut a small tree, trim off part of the limbs so as to leave a bushy end, weight it with a log, and, hitching his team to it, would get about the same results as from a tooth harrow.

In harvesting the corn the stalk was not utilized, as is done at the present day. The prevailing practice was to pull the ear from the stalk, husk and all, haul the corn to a pile and then husk it. The husk was utilized for feed, and as much of the grain as was not needed for home consumption was hauled away to market. As soon as large crops of corn were grown husking bees became the fashion. The corn was pulled from the stalk and put in a pile, as when the farmer himself, or he and his family did the husking. Then a number of neighbors assembled and everybody husked. This was repeated at the home of each farmer until all had their crops husked.

Wheat was harvested with the cradle, such an implement as a reaper or harvesting machine of any kind not then being dreamed of. Besides the cradle. the sickle also was in use at that time. But that was used only in wheat that had blown down or grew among stumps and trees, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to cradle. And for the first few years that was a large portion of the crop. It was well that only a limited area could be sown, because had there been a greater acreage it doubtless would not have been harvested. The work of harvesting with those old-time implements was extremely slow in comparison with the way it can be done with our improved harvesting machinery. The threshing was done either with a flail or the grain was tramped out by horses. Both processes were very slow, the former being about as slow as harvesting with the sickle. When horses were used a threshing floor was made out-of-doors by smoothing the ground or beating it until it was as solid as could be made. The horses were ridden by boys, while two men worked the grain toward the center of the floor and threw out the straw.

In the early forties a machine came into use which threshed out the grain and dispensed both with the use of the flail and the tramping of horses. This machine consisted only of a cylinder, and was operated by horse power. When the threshing was done by any of these methods the grain had to be separated from the chaff by fanning with a sheet, the wind blowing the chaff away. There were no fanning mills then, but they were introduced a few years later. These mills were in the