46 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THILM 



Kinds of Fruit at the Missions. It is of no little interest to 

 ascertain how great a variety of fruits was grown in these mission 

 orchards. Vancouver, in 1792, found a fine orchard at Santa Clara, 

 with apple, peach, pear, apricot, and fig trees, all thrifty and prom- 

 ising. He also describes at the mission of San Buena Ventura 

 apples, pears, plums, figs, oranges, grapes, and peaches and pome- 

 granates. Robinson described the orchards connected with the 

 Mission of San Gabriel as very extensive, having among their trees 

 oranges, citrons, limes, apples, pears, peaches, pomegranates, and 

 figs. There were also grapes in abundance. Edwin Bryant noticed 

 at San Luis Obispo Mission the orange, fig, palm, olive, and grape. 

 At the Mission San Jose he found an inclosure of fifteen or twenty 

 acres, the whole of which was planted with trees and grape-vines. 

 There were six hundred pear trees and a large number of apple and 

 peach trees, all bearing fruit in great abundance and in full perfec- 

 tion. The quality of the pears he found excellent, but the apples 

 and peaches indifferent. E. S. Capron, in a general enumeration 

 of the fruits grown at the missions, includes cherries. 



Early Planting by Others than the Padres. Though the earlier 

 Spanish population had the example of successful horticulture 

 before them for half a century at the missions, they did not seem 

 inclined to emulate the efforts of the padres upon their own grounds, 

 except in occasional instances. General Vallejo planted fruit trees 

 in Sonoma Valley as early as 1830, and of his place it is said : "It is 

 an old and well-cultivated place, well known in all the northern 

 portion of California while this State was still Mexican territory." 

 Exceptions there were, also, at the south. The old fruit garden on 

 the Cumulos Rancho, in Ventura county, has become famous. 

 Fremont, writing of his observations in 1846, says that among the 

 arid, brush-covered hills south of San Diego he found little valleys 

 converted by a single spring into crowded gardens, where pears, 

 peaches, quinces, pomegranates, grapes, olives, and other fruits 

 grew luxuriantly together. 



Scarcely had six years elapsed subsequent to the settlement 

 of the pueblo of San Jose on its present site, before the inhabitants 

 were enjoying the benefits of luxurious fruits. Before 1805 more 

 was grown than could be disposed of in its natural state. 



Decline of the Mission Orchards. The decline of most of the 

 mission orchards and gardens followed the secularization of the 

 establishments in 1834. There were a fe\v exceptions, where the 

 mission lands fell into enterprising Spanish or American hands. 

 During the years of neglect, the more tender trees died, and the 

 more hardy survived. The pear and the olive vied with the vine 

 in withstanding drouth and the trampling and browsing of the 

 cattle that roamed unmolested through the deserted gardens. These 



