CHAPTER VI 



INTRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES 



The first cultivated fruits of old era came to California with 

 the padres. The first fruits of the new era came with the American 

 pioneers. Though not a little inquiry has been made, it is not yet 

 possible to declare definitely who brought the first budded or grafted 

 trees upon California soil. It is a tradition in the family of Martin 

 Lelong, who came to California as a member of Stevenson's regiment 

 in 1846, that he brought with him a small lot of trees of French 

 varieties of apples growing in a box, and that they were planted in 

 Los Angeles. 



In the fall of 1849, W. H. Nash joined with R. L. Kilburn in 

 ordering from a nursery in western New York a small box of thirty- 

 six fruit trees, which packed in moss, well survived the journey around 

 the Horn, arriving and being planted in Napa Valley in the spring of 

 1850. The shipment included Rhode Island Greening, Roxbury Russet, 

 Winesap, Red Romanite, Esopus Spitzenburg apples ; Bartlett and 

 Seckel pears, Black Tartarian and Napoleon Bigarreau cherries. 



Before this introduction of grafted fruit trees, and, indeed, for 

 several years afterwards, there, were many shipments of fruit-tree 

 seeds from the eastern States to California. Mr. Barnett planted 

 Kentucky seed as early as 1847 in Napa county. T. K. Stewart 

 brought to California with him, in 1848, about two hundred pounds of 

 vegetable and fruit seeds, the latter including peach, pear and apple, 

 all of which were planted on the American River, within the present 

 limits of Sacramento, in the spring of 1849. At the same time he 

 planted figs and olives, and, in 1851, seeds of oranges. From all these 

 he secured bearing trees. 



But these early efforts at improvement of California fruits were 

 but faint forerunners of the zeal and enterprise which followed the 

 great invasion by gold seekers. As soon as the first thought to get 

 gold directly from the soil would admit the second to get it in- 

 directly, by agricultural and horticultural arts there came a demand 

 for something better than the wild fruits of the mountains, better and 

 more abundant than the fruits from the mission orchards. At first 

 everything in the line of fruit-tree seed which could be obtained was 

 planted. Thus the immediate vicinity of the mines soon began to show 

 growing fruit trees. But seedlings of any kind would not satisfy the 

 planters, and effort was put forth in every direction after grafted trees 

 of the best varieties. Oregon had a few years the start of California 

 as an inviting field for immigration and the advantage also of winning 

 the attention of those who went out, not as gold seekers, but as agri- 

 cultural producers. Oregon had grafted trees in bearing, and nursery 

 stock as well, about the time the demand sprang up for it in California. 

 Its introduction was then, however, of very recent date. Up to 1847 



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