8 
EIGHTY YEARS OF GROWING 
C. C. MORSE, FOUNDER OF 
I N 1859, an eighteen-year-old lad, Cjaarles Copeland Morse, left his home, 
in Maine, journeyed to an eastern seaport, and took ship for California, by 
way of Panama, in search of his fortune. He arrived at Santa Clara in 1862, 
found the climate and soil conditions to his liking, and decided to settle there. 
He eventually obtained a job. Having inherited a thrifty nature from his New 
England ancestry, he saved his money and kept on the lookout for a chance to 
go into business. The opportunity soon came. A man named R. W. Wilson, who 
had been growing seeds for a number of years near Rochester, New York, came 
to Santa Clara for his health. It was natural that he should investigate the 
possibilities of the locality for seed production, and, having found suitable land, 
he became the first commercial seed grower in California. He continued to sell his 
former eastern customers, among whom were D. M. Ferry & Co. Mr. Wilson’s 
health did not improve as he had hoped, and in 1877 he sold his business to 
Kellogg & Morse. Kellogg retired in 1888, and C. C. Morse then operated alone 
under the name of C. C. Morse & Co., and later in 1896 incorporated under the 
laws of the State of California. 
When Mr. Morse purchased the business from R. W. Wilson, about one hun¬ 
dred acres were planted to seed crops. The business prospered, and soon one 
