PEAR GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



223 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Pear f^i-o\viii<i in California dates back over a period of approxiniately 

 one hundred and fifty years, althonyh eomniereially the industry 

 amounted to littU> until more than a century later. The first trees were 

 planted by the Franciscan Fathers on the grounds of their various 

 missions, including IMission San Jase in the Santa Clara Valley. 

 Strange to say, tliis vaUey which witnessed the beginning of the pear 

 industi-y in the state has, up to the i)resent time, been absolutely free 

 from blight, the scourge of the pear orchard, wliich has spread through- 

 out practically all other pear-growing sections in the United States and 

 which has made the growing of this fruit unprofitable, if not impossible, 

 without the application of extreme measures in its control. Fig. 1 shows 



Fig. 1. Pear trees growing near SanUi Barbara, where they are said to have 

 been planted by the Padres about 125 years ago. 



some very large seedling pear trees at Gaviota, Santa Bar])ara County, 

 California, which are said to be at least 125 years old. The largest tree 

 is about three feet in diameter and at least 45 feet high. They are very 

 thrifty and except at close range look like oaks. Apparently blight has 

 never aflt'ected them in the least. At San Rafael there are some old 

 seedling trees which are said to have been planted in 1817. These are 

 also hardy and free from liliglit. 



Since the days wlien the Padres demonstrated the adaptal)ility of 

 the pear and other fruits to California conditions, on the lands sur- 

 rounding the missions, many of which are still standing amidst 

 remnants of these old tree plantings, the pear industry has assumed 

 such proportions that it is now one of the leading deciduous fruit 



