by Paul R. Spitzzeri
With agriculture becoming predominant in greater Los Angeles’ economy following the Civil War years, supplanting cattle raising, which had long been its backbone, the raising of walnuts was certainly nowhere near as popular as that of grapes, oranges or field crops like wheat, but it was increasing. After a flurry of articles early in 1867 concerning the growth of farming, as well as the promotion of the region’s prospects, and with respect to walnuts, references to the latter diminished during the remainder of the year, though there were still some notable mentions.
The 18 June edition of the Los Angeles News featured the growing township of Los Nietos, which was also highlighted in a piece featured in part three of this series and which was in the modern Downey area along the banks of the San Gabriel River, which, in those days, was today’s channel of the Río Hondo. The writer, who once lived in Mississippi, went so far as to suggest that, when it came to raising corn, Los Nietos was such that “its productiveness is far in excess of any portion of the Valley of the Mississippi [River].”
Aside from the abundance of that crop, the article also recorded that
there is a greater variety of the products of the soil that can be found in any country outside of California. The orange, walnut, lemon, lime, olive, fig, and pomegranate, produce as fine fruits, both in quantity and quality, as they do in their native tropics.
The unattributed scribe observed that the sloping of the plain from the San Gabriel Mountains to the sea allowed for ease of securing water by irrigation, while the soil was “of the most astonishing fertility.” Beyond the incomparable climate and soil, however, were the “sober, industrious, genial and hospitable” residents of Los Nietos “whose mission it is to reform and invigorate California society.” This meant not just “patient, useful industry” but their work in “cultivating good morals.”
It was added that “it is scarcely two years since most of the settlers of Los Nietos Township were attracted hither by the superior and combined advantages of soil, climate and the liberal terms upon which Gov. [John G.] Downey offered his land in the market.” After he and partner James McFarland acquired the Rancho Santa Gertrudes by foreclosing on a loan made to Lemuel Carpenter, a settler of the Mexican era, Downey took advantage of postwar emigration to the area to subdivide ranch lands for smaller farm plots, as was being done elsewhere in greater Los Angeles.
There was a significant, though unsupported, Jeffersonian ideal remark that “different from the cosmopolitan population that have retarded the development of the agricultural resources of California,” the recent settlers of Los Nietos were “laboring for the best interests of the State,” rather than merely their livelihoods.” This led to the conclusion that the farmer “gives fruit to relieve the necessities of the suffering of his race, [and] has made himself more useful than the whole herd of professional and commercial men, who by their wits live upon the earnings of others.”
In its 30 August edition, the News published data from County Assessor John Quincy Adams Stanley and presented to the Board of Supervisors, which included Downey, concerning suggested assessment rates. Grazing land was set at 40 cents per acre, while farm lands were pegged at $5-10, though doubled for those that were irrigated and those that could be dry farmed were at $15. Young grapevines under 8 years old were set at $5, while those over that age were doubled and city vineyard lands were assessed at $20-100 an acre and those outside Los Angeles were at $20.
Bearing orange trees fetched $5 and those from 4-7 years were $2, bearing limes and lemons were at $3, but English walnut trees more than 10 years of age were at $10 and those from four to ten years were 20% of that amount. Once, however, the supervisors, also serving as the Board of Equalization, reviewed Stanley’s recommendations, they cut grazing land by half and also set 20 cents for grain land, reduced vineyards outside the city by $5, dramatically reduced grape vines to just three and six cents based on age. Walnut trees under 10 years old were cut to nothing, as were oranges under 8 years of age and this led Stanley to acidly remark:
[This was ] thus going behind their own instructions to the Assessor and making the valuation of real estate less than one-half is true value, and rendering disproportionate the whole assessment list.
The 12 November issue of the News contained an article titled “Tropical Fruits” and focused largely upon the orange, which soon became the preeminent symbol of our region to those outside it. It was commented that the total number of orange trees in Los Angeles County was around 15,000, an increase of three thousand from 1866. There were also nearly 1,500 bearing lemon trees, while it noted,
Of walnut trees we have three thousand five hundred and eight that bear fruit that give an average yield of two hundred pounds to the tree, producing in the aggregate, seven hundred and one thousand and six hundred pounds, making a gross income when sold at fifteen cents per pound (last year they were worth more), one hundred and five thousand two hundred and forty dollars.
Three days later, under the heading of “Home Produce,” the News commented that there were nearly 15,000 acres of land cultivated in the county. Of these, 650 were devoted to wheat, 5,000 were in barley, 4,500 to corn, 1,000 in potatoes and small amounts for others. Wine production topped 1 million gallons, with 100,000 devoted to brandy. For tropical fruits, the dollar amounts were nearly $530,000 in oranges, $90,000 in limes and $105,000 for walnuts.
Significantly, the article referred to a recent abolishing of a controversial fence system that ranchers and farmers insisted was a great burden on them, while it added that “the building of a railroad from this city to some point on the bay of San Pedro,” so that agricultural production was expected to increase by more than four times. Scoring those who thought a railroad, with the Los Angeles and San Pedro completed in 1869, was not necessary, the paper asserted that, “our natural resources need to be developed by the enterprize that always follow in the wake of railroads and other public improvements.”
With the onset of 1868, with that winter featuring heavy rains that, among other effects, included the rerouting of the San Gabriel River to a new channel to the east and which is the current one, the News of the last day of January, it was reported that “an immense amount of trees will be planted this season in this valley, consisting principally of orange, lime, lemon and walnut trees.” Citing high demand for the first of these, the paper predicted that “years hence the crops of oranges, lemons, limes and walnuts raised in this valley will be something remarkable,” while experimental crops were expected with bananas, dates and pineapple. The account ended with the admonition that “now is the proper time to transplant all classes of trees.”
The 18 February issue of the paper highlighted “Our Increasing Prosperity,” in which it was remarked that,
Any former resident who might re-visit our city and county after an absence of a few years, would justly be surprised at the progress of improvement visible on every hand. Nor are our improvements of an ephemeral character—whether he looks at our brick buildings [such as those built by F.P.F. Temple between 1868 and 1875] which are rapidly taking the places of old unsightly adobes, or views the number of farms that are dotting our hitherto vacant lands—all give token of an awakened interest in the development of our fertile soil, and the prosperity of our city.
The piece repeated the standard exclamation about “a soil unexampled in fertility” so that any field crop, as well as tropical and semi-tropical fruits, could be grown in abundance. It was noted that “grapes, oranges, lemons, limes, pomegranates, plums, olives, English walnuts, pears, apples, peaches, quinces, almonds, peanuts, the strawberry, and all varieties of kitchen vegetables find here a genial soil.”
Among experimental crops that were asserted to grow well in greater Los Angeles were castor-oil beans, flax, hemp and mulberry, while it was observed that “no doubt exists in the minds of our farmers but that pine apples, bananas, coffee and cocoa nuts can be grown in some of our sheltered valleys.” Even taro, from which the Hawaiians make their staple dish poi, “has been raised plentifully a short distance from the city,” though to what quality is not known.
Wild mustard, brought by the Spaniards, and which had the unintended consequence of destroying much of the native plans required by the indigenous people, was said to “command a good price.” Also mentioned was honey, with apiaries being something of a fad, though widespread in the region, as well as cotton and tobacco, both of which were grown during this era by the Workman and Temple family.
The News concluded that,
The day is not far distant when all our surplus wines and fruits will find a ready market in the East, and by means of our railroads, at enhanced prices, and the demand for these luxuries will be illimitable. Let our farmers and orchardists set out their vines and trees or plant their seeds at once, in anticipation of that glorious event, and the care and expense will be returned to them a thousand fold. We have an abundance of unoccupied lands that only awaits the hand of the husbandman “to tickle it with a plough and it will laugh with a harvest.” Our farmers seem to have aroused from their lethargy, and although the rains have retarded operations considerably, they are now working with an energy that will produce the most favorable results ere fall. Let us all put our shoulders to the wheels of progress, and the day is not distant when our county will be regarded as the Eden of California.
As the growing season headed towards its conclusion, the Los Angeles Star, which returned in spring 1868 after a nearly four-year hiatus in the hands of long-time publisher, Henry Hamilton, of 23 May briefly commented on the “Fruit Crop.” The paper informed readers that “the reports from the gardens and orchards are, so far, of the most satisfactory character” as “the crops promise to be generally most abundant.”
Apples, peaches and pears were specified as among those which indicated “plentiful evidence of large yields,” while not quite as exciting was that “the walnuts will be a fair, though not luxurious crop.” Oranges were to be “not overstocked,” though grapes “give promise of a wonderfully luxuriant crop.” The piece concluded that, overall, “the season promises to be abundant beyond precedent.”
The 20 June edition of the Star recorded that “we are sorry to hear these [walnut] trees are in not as healthy a condition, as we would like to be able to report” because “they seem to be affected with a disease which looks as if the leaf had been blighted or scalded by sharp or hot winds—looking a good deal like curl-leaf on the peaches.” The result, of course, was a much smaller yield in those areas affected by what was likely walnut blight, though there are also fungal, root rot and canker diseases that prey upon the trees.
J.Q.A. Stanley’s bitter comment referred to above when it came to his 1867 recommendations for assessed valuations likely led to either his decision not to seek office or the determination for someone to replace him. His successor was Manuel F. Coronel, whose brother, Antonio, was California State Treasurer and who was deemed “worthy and efficient.” His assistant, Elijah Bettis, furnished the report to the Star of 5 September.
It was recorded that some 17,000 acres were fenced and 15,000 under cultivation. This included 5,300 acres of corn, 4,400 of barley, 800 of wheat and 1,000 of potatoes, among other crops. Wool yields continued to grow, reaching 450,000 pounds, while honey was at 75,000 pounds as those apiaries grew rapidly in number. The once dominant cattle industry was reduced to 7,000 head, along with 2,000 cows, about the same number of calves and 560 oxen. 12,000 horses, 2,000 mules and 200 donkeys were among the livestock population of the county, but almost 150,000 sheep reflected the rising number of these animals in the area.
For the current year, it was stated that cultivated acres leapt by about a third to close to 20,000 acres, with a goodly part of the increase being a close to 40% growth in acreage devoted to barley. Also of note was that the estimated population of the county was determined to be pushing 10,000 (the 1870 census recorded over 15,000) and there were some 2,300 registered voters.
With respect to fruit trees and vines, the report stated that the number of grape vines neared 4 million, with wine production at some 760,000 gallons and about a tenth of that number yielding brandy. Orange trees numbered 15,000, with 9,000 peaches, 6,500 apples, 4,000 pear and 2,300 lemons also recorded, while the inventory of walnut trees was pegged at 3,000. In all, property assessments were determined to be near $1.15 million while personal property was almost exactly the same amount.
A week later, the Star added more information, but also observed that while “an advance has been made in the material resources of the county” it was “not to so great an extent as we had anticipated.” After it reviewed various increases, as well as declines, in agricultural production, the paper remarked that “fruit trees exhibit but a slight increase on ’66,” including “strange to say, there is a falling off of 308 walnut trees. The paper did note that “as far as can be ascertained for the present year, the return will show almost double of last year.”
Thomas Garey was a resident of the area since 1852, when he was among the early settlers of El Monte, largely populated by Southerners. In 1865, he acquired land on San Pedro Street, along which many of the vineyards and orchards were situated south of town, and the 26 September 1868 edition of the Star commented “our friend Mr. Thomas A. Garey offers a large lot of young trees, orange, lemon, lime and walnut, for sale” adding that “this is a branch of business very much required here, as we understand no trees could be procured last year” though “it is the intention of Mr. Garey to keep up his nursery to its present ample dimensions.”
His advertisement was for the “Semi-Tropical Nursery” and he listed having 50,000 orange trees, half that number of limes, 9,000 lemons of three varieties and 5,000 walnuts of one and two years of age. There were also 150,000 mulberries as there was a significant promotion of these for silk production, but the industry soon fizzled out. At the end of the boom, Garey and others were founders of the agricultural towns of Artesia and Pomona, the latter’s principal north-south thoroughfare bears his name.
David F. Hall, a prominent farmer in the Mission San Gabriel area, penned a letter to the Star of 10 October in which he noted that the time for planting was during “our earliest winter rains,” though planning was to take place about when his missive was published. While his focus was on the mulberry, he observed that it was important to plant cuttings horizontally and added that “this method . . . is much the best, even with the apple, pear, quince, fig, English walnut, and many other varieties of fruit trees, inasmuch as there is a saving of time in their producing fruit.”
As the year came to a close, the Star quoted from the San Francisco Alta regarding the types of trees to plant in greater Los Angeles, including “the white, the black and the Californian walnut,” though, again, the mulberry was said to be preferred as part of silk culture. It was added that “the walnut trees are valuable for their nuts and wood.”
While there were some issues with walnut raising in the region during 1868, we’ll find in the next post that the following year included a major increase in newspaper references reflecting the early stages of our area’s first boom, so check back for that.