AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 



was more fortunate in impressing strangers. Ore- 

 gon did have able farm-seeking pioneers a decade, 

 perhaps, before California began to be recognized 

 as agriculturally desirable, and western Oregon had 

 grains, stock, fruits, and even fruit trees to sell 

 when the earliest agricultural awakening came in 

 California. Those were the true agricultural pio- 

 neers who first saw that one was surer to get gold 

 with the plow in the new land of the valleys than 

 with a pickaxe in the rocks and gravel of ttie foot- 

 hills; and some who were pioneers in Oregon and 

 took their hint of fruit-adaptations from seedlings 

 planted by the Hudson's Bay Company's agents near 

 the mouth of the Columbia, came to California where 

 the hungry market was to be found and took some 

 new hints from the missions and from a few plant- 

 ings which their influence had previously induced. 

 Thus in the light of the gold-gleam California be- 

 came the real planting-place for American agricul- 

 ture on the Pacific Slope; drawing farming wisdom, 

 energy, and enterprise from near and far; bringing 

 the best materials from everywhere; and devising 

 methods of husbandry to meet new conditions. 

 Thus, too, men were found wise to forget all they 

 thought they knew when its ill-adaptation showecl 

 clear, demonstrating new uses for old principles, 

 discovering new principles involved in new condi- 

 tions and materials; in short, manifesting the Ameri- 

 can spirit bold, venturesome, and alert seeing 

 large and implanting that quality in the minds of 

 all with whom they came into contact, no matter 

 what corner of the world they came from; for the 

 pioneers of the Pacific Coast were the true cosmo- 

 politans. Even the farm implements and machines 

 manufactured at the east for shipment to the Pacific 

 Coast had to be made larger than those commonly 

 used elsewhere, so that the California or Oregon 

 types of farm wagon, plow, or threshing machine 

 were generally recognized as such. It was because 

 such things were used in a large way, with large 

 teams on large lands. Pacific Coast people had no 

 time for small things. This attitude was manifested 

 in all which they thought and did and has resulted 

 in the occurrence of what is sometimes called: 

 'The Pacific Coast point of view." 



But while such agencies were laying the founda- 

 tion of agricultural development on the western rim 

 of the Pacific Slope, an event was transpiring on its 

 eastern edge which pointed the way and demon- 

 strated the method by which the development would 

 include the thirstiest lands and banish the term 

 "American Desert" from the map. Professor Mead 

 writes : 



218 



