THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
CHICO RAISCHO ISURSERY. 
Founded By General John Bidwell, Pioneer Fruit Grower and 
Nurseryman—Historical Oak, Sir Joseph Hooker, 
Largest In the V’orld. 
Among the earliest pioneers on the Pacific, coast was the 
late General Bidwell; lie arrived in California in 1841, then 
a young man of twenty-one; shortly after his arrival lie ac¬ 
quired the famous Rancho del Arroya Chico, and so laid the 
foundation of the most famous ranch in the state of Cali¬ 
fornia, and perhaps the greatest fruit ranch in the world. 
From the time he purchased this ranch he devoted his time 
to the improvement of his landed estate. 
Always a lover of nature, yet devoted to improvement in 
its best sense, General Bidwell, while retaining much of the 
natural beauty of the Rancho Chico, has brought into action 
the most diversi¬ 
fied system of im¬ 
provement to be 
found within the 
limits of any state. 
His experimental 
tests with new and 
promising varie¬ 
ties were number¬ 
less and continu¬ 
ous throughout a 
longseries of years, 
and probably no 
one man did so 
m u c h t o deter¬ 
mine and proclaim 
the horticultural 
possibilities of 
California as Gen¬ 
eral Bidwell. In 
his experimental 
orchard are to be 
found more than 
four hundred varieties of trees in bearing, and so great was 
his zeal and confidence in the fruit industry that, in the early 
fifties he rode on horseback from the Rancho Chico to the old 
Spanish Mission of San Luis Rey, a distance of more than five 
hundred miles to procure the trees for his first planting, and since 
that date with each recurring year he has added to his orchard 
extension, until now, two thousand acres of thrifty and pro¬ 
ductive fruit trees beautify and enrich this wonderful property. 
Here are to be found almost every variety of fruits and nuts 
that will grow in a semi-tropical climate. 
AN IMMENSE OAK. 
The great English botanist, Sir Joseph Hooker, once vis¬ 
ited General Bidwell, and stated that England and Cali¬ 
fornia were peculiarly the home of the oak. and although he 
had seen all the oaks famous for their size in England, the 
one on the Rancho Chico was larger than any in his country. 
General Bidwell paid him the compliment of naming the 
oak after him. It is over twentv-six feet in circumference 
six feet above the. ground, and its branches have a spread 
of one hundred and fifty feet. This immense tree has had a 
growth of one foot per year since first measured by General 
Bidwell over twenty-five years ago; it is extensively known 
as the Sir Joseph Hooker Oak, and annually receives the 
visits of many travelers. 
The proprietors of the Chico Nursery Co., before locating 
their nursery, made extensive examinations into the soil 
and climatic conditions of California generally, and after 
the most careful investigation of the soil', climate, and other 
considerations for an ideal nursery location, finally selected 
a tract at Chico near this famous oak as the best on the 
Pacific coast, which is equivalent to saying, the best in the 
United States. That their judgment was correct has been 
fully demonstrated by the’ past season’s business, as they 
were compelled to close their sales during the season just 
past, shortly after the first of the year, on account of having 
received orders 
covered their mi¬ 
ni e n s e s t o ck. 
There are very 
bright prospects 
for the coming 
season, and they 
have increased 
their plant four¬ 
fold to meet the 
increased demand. 
SEAT OF U. S. 
EXPERIMENT 
STATION. 
No better proof 
could be had of 
the wise selection 
of Chico as a great 
nursery center, 
than the fact that 
here is to be lo¬ 
cated the great 
United States Ex- 
j*. 
periment Station for the Bureau of Plant Industry of the 
Department of Agriculture; and that after a careful examina¬ 
tion by government experts the Hooker Oak tract at Chico 
was chosen as the most favorable,spot in this wonderful state. 
The experimental tests already made by General Bidwell 
had proven the great horticultural capabilities of this locality 
and its adaptability to the growth of trees and plants; this, 
together with the very rich sandy loam, soil fifteen to twenty 
feet in depth, free from alkali and coarse gravel, holding 
moisture well, and the freedom from both injurious hot winds 
and hard frosts, with an unlimited water supply a few feet 
below the surface make this the truly ideal spot for nursery 
and experimental purposes to be found in this country. 
Fine transportation facilities also added weight in selecting 
this point. 
The great value of the United States Experiment Station 
to the entire country can hardly be fully ’ appreciated at 
present, and to Chico and vicinity it is beyond estimate, as 
all new varieties discovered by the entire corps of skilled 
scientific explorers sent out by the Department of Agri¬ 
culture will here be gathered and thoroughly tested. 
Sir Joseph Hooker Oak on Rancho Chico. 
