12 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



ville. As it was too early in the season to plant, I bought 

 a whale-boat and began freighting goods; and by spring 

 I had accumulated about $3000. The last load freighted 

 by me included a ton of potatoes, which cost me 40c. a 

 pound. My seeds and potatoes were planted in March, 

 1851, and everything was doing well until cut to the 

 ground by frost on April 19. My potatoes, however, came 

 up again and made a fair crop. I was not to be cheated 

 out of my vegetable crop, and started out again to buy 

 seeds, but could find none, either in Sacramento or in San 

 Francisco. Returning to Sacramento, I chanced upon 

 some watermelon seeds on the boat, and bought the lot for 

 $20. With these I planted five acres, and cleaned up 

 about $5000 dollars for one summer's work. The next 

 year I planted about 26 acres of watermelons, and in the 

 fall I found I had $20,000 for my summer's work." 



With the money Mr. Briggs returned to New York for 

 his family and brought also, on his return, some fruit trees, 

 and laid the foundation of his subsequent brilliant rec- 

 ord as a pioneer fruit grower. Others followed about the 

 same course and thus vegetable growing became not only 

 the basis of California's horticultural reputation but ac- 

 tually furnished the capital for the ventures which dem- 

 onstrated the possibility of our great fruit industries; mflj 



Vegetables at the Missions and the Ranches. The Am- 

 erican pioneers found little at the establishments of the old 

 regime that was instructive or even suggestive. In fact 

 the Spanish conception of the agricultural capacity and 

 adaptability of the country was not only inadequate; it 

 was erroneous as well. Though the missions had gardens 

 they were almost destitute of gardening as we understand 

 the term and whether the Spanish and Mexican settlers 

 were deterred from vegetable growing by their distaste 

 for any physical exertion, away from the saddle, or by 

 their ignorance of the fitness of the country, is not a ques- 

 tion of much importance in this connection. Hittell says : 

 "Gardening was not attempted except on a very small 



