MY EARLY YEARS IN 

 SANTA ROSA 



The Period or Bitter Struggle 



WITHIN sixty days of the time when 

 the definite decision to go to California 

 was reached, I had sold my per- 

 sonal property and closed out my business at 

 Lunenburg. 



The business habits that my father had in- 

 culcated had been so systematically followed 

 that there was little difficulty in closing up 

 accounts. 



But, although I had been fairly successful in 

 the gardening enterprise during the three years 

 that it had been under way, so much money had 

 been spent on improvements that there re- 

 mained but a small balance to my credit. At the 

 moment, nothing could be realized on the farm. 

 So in starting for California I was entering on a 

 new field, backed by very little capital. 



^Meantime the well-known Ralston failure 



occurred. 



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