The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-05
OLD PEAR TREES
STILL BEAR fruit
Seed From Spain Planted
in California in the
Year of 1871

Three gigantic, misunderstanding, pale
ent crystalline solution in an art vase
of Venetian glass, attracted the enrap-
turned admiration OF group of eastern
tourists the other day at the headauar-
| ters of the Oakland Chamber of Com
merce.
These pears have a history; they also,
| IL pears were boastful. could boast of a
family tree of no common age and re-
spectability. says the Oakland Tribune.
Away back in the year of our Lord
1871, long before the Gringo came or was
even dreamed of, an exiled son of old
CASTLE planted an orchard in land now
within the corporate limits of Mission
San Jose. The seed came from the sun
kissed mother country, and took kindly
to the genial California soil. In due time
the tiny trees commenced to bear, and
In the year 1877 the mission was founded
The young orchard came into the hands
of the padres, who applied to its care
and cultivation their knowledge of the
agricultural methods of that period, soon
making the place the garden spot in the
dessolate, unpopulated eastern shore of
San Francisco bay.
Tranquil prosperous years rolled on.
Orchardist. padres and converts were
gathered to their fathers and others
stepped into the vacant places and then
came the Gringo and trouble came with
him. In 1s47 things were in a badly way.
With the ending of Spanish sovereignty
the missions had entered upon a time of
| eca rcity tha forerupnar Of tboir disso
luton, and the appearance of a new and
comparatively unknown element in the
shape of constantly increasing immigra-
tion of Anglo-Americans from the At
| lantic shores precipitated an era of dis
content and turmoil which made. itself
| felt even within the tranquil mission pre-
cincts.
| Fearing for their lives their converts
scattered far and wide and their lands
| left uncared for, the padres in charge at
Mission San Jose fled for refuge to the
mission at Santa Clara. Meanwhile, up
in the snowbound fastnesses of the
Sierra, the members of the i'll fated DON
ner party were enduring the torture of
cold and hunger which form SO sad a
| chapter in Pacific coast history. One of
| the party, Captain Lewis, as soon as it
was possible to force way through the
| snowy barriers of their mountain prison.
effected descent to the foothill region,
and after suffering incredible pirvations
| reached the Mission San Jose.
! After the flight OF the padres, Commo-
dore Sloat, in order to protect the mis-
sion property from dilapidation at the
hands of marauding pilferers, had placed
| a detachment of soldiers in charge un-
der the command of lieutenant. The
soldiers, finding that Lewis understood
the care of fruit trees, left him in charge
| of the mission orchard and went to re-
| Join their comrades in arms. After a
| few weeks, the turmoil being partially
| uuieted, the missionaries returned, and
| finding the orchard in prime condition
when they had anticipated encountering
nothing but ruin and devastation. ar
ranged terms with Lewis whereby he
was given a three-year lease of the prop
erty excepting the church buildings.
| At that time, and for years previously,
| trading schooners made occasional calls
| at the mission landing, near the site OF
| the present town of Newark, taking ship
ments of hides, talIow and dried meat
to the Hawaiian Islands and the Mex
lean coast. Lewis, finding himself with
a cast quantity of excellent fruit on
his hands which he could not market
nearer home, conceived tho idea of dry
ing it and sending 1t to the islands.
The first cargo established the fame
of California dried fruit in the South
Pacific. and the business soon assumed
what for the time might be called CO.
lossal proportions.
| The ancient pear trees which yielded
a portion OF Lewis first cargo are still
a quarter of life. and from ono OF them
were taken the great golden pears now
on view at the Chamber of Commerce.
| There are three of them, each weighing
over two pounds. Some of the. recent
visitors have asked for cuttings from
the venerable trees and hope in the
eastern part of the country to continue
the sturdy. delicately favored stock