136 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



a few years ago in repairing the levee. Although very large, they were 

 not the original trees of that locality, but were planted there within 

 comparatively recent times. Inquiry in the vicinity of Walnut Grove 

 has developed the information that when the first American settlers 

 came to the lower Sacramento there were a great many black walnut 

 trees growing in this vicinity. Mr. "William Holtlum, who at the time 

 of this investigation was thought to be about the oldest living settler 

 in the vicinity of Walnut Grove, came there about 1850. At that time, 

 he stated, there was quite a large grove of magnificent black walnut 

 trees growing at and below the fork of the river just below Walnut 

 Grove. There were twenty or more trees there over three feet in diam- 

 eter. Black walnut trees were scattered all along the river from Free- 

 port to Rio Vista, growing on the higher spots on the river bank rather 

 than in the more swampy land further back from the river. 



On what is now the Hart place, near Isleton, there were some 

 especially large trees. The row of trees which stood along the river 

 near Walnut Grove was planted by one H. W. O'Dell. The earliest 

 planting was probably about 1856, followed by others up to the early 

 sixties. During the early fifties many people used to come to Wal- 

 nut Grove from the country about Vacaville, Elmira, and other places, 

 and carried away walnuts by the bushel and sack. Up and down the 

 river there was a great growth of live oak, white oak, ash, cotton- 

 wood and black walnut until 1856, when a great fire from the north 

 swept over the whole country destroying almost all the native tim- 

 ber. . . Mrs. Clara Lord, of Walnut Grove, stated that her parents 

 came to this locality in 1850 and set up a tent under three walnut trees 

 which stood in front of her present house. There were also many other 

 large black walnut trees in the locality at that time. . . Mr. Joe Wise 

 stated that he chopped wood on the river in 1853 and '54, and chopped 

 down many walnut trees 2-J feet and more in diameter. . . Mr. Robert 

 Sharp, of Walnut Grove, stated that he came to the vicinity in 1851, 

 when a boy, but remembers very distinctly that there were many large 

 walnut trees growing along the river at that time. Also that they had 

 to cut their way in with axes on account of the luxurious vegeta- 

 tion. . . Mr. Joe Greene, living two miles above Courtland, stated that 

 in the early days they cut out black walnut trees two, three and four 

 feet in diameter. Also that such trees grew among the timber along 

 the river bank rather than back in the swamps, and that they extended 

 south as far as Rio Vista. . . Mr. C. V. Talmage came to this region 

 in 1857, and stated that there were many immense black walnut trees 

 along the river at that time. He has trees on his place of immense size, 

 which were planted in 1858. . . 



This data is sufficient to show that there was an abundant growth 



