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| "Brief Notes"? Are there long notes? |
The May 6, 1869 ceremony in Promontory, Utah celebrated the joining of East to West, ending in Sacramento. But travelers had to travel the rest of the way to San Francisco by boat from Sacramento.
Less celebrated was the first through train on the Western Pacific Road to the San Francisco Bay on September 6, 1869. The first train arrive in Alameda on that day and then two months later to Oakland. Niles station was not even a year old yet in June 1870.
These famous horticulturalists made the trip during the next growing season. They arrived on June 20 in San Francisco. Did they take the ferry from Sacramento? Or the train to Alameda then a ferry to SF?
They travelled all over the Bay Area visiting nurseries and orchards. They visited the counties of the San Francisco Bay (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma). They visited Sacramento and the Big Trees.
A Pear-y Note
In Pears of New York, some interesting pear names turn up in 1870, the year that the pomologists visited California and attempted to visit B.S. Fox. Pears were named after B.S. Fox and the intrepid travelers - P. Barry and Colonel Wilder! A nice acknowledgement of their visit?Of interest as well, is that the CNCo donated "pears" to the Dominican Sisters in 1918 and 'P. Barry' and 'Col. Wilder' were in their 1917-1918 catalog. Are these pears in their orchard? Are they still available? They have some very old pears behind the mission and they are tasty.
Local Notes
As far as our local Washington Township horticulturalists go, who was there in our area in 1870? E.L. Beard? Clough? (Check Shinn's articles).The Shinn family's nursery was established here in the 1870s. Was their nursery just starting? They were still living in their small cabin, so the 3-story house mentioned with the Lamarque rose was not theirs.
John Rock was not yet in Niles. He was still at his nursery in the Santa Clara Valley, just 5 years into the nursery business, living near B.S. Fox. John Rock possibly worked for Ellwanger & Barry when he was in the East. You'd think they might visit him, if so. But did they? Rock was a neighbor of B.S. Fox, who they did try to visit. Fox was not home. Too bad there were no telephones!
A reprint of these articles would be really fun.
A Grand Pomological Excursion
"REPORTS OF THE Horticultural Committee OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY."In Tilton's Journal of Horticulture and Florist's (I (Sept. 1870, p. 129-138), II (Oct. 1870, p. 193-202), III (Nov. 1870, p. 257-266) (notes), IV (Dec. 1870)
Also published in seven/nine parts in the California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences below:
- June 30, 1870, A Grand Pomological Excursion. A party of distinguished pomologists will arrive here from the East this evening and remain over Sunday in our city. Among them will he the veteran Pomologist, Col. Marshal P. Wilder of Boston, Mr. Downing of Newburg and others, distinguished in pomology and horticultural science. This party will proceed directly by rail over the Western Plains and Rocky Mountains to California, where they will spend a portion of the summer in recreation and in examining the fruits and flowers of the Pacific States. Our townsmen, Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, are to join the party here and will participate in the pleasures of the excursion. These gentlemen expect to be absent about two months and it will he strange indeed, if the visit is not productive of much good to the eastern cultivators of fruits and flowers. This will be the first occasion on which a considerable number of practical and scientific pomologists have undertaken to make a critical and comparative examination of the products of the rich vine and fruit growing region of the far west. The party will go with the best wishes of all that they may find the excursion pleasant as well as profitable to the science to which they have devoted such a large portion of their lives. [Rochester Exchange. Col. Wilder and Party at Omaha. We clip the following from the Omaha Herald of the 16th: Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston, President of the American Pomological Society, Charles Downing, of New York city, and Patrick Barry, of the firm of Ellwanger & Barry, the celebrated horticulturists of Rochester, N. Y , are in the city, and go west to San Francisco, on the Pullman Hotel train, to day. They are delegates of the American Pomological Society, chosen to visit the country from ocean to ocean.
- August 25, 1870, Visit of the Eastern Horticulturalists to California.
[We copy from the Boston Journal the following notice of the Editor of that paper upon the return of these distinguished Horticulturists. We are truly glad the Eastern Journals begin to do California justice.—Ed. F.] Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, who in company with Mr. Downing of Newburgh, Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry of Rochester, and several others of the leading horticulturists of the Eastern and Middle States, having been on an exploring tour to California, returned home on Monday. The party made a thorough investigation of the horticultural and agricultural resources and capabilities of the State of California, having visited all the principal valleys and fruit-growing regions, and high as were their anticipations, they confess that they were far more than realized. From the time that they were met on the top of the Sierras by the Committee which came out to welcome them to the moment of their departure they were the recipients of the most generous and unbounded hospitality, public and private, and had their stay been prolonged for months they would not have been able to have exhausted the invitations that were extended to them. Col. Wilder states that the party found the State of California could grow nearly all the fruit which are grown on the habitable globe. The party dined one day in a grove of fig trees, and upon their table they had figs grown upon the branches that overshadowed them, and also oranges, apricots, plums. pears, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. The fig trees are used as ornament, al trees. and they saw some, twenty-five feet high, with stems a foot in diameter. These trees grow very rapidly. In one case they plucked ripe, luscious figs from a tree which bad been planted but four years, and which was twelve feet high. This was one hundred and fifty miles north of San Francisco. Pear trees also grow very rapidly They saw pear tree twelve years old which measured ten to eighteen inches in diameter at the butt and were twenty-five to thirty feet high. They saw Dearborn Seedling trees on which, according to their best judgment, there were from eight to twelve bushels of ripe pears. Their early fruit they found to be as good as ours, but their larger and later pears were not so fine or so good flavored, for the reason that they have them on the trees too long, because it will not pay to pick them. They would be glad to sell them at fifty cents a bushel. Strawberries are ripe and in the market from April to December, and there is a constant supply of all the other delicious fruits —more than there is a market for and great quantities are almost every day thrown away for want of purchasers. The beautiful shrubs which we hire raise tenderly in our greenhouses are raised there as ornamental trees and shrubs for the streets. Mr. Wilder saw a Eucalyptus which was planted six years ago by Dr. Holden, formerly of this city, which was ten inches in diameter and fifty feet high. The Century plant is a common garden ornament, and many of them were found thirty to forty feet high and in full bloom, They saw a hedge of rose geraniums thirty five feet long and nine feet high; scarlet geraniums were seen growing to the top of a two-story house, and greenhouse roses running to the third story window of another house Grapes half grown were measured, some of the bunches of which were fifteen to eighteen inches long. These sell when ripe for a cent a pound to the wine-makers The largest and best bunches, such as are sent to the San Francisco market for table use bring from six to ten cents a pound. Millions of acres are devoted to grape culture. Col. Wilder brought home with him a box of Bartlett pears, which were picked green, wrapped in paper and put on board the cars at Sacramento. They came through in admirable shape ripened off well, colored handsomely and were in excellent eating condition three weeks from the time they were picked,as we have had evidence to-day. Although the gentlemen comprising the party were most agreeably surprised with the wonderful horticulture, resources of the State. The results of their investigations, we understand, are to be carefully prepared and printed. - September 1, 1870 Arrived on June 20 in San Francisco. Visited F.D. Atherton in Fair Oaks (San Mateo County), T.H. Selby, Mayor of S.F., L.A. Gould (Santa Clara Valley), B.S. Fox (not home), Henderson(?) Lewelling. John Rock's neighbor, B.S. Fox was not home when they stopped by. Did they see John Rock's place, too?
- September 8, 1870 Buena Vista, Mr. Strentzel (Alhambra),
- September 15, 1870 Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento
- September 22, 1870 Wines, Markets, Conclusions
- September 29, 1870 Woodward's Gardens, Niles, etc.
- October 6, 1870 Dr. Merritt, Nolan's Gardens, Summit where they found Dr. Kellogg, Salt Lake City.
- October 13, 1870 Thank yous!
"This tree is 115 leet high, 90 feet width of branches and 5 feet diameter of trunk. A MAGNIFICENT HORSE CHESTNUT. On our way from San Jose to Mr. Lewelling's we were detained at Niles, on the Western Pacific Railroad, waiting for a train and seeing in the midst of a grain field a large Horse Chestnut tree we thought we would give it a closer examination. On reaching it we found a party of Chinamen, who were employed binding the grain, preparing their dinner. [Note: the Transcontinental Railroad had come through this area a year earlier and there were still Chinese railroad workers living in Vallejo Mills according to the June 1870 census. And there were Chinese laborers in many locations of the area. The Shinn family may have hired three to help them.]
"The tree far exceeded our expectations, both in size and beauty. It was full 50 feet high, with a spread of branches 40 feet by measurement. The branches swept the ground on every side, and then June 28th in full bloom. The flower spikes were from 12 to 18 inches in length, many two feet, all in the drooping or pendulous position. Since that time we have met with thousands of this species in different parts of the State, butWilder wrote about this later in his book California with some more details on this visit with the Chinese workers:
no specimen approaching this in either size or beauty. [Note: the California horse chestnut or buckeye loses its leaves early in the summer. The horse chestnuts are one or two huge nuts on a formerly floriferous spike.]
It was decided to have this tree propagated, and to commemorate our visit, named it Wilderii.
Under this tree we found a party of Chinamen, who had been employed in binding grain, preparing their dinner. We were received kindly, and at once invited to partake of their humble meal. " Want some soup? " " Yes," was the reply. This was served in a bowl with chop-sticks, and we were delighted at our success in using them. "Want some cake ? " "Want some tea?" "Yes," and after partaking of these, we offered them money, but they disdained filthy lucre, and we parted much pleased with these Orientals. Boston is well known to the Chinese, and they call the white men " Bostons." And here allow me to remark, that we feel no alarm on account of their immigration to this country. The introduction of the Chinese is in accordance with the designs of Providence. It is this that has brought them to our shores, and we might as well expect to retard the motion of the heavenly bodies, as to arrest this progress of civilization. We give it, therefore, a hearty welcome, as one of the means of developing our vast national resources, and as the best means of ultimately Christianizing a great heathen nation. Already they are attending our schools, acquiring our language, adopting our customs, and some are filling places of trust in financial, commercial and other business. We had intercourse with many of these men, and found them favorably inclined to our country and its institutions. We attended a Sabbath school of two or three hundred of the Chinese, from the ages of ten to forty years, and on this occasion, there were present seventeen Chinese merchants, several of whom addressed the school, all in favor of its objects. Nor would we omit the fact, that one of the chief tellers in the Bank of California is Mr. Lee Kan, a gentleman of polished manners, and around whom we saw four of his countrymen counting the precious metals. We say then to the Chinese, as we have said to the people of other nations, come if you choose, and sit under the genial shade of our tree of liberty. Come if you choose ; we will educate, elevate and energize you with American principles and American enterprise, and as long as the heavens above shall continue to reflect the wisdom, goodness and mercy of an Almighty hand, so long let this blessed land of freedom, of schools and of churches, be the home and refuge of the Oppressed and . down-trodden, from whatever source they may come.
References
- Marshall Pinkney Wilder, California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences, 27 April 1871
- Which Lewelling did they visit in San Lorenzo? (Meek, Henderson Lewelling), (Tangible Memories), (wiki)
- Settling the sunset land: California and its familyfarmers, 1850s-1890s mentions Wilder's "California." Also mentions John Muir's future father-in-law p. 98, John Strentzel, Louisana Strentzel.
- Photo of the party including the "ladies" from Pioneers of American Landscape Design II: An Annotated Bibliography
- California Marshall P. Wilder. p. 21 in Niles.
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