Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02
THE DAILY REcoRD-UNION.
QUINTUPLE EDITION.
kFor the New Years RECORD USIoS.l
FRUIT CULTURE.
An INTERESTING EXPERIENCE BY A
PIONEER FRUIT GROWER.
A Tbousand-Acre Orchard Destroyed by
snckens-A Thousand-acre Vineyard
Devoted to Raisin-Making.
IgyG. G. Briggs.I

my chief business through life. In the
younger days of my manhood, however, I
practiced surveying some, and taught school
some, to obtain the means of paying for
farm and begin the improvements on it.
In an early day my father moved to the State
of Ohio with his family, and although that
State was my home till I came to Califor-
MIA, / had obtained land in Tennessee and
intended making that my future home; but
the California gold discovery changed my
plans, and on the 11th day Of April, 1S49,
started across the plains, driving an OK team
and walking large portion of the distance.
I arrived at Lawson's on the 29sh day of Oc-
tober When I arrived in California L saw
at once that there were other means of &C
cumulating gold besides digging it from the
mines that the miners and all other classes
would need turnips and cabbage and pro-
duets Of the soil; that even then many were
SUFFERING WITH THE scURvY
And other diseases for the want of fresh veg
etable food. l stopped at Lawson's till the
% day of November, and while there had
proof of the productive capacity of Califor
mia soil and climate by the large crops of na-
tive grapes that were growing on vines on
the banks of the Sacramento river. On the
81 day Of November started for Sacra-
mento, which was then the headquarters Of
early immigrants. On arriving on the banks
Of the Yuba river L found it fordable at a
point three miles above the present site of
the city Of Marysville. Here my attention
was attracted by the rich bottom land on the
banks of the river. The soil was fine sandy
loan, which did not become sticky or muddy
from rains, but could be worked and cul5iva-
ted Immediately after a good wetting. |
then remarked that this was my garden
ground, and that would raise onions yet on
that spot Of soil. But 1 should have said that
at Lawson's the four Of US who were in COM
pany-sw0 brothers, and neighbours boy,
George l.. Case, found that our whole capital
consisted of s. and 10 cents, besides our team
of three yoke of oxen and wagon.
THE MONEY WE POOLED
And purchased with it bushel of whole
wheat to live on while on our journey TO Sac
ramento. The wheat did US for bread, but
we killed plenty of antelope, which made us
very good living. Arrived at Sacramento,
we found good pasture for our team on the
south bank of the American river, just out
side the city limits. | then started in to find |
some kind of work at which | might earn at |
least my board. | tried the hotels and res |
taurants TO fad employment as waiter or
In any other capacity. l could find no work |
whatever. | then turned nv attention to
making business Independently, and OBJ |
serving at a store on J street lot of English |
walnats, 1 asked the proprietor to trust me |
for a sack Of them, promising to pay as soon as
had the money. | was successful. and to TX |
my stock to the little bridge spanning the |
slough connecting the lake north of the city |
with the Sacramento river. There l opened |
up store TO retail out my nuts. In five days |
cleared fifty dollars in selling nuts by the |
teacupful But the rains coming on, cut off |
my trade, as had no house or covering, and
having an opportunity we sold our team for |
5000. We then separated, ore brother and |
Case going to the mines, and the other |
brother remained with me. l went to San |
Francisco and with part of the money for
the team laid in some vegetable seeds forimy |
FUTURE VEGETABLE GARDEN
On the Yuba. But as it was not time for
planting, | purchased whale-boat and en-
gagged in freighting goods from Sacramento
TO the Yuba river, or Marysville. This en-
teTprise also proved successful, and by spring |
had accumulated about three thousand dollars. |
With this capital l settled upon and com.
menced the cultivation of the very spot Of |
land | marked out as my vegetable garden |
when first saw the Yuba river. The last |
load freighted by me included ton of pota-
toes for seed, which cost me at the ranch 40 |
cents pound, or $500. My vegetable seed |
and potatoes were planted in March, 1851, |
AID Everything clme up and was growing |
very finely till the night of the 18th of April,
when white frost eat all to the ground and |
my garden was wreck. My potatoes, how
ever, came up again and made fair CROP l |
was not thus to be cheated ont of my crop of |
vegetables, and at once started out to find |
more seed. After going from place to place
where | heard some one had seeds, and find
ing none, l went sgain to San Francisco, but
no seeds were to be found. On nay return to
Sacramento l accidentally lit upon some
watermelon seeds on board a vessel and |
bought the lot for $50. With these planted
about five acres, and in the fall cleaned up
about 5000 for one summers work. The
seed were of very fine, unmixed variety.
The next year, having learned that people
wanted melons and would pay for them, [
planted about &c acres of melons, and in the
fall found / had S20,0 900 for
MY SUMMERS WORK.
then went home for my family, and on re-
turning, cut of mere curiosity brought back
with me about fifty peach trees and a few
apple and pear trees. I had no idea that fruit
would do any good IN climate where they
were subject TO be cut of with frost SO late in
the season as the l9sh Of April. / planted
them out, however, as . reminder of home
and during 1852 they made splendid growth,
and in 1888 to my surprise, the peach trees
blossO1ned and bore some Of the finest peaches
ever saw. The pear trees also produced
some very fine specimens the same year. This
gave me an idea that fruit was the thing for
California, and | at once ordered ]. 400 peach
trees 20 be shipped as soon as they could be
lifted from the nursery. They were shipped
III two lots OF 400 and coo each. The LOCO
were lest on the steamer Golden Gate, but
the 400 arrived and were planted in Dscem-
Der, 1888 My ffst planting of fifty peach
trees, aud the few pear trees planted at the
same time, bore crop IN 1854 which sold for
s. so. The peaches were sold on the trees
a5 the rate OF 81 90 q dozen. la 1915 [
imported 7,000 peach trees, and thus made
the beginning Of my Yuba orchard In June,
1876, my orchard was attacked by the grass
hopPers aud after fighting them for some
three months found had but about 8 500
living trees left, all told, and these greatly
damaged. l hsd sufficient encouragement il
the orchard business to induce me TO con-
tinue to II
SET OUT NEW ORCHARD
Till 1853. when on the Yubs, Feather and
Sacramento rivers. l had one thousand acres
in general orchard, including peaches, pears.
apples, nectarines, apricots, cherries and
plums. In this year began my first exps-
Tiencs with the slickens from the mines and
sipage water In consequence Of the filing M
of the bed OF the river. About one hundred
trees were killed and others mora or less
injured. Some Of my orchard being pretty
low ground, the trees were removed this year :
to higher land. My insneial success was
not as COED in 1858 and 1859 as il should have {
been. from want of knowledge of the |
market and the best means Of handling the I
fruit. Time oysrcame these defects aud in {
1850 my net profits were about $50 600. l
The great food of 1852 brought down /
an avalanche of mud and slickeus and |
covered my orchard on the Yuba river !
to depth Of from one to three feet. and ]
brought drift wood into and broke down and !
bruised trees, and wrought general destruc. !
ton. This food and others that followed. Z
bringing debris into my orchards, cut me of | /
Of an annual income of S100, 0G0. In ten | '
years, notwithstanding all my labor and ef. /
forts to keep my orchards in good condition, /
everything was ruined, and | abandoned the i
business and locality The sipsge water 5
being cold, and coming up into the lower t
roots causes q disturbance IN the circulation r