CHAPTER VI 



CALIFORNIA'S LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN 

 FRUIT INDUSTRIES 



The first cultivated fruits of the old era came to California with 

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

 pioneers. Though mot 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 regi- 

 ment 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 or- 

 dering 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, Rox- 

 bury Russet, Winesap, Red Romanite, Esopus Spitzenburg apples ; 

 Bartlett and Seckel pears, Black Tartarian and Napoleon Bigarreau 

 cherries. 



Before the 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. In 1848 also, Peter Weimar, who 

 was with Marshall, the discoverer of gold, at Coloma planted seeds 

 which he took from dried apples brought from the east and grew 

 seedling apples which were very profitable. 



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 de- 

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

 better and more abundant than the seedling 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 agricultural producers. Oregon had 



