CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 13 



visited California in 1846, he wrote of them that " little remains 

 of the orchards that were kept in high cultivation at the 

 missions. * * * Fertile valleys are overgrown with wild 

 mustard; vineyards and olive orchards are decayed and 

 neglected." 



While most of the orchards were thus allowed to fall into 

 decay, a few still maintained their early vigor. Of one of 

 these General Fremont, in his "Geographical Memoir," says: 

 "Among the arid brush-covered hills south of San Diego 

 we found little valleys converted by a single spring into 

 crowded gardens, where pears, peaches, quinces, pomegranates, 

 grapes, olives, and other fruits grew luxuriantly together, the 

 little streams acting upon them like a principle of life." 



Some of the earlier settlers, with foresight enough to see 

 that there was profit in fruit, secured some of the mission 

 orchards, and under skillful treatment and fostering care these 

 were made productive again by careful pruning, cultivation, 

 and irrigation. These enterprising orchardists reaped a golden 

 reward for their labor. 



The early plantings in the north were generally in the 

 vicinity of the mines and were small family orchards. But 

 little care was bestowed upon them, as fruit-growing then was 

 not the science it has since developed into. All sorts of seeds 

 were planted and these were allowed to grow and bear when 

 and how they would. But as the demand for better varieties 

 of fruit increased, efforts at improvement were made, and 

 better stock was sought. 



CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



The discovery of the fact that citrus fruits could be pro- 

 duced successfully and profitably, gave an impetus to the 

 growth of a most important industry in our State, and espe- 

 cially in the southern counties, which is almost unprecedented 

 in the history of our Union. 



California is essentially devoted to specialties, and while 

 each of the numerous industries like the prune, raisin, peach, 

 walnut, almond, etc., is pursued in the different sections, and 

 while each of these industries is followed to a greater or less 

 extent in the surrounding counties, so Southern California 

 became the center of the citrus industry. Land which had 



