CHAPTER VI 

 INTRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES 



The first cultivated fruits of the old era came to California 

 with the padres. The first fruits of the new era came with the 

 American pioneers. Though not a little inquiry has been made, it 

 is not yet possible to declare definitely who brought the first 

 budded or grafted trees upon California soil. It is a tradition in the 

 family of Martin Lelong, who came to California as a member of 

 Stevenson's regiment in 1846, that he brought with him a small 

 lot of French varieties of apples growing in a box, and that they 

 were planted in Los Angeles. 



In the fall of 1849, W. H. Nash joined with R. L. Kilburn in 

 ordering from a nursery in western New York a small box of thirty- 

 six fruit trees, which, packed in moss, well survived the journey 

 around the Horn, arriving and being planted in Napa Valley in the 

 spring of 1850. The shipment included Rhode Island Greening, 

 Roxbury Russet, Winesap, Red Romanite, Esopus Spitzenburg 

 apples; Bartlett and Seckel pears; Black Tartarian and Napoleon 

 Bigarreau cherries. 



Before this introduction of grafted fruit trees, and, indeed, for 

 several years afterwards, there were many shipments of fruit-tree 

 seeds from the eastern States to California. Mr. Barnett planted 

 Kentucky seed as early as 1847 in Napa county. T. K. Stewart 

 brought to California with him, in 1848, about two hundred pounds 

 of vegetable and fruit seeds, the latter including peach, pear and 

 apple, all of which were planted on the American River, within the 

 present limits of Sacramento, in the spring of 1849. At the same 

 time he planted figs and olives, and, in 1851, seeds of oranges. From 

 all these he secured bearing trees. 



But these early efforts at improvement of California fruits were 

 but faint forerunners of the zeal and enterprise which followed the 

 great invasion by gold seekers. As soon as the first thought to 

 get gold directly from the soil would admit the second to get it 

 indirectly, by agricultural and horticultural arts there came a 

 demand for something better than the wild fruits of the mountains, 

 better and more abundant than the fruits from the mission orchards. 

 At first everything in the line of fruit-tree seed which could be 

 obtained was planted. Thus the immediate vicinity of the mines 

 soon began to show growing fruit trees. But seedlings of any kind 

 would not satisfy the planters, and effort was put forth in every 

 direction after grafted trees of the best varieties. Oregon had a 

 few years the start of California as an inviting field for immigration, 



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