EARLY GARDENS OF DWARF TREES 



51 



the first almonds grown in California. During the winter of 1852-53 

 the distribution of grafted trees must have extended widely over 

 the State. Five dollars for a small tree was frequently paid at the 

 nursery of Meek & Lewelling, in Milwaukee, Oregon, and the trees 

 were carried overland into the mining districts of California, as well 

 as brought to San Francisco for distribution through the valleys. 



Fruit Gardens, not Orchards. It is interesting to note that much 

 of the pioneer effort was expended upon fruit gardens rather than 

 fruit orchards. Two ideas, at least, led in this direction. One was 

 the popular thought, which, however, was very early found to be 

 erroneous, that frequent and copious irrigation was essential to the 

 growth of fruit in this dry climate. Another was the ambition, 

 which was correct, both from a horticultural and commercial point 

 of view, to secure the fruit just as soon as possible, foi the double 

 purpose of determining what was adapted to the novel conditions, 

 and to secure the magnificent prices which fruit commanded in the 

 market. For these ends dwarfing stocks naturally suggested them- 

 selves, and were employed to an extent which seems wonderful 

 when it is remembered that now hardly a fruit tree in the State is 

 worked upon a dwarfing stock. Very early, say from '52 to '58, 

 at San Jose, Oakland, Stockton and Sacramento, small areas, which 

 would now only be considered respectable house lots, were turned 

 to great profit with dwarf pear and apple trees. The place of Mr. 

 Fountain, near Oakland, was called, in 1857, "The finest orchard 

 of dwarf trees in the State." It consisted of three acres set with 

 one thousand six hundred apple and pear trees, all dwarf from 

 root grafts, two years old, and four feet high, and most of them in 

 good bearing. He started the branches from the ground, pruning 

 severely, and heading in during the winter. He claimed that 

 dwarfing gave him better and larger fruit, and from 'two to three 

 years sooner than with standard trees. He did not irrigate, but 

 plowed frequently, four inches deep, up to the first of June. 



But though these dwarf-tree gardens were formally declared 

 "to be the fashion," and though the list of stock of one Sacramento 

 nurseryman, in 1858, included ninety-five standard and eight thou- 

 sand and sixty-eight dwarf pear trees for sale, the foundations of 

 the greater orchards were early laid upon the basis of standard 

 trees. Thus the Briggs'*orchard, of one thousand acres, on the 

 moist land of the Yuba, was planted with trees sixteen feet apart 

 each way, and Mr. Lewelling, and other early planters on the rich 

 lands of central Alameda county, adopted about the same distance. 



Quite in contrast, too, with the prevalence of dwarf trees, and 

 contemporaneous with it, was the grand plan upon which the 

 pioneer of pioneers, General Sutter, laid out his orchard on Hock 

 Farm, on the west bank of the Feather River, eight miles from its 

 junction with the Yuba, of which the following description was 

 written about the time the trees were .coming into bearing: 



