man the tombstone lies flat in a field in california but the gentle climate has done little to weather the stone and the legend is there for all to see louis tell you a frenchman you see but we are going to call him from the hill above the deserted graves of the lay stretches out before and this is the same side of clara valley opening out from the south end of san francisco bay near the center of the valley is san jose first capital of california and its  stretching out from the city as far as the eye can see are the immense fruit orchards this is the spring of the year and the fruit trees are in full bloom bearing the promise this is the valley today but it was not always so in eighteen forty eight the valley presented a far different sign it was then a flat uncultivated plain covered by wild grass cattle roamed peacefully over the last grass and while some gardening was carried on by the early settlers there was only the feeble beginning of a fruit across the country like a prairie fire swept the world and there was magic in its very sound gold in california across the atlantic to europe and around the world wrote this phrase that quickened the pulse of all men go in california then on to the shores of the pacific they moved the gold hungry whole three principal routes of travel were open to the adventurers first across the north american continent following the wagon trails of earlier pioneers across the endless prairie the steep slopes of the rockies the then across the disease infested jungles of panama to the port on the pacific side from there if they were fortunate enough to get passage by ship again to san francisco the third way was a long tortuous trip around the horn endless days of sailing through some of the foulest weather in the world up the coast of south america toward california sailed every type and design of ships that could be pressed into the name of this man was l san francisco focal point for the gold seekers in the unforgettable era of a hundred forty nine was a wide open rip roaring boomtown the miners who made a lucky strike found gold easier than water and they let it slip through their fingers just as eas but back in the hills it was a different story caught in the dead of winter men were paying with their lives for a few ounces he now heard that a few of his french countrymen had settled in san jose to the south in the warm santa clara valley this was news to reach the heart of a man that found that gold can't cure homesickness so he wasted no this was the last time that lewis earlier was to try he had come home in san jose found what he had been seeking the climate was gentle and the earth was good so like his father's before him he turned once more yes this country was much like his native france but there they had centuries of planting behind them here they were only beginning in eighteen fifty three lowest clears brother pierre worked with him for a time but soon became restless and decided to return to france to fetch back a wife lois seeing pierre so determined to return home took advantage of the opportunity and prepared a list of the various plants and fruit trees native to france that might be grown in this new land among them was a variety of french prune called carefully packed into strong trunks and then across the long stretches of the atlantic by rail across panama north from the tortuous infinitely slow journey up the pacific and he waited  the docks at san francisco always with the chance that any accident might destroy them even as their journey was about to end three years nine thousand two hundred miles and now in eighteen fifty six dollars police wonder the miner and now farmer this was the supreme moment it was given at least once to every man for him the contents of the trunks meant something more than ever since the days of ancient rome the practice of grafting the life of one tree into another has seemed amazing to man you must be careful as a surgeon and even then there are many failures and so you try again it is spring the dormant trees that come to life and they are treated california are transformed into beautiful seas of pink and by the ancient but between blossom time and harvest the trees must be given constant attention and care there is the matter of food most growers feed the trees through ploughing under various types of cover crop in addition as an aid to nature commercial fertilizers and apply these methods are sure the growers are the rich and productive orchard water is as important to trees as food most growers do not depend upon winter rains alone but irrigate at certain intervals many growers use the newer method of surface irrigation whereby pipes are laid on the ground and the water is distributed by pressure directly from the well this may not be rain nevertheless the trees get along and