The Topeka state journal., 1902-03-29

vast. the gigan5c, with train
" loads of fruit and thousand
acre farms. Yet all the large
enterprise which produced this result
had its beginning with the individuals
with the small and the quiet, with
the humble plant whose first crop,
yea, whose second gathering was often
times hope and faith, and these only.
With the small. quiet enterprise, with
patient attention to detail, the efforts
of women are peculiarly connected. 1t
is not strange therefore that the mighty
development in the Golden State of
orchard and vineyard and dairy, of nut
grove and flower garden, is due not a
little to the work of pioneer women.
Take the raisin industry. 1 never see a
bunch of splendid purple California
cornichon grapes that 1 do not wish
sweet rest to the soul of Minnie F. Aus
tin, to whom more than to any other
one person the state owes it's pre-eml-
nence in the raisin product. In the ear
ly sixties Miss Austin was teacher in
the public schools of Chicago. She was
a New England young lady, tall, pale,
intellectual and highly educated. Her
health was delicate, but her Will and
pluck were dauntless. Quiet, refined.
reserved. Miss Austin was yet radical
advocate of reform, of changing the
old and the wornout for the new and
better Her sex and her sympathies
led her to the movement for the ad-
vancement of women, and in this she
Joined with all her soul.
About 1855 Miss Austin, accompanied
by Miss Hannah Cooke, friend stanch
and strong, migrated from Chicago to
San Francisco because they believed the
far west offered better opportunity for
pay and preferment for women teach
ers For a number of years they held
prominent posts in the public schools
of San Francisco; then they retired,
Miss Austin to Fresno, now the head
quarters of the great raisin industry.
So far as can be known, the idea of
the California raisin product originated
in the brain of Miss Austin. Associa-
ated in her mind with grape growing
to this end was the thought that there
by she might open a paying employ
ment to women at home. So with an
other lady, Miss Hatch. she began
planting, cultivating and experiment
ing Their vineyard. small at first, was
enlarged to 100 acres. While the grapes
grew year by year Miss Austin expert
mented with drying, packing and mar
keting raisins. She put all the purpose
of strong clear seeing mind into her
work, which at length ended in success.
Families gathered around and settled at
Fresno and planted raisin grapes. Miss
Austin showed the women how to pack
the dried grapes attractively and thus
cause them to make their own market.
Each step of Miss Austin's expert
menting was put on record for the ben
eft of Others either as a guidepost or
warning. Thus all learned, and all ex-
cept Miss Austin herself profited. She
was a philanthropiSt and a pioneer.
Like other California benefactors, like
Captain Sutter, who discovered gold;
like the horticulturist who developed
the navel orange-to Miss Austin was
denied any large measure of the fruit
of her labors. She had shown 9TH
ers how to raise, cure and pack raisin
grapes but she herself died poor. Her
health, never robust, at length failed
altogether under the strain of her la
bors, and she passed away, leaving the
Golden State and all the American peo-
pie who eat California raisins in her
debt The women horticulturists of
California should erect a monument to
her memory.
Those who recall the Republican
presidential campaign of 1896 will re-
member that the splendid waving
pampas plume of California was adopt
ed as the emblem of the faithful in
their professions and hall decorations.
Securing the sale of these plumes was
the shrewd as well as pretty device of
a woman-Mrs. Harriet Strong of San
Gabriel valley, Cal. She is one of the
pioneers in the culture of the so called
English walnut, although she adds also
fruit raising and general farming to her
work. Her ranch consists of 1,500 acres,
$50 of which are planted in the walnuts
But these were a long time growing, so
Mrs. Strong devised the pampas plume
sale during the Republican campaign
to bring her in quick cash return while
she waited. Upon her great farm, large
enough for a whole county in the east,
Mrs. Strong has seven artesian wells,
which settle the question of water sup
ply.
The labors of women in developing
the horticultural, dairy and other in
dustries connected with the cultivation
of the soil are so well recognized in
California that two ladies have been
appointed members of the state board
of trade. These are Mrs. A. L. Ban
croft and Mrs. E. Shields. Mrs. Shields