A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 35

Author: Storke, Yda Addis
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 738

USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 35
USA > California > Santa Barbara County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 35
USA > California > Ventura County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 35

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The olive is said to be the most valuable tree known to man. This is undoubtedly true in Ventura County as elsewhere. It will grow in almost any kind of soil, although it is a mistake to imagine that it prefers soil nearly destitute of life-giving qualities. The olive will grow on the hill side, among rocks, and flourish where other trees would die. But that is no reason the olive prefers that kind of soil. It will do better in rich soil, which is natural. But the cheap lands of Ventura County-the hillsides now covered with chapparal-will undoubtedly be most used in the cultivation of the olive, for these lands would not be suitable for other trees. Such land can be procured at from $10 to $30 an acre.

The profits from olive-growing are enor- mons. Olive trees are planted twenty feet apart, or 108 to the acre. The olive grows from cuttings, which can be had at from five to ten cents each. At present the cost of setting out an olive orchard in Ventura County, including cost of land, trees and planting, would scarcely exceed $35 an acre. This is a reasonable estimate and may be too high. The olive bears at six or seven years from the cutting.

At seven years an olive tree will bear about 120 pounds to the tree. About twelve pounds will make one large bottle of oil, which will sell readily at from $1.50 to $2 a bottle. Mr. Cooper originally sold his at $1 per bottle, but the demand was so great that he was compelled to raise the price to $2. Twelve pounds to the bottle would be ten bottles to the tree, or in ronnd numbers 1,000 to the acre. At $1.50 per bottle this would be $1,500 income from an acre of seven-year- old trees. Say that in curing the olive and making the oil and keeping the trees clean,

two-thirds-an over estimate-of this sum is expended, we have left as profit the enormous sumı of $500 an acre. These are astonish- ing figures, but when one reflects on the demand for and price of olive oil they will not seem without the bounds of reason. As the olive has off years in bearing, divide this estimated profit of $500 by two, and you still have a yearly profit per acre of $250 from an olive orchard. Ten acres would be enough, it has been often said, and such is the fact. Truly the olive is the most valuable tree known to man. The above estimates are based on the average yield of the orchard of the pioneer olive-grower of the State.

At present there are but two varieties of the olive most largely grown, that is, the Mission and Picholine. Both have advan- tages. The Mission will perhaps grow on a drier and poorer soil than the Picholine. The planting of the Mission is much advocated by many, because the fruit is a large berry and the tree a rapid grower.

The walnut prefers a moist rich soil, and is at home in Ventura County. The older variety of the trees are very slow in coming into bearing, requiring abont ten years or more, and this fact has discouraged many an orchardist from setting out this valuable fruit ; but there is a variety of soft shell walnut that requires but six years in which to bear, and once bearing it keeps on increasing (as is the case with all kinds of walnuts) its crop for fifty years or more. Sometimes these soft- shell walnut trees bear in five years-four years from the nursery-and this year there are some five-year-old trees in the county- notably at the Rice & Bell place on the Las Posas-that are loaded with unts. This is an exception, however, the tree not nsnally bear- ing short of six years.

The walnut groves of Ventura County will and do net their owners an average of $100

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per acre year in and year out, and there are some groves of old trees that net yearly twice that sum. No crop is more easily gathered than the walnut, and it is ready to be gath- ered after all other crops are in. The best thing about the walnut is that it is not perishable, and the owner of a grove is never forced to sell his crop at a loss or small profit to keep it from spoiling on his hands. Then another thing is that the area in which the walnut will thrive is so small that there can never be any danger of an overstocked market.

Walnut lands in Ventura County sell for from $100 to $400 an acre, according to loca- tion, and any of it, after an orchard has been in bearing a couple or three years, will pay ten per cent. interest on $1,000 an acre.

There is abundant acreage in Ventura County adapted to culture of the almond, but as yet little has been done in this direction. Mr. Joseph Hobart some fifteen years ago put out 300 almond trees in the Upper Ojai Valley, and he is almost the only grower of this article. So satisfactory does he find the enterprise that he is planting out a large number of these trees, which he regards, each for each, as more profitable than apricots, prunes, or peaches. Some of the pleasant features of this business are as follows: its successful treatment requires neither great haste nor a large crew of workers; the gather- ing of the crop comes in cold weather, and wet days can be utilized for hulling; the care of the orchard is less than witli other fruit trees, and the cost of handling a crop of almonds is only about twenty-five per cent. of what it costs to handle apricots, peaches, etc.

Probably all kinds of apples that can be grown in any country are grown here. They are of very superior quality and there is no place in the United States where they keep better than in this climate. The dried ap- ples sent from this county have commanded

double the price of ordinary dried fruit. Pears of superior quality are raised here and are found profitable both for drying and can- ning purposes.

The soil of this section seems to be ex- actly suited to the apricot. Here it finds its special adaptation, yielding immense quanti- ties of fruit of large size and excellent flavor. This is a very profitable industry and is be- coming a source of immense revenue to the county. As the district of country in which they can grow to such perfection is limited, it is not likely the business will be overdone, but there will be an increasing demand for this fine fruit year after year. So far the apricot lias had no natural enemy. Neither insect nor disease of any kind has ever attacked it in this region. As instances of the profit derived from this fruit we may cite the fol- lowing: A farmer sold the fruit of a nine- acre orchard of four-year-old trees for $1,000, the purchaser gathering the fruit, from which he also derived a handsome profit, having obtained it for about one cent per ponud. The fruit in another orehard of five- year-old trees sold for $200 per acre, the pur- chaser in this instance also realizing a hand- some profit by drying the fruit. In another orchard three years old, the owner gathered fifty pounds to a tree, which more than paid for the trees and their cultivation up to that time. A gentleman planted seventy-five acres of apricot trees on land which cost 825 per acre; he raised two crops of beans between the trees, which more than paid the cost of cultivation of his orchard, and the third year sold it for $150 per acre. This is not a solitary instance, for there are scores of individuals in this county who are quadru- pling the value of their land in a similar manner.

One of the largest orange and lemon orchards in the county is near Santa Panla

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The orange trces of this orchard of nearly 100 acres are bearing and doing well. The lemons have been more thoroughly tested and are superior to most others grown in the State. The soil is very deep, a rich, well drained alluvial or sedimentary deposit, and is pronounced by Prof. E. W. Hilgard su- perior to any of his acquaintance for " easy cultivation and power to raise moisture jointly." The lemons grown thus near the coast are not superior to those further inland. At the citrus fair held at Riverside in 1883, a committee was appointed to make thorough scientific tests for the purpose of comparison of lemons grown in California with imported lemons. The analysis embraced, first, ap- pearance, including size and quality of rind; second, bitterness; third, percentage of acidity. The committee compared the California lemon with those freshly imported from Messina, Malaga and Palermo, and reported as follows: " From a careful analysis of the foregoing it will seem that the California budded lemon properly grown and handled is the equal in every respect of the imported lemon." The committee further says: " It is noticed in the examination that the lemon of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego are nearly globular in form, and all having a smooth, morocco-like texture of the rind, while those of the same varieties found in San Gabriel and Pasadena are now elon- gated in form and not as smooth, and those of Riverside and vicinity are still more elon- gated and rougher in rind. It is noticeable that the smoothness and thinness of rind in- dicates greater quantity of juice." This testi- mony from a Riverside committee carries great weight as to Ventura's ability to successfully grow lemons, which branch of the citrus cul- ture it is believed will be most profitable in the future.

The growing of oranges and lemons has

been successfully tested at the Camulos, Sespe, Ojai, Matilija and other portions of the county. There are also thousands of acres on the Simí, Las Posas and other por- tions of the county that will doubtless pro- duce oranges, lemons and limes of good quality. This industry is yet in its infancy in Ventura County, while its possibilities are beyond computation.

Farmers and fruit growers have not turned their attention largely to grape culture, but as far as tried they do remarkably well. Raisin grapes are grown successfully and produce the finest raisins in the land. This is especially true at Sespe and Ojai valleys. At the Camulos, in the northern part of the county, a fine quality of wine has been suc- cessfully manufactured for years. The county contains thousands of acres of land not yet brought under cultivation, where every va- riety of grape known on the coast can be successfully and profitably grown. For size and flavor the grapes grown in this county will compare favorably with the best. A few miles from Ventura is one of the largest grape-vines in the world.

Prunes do well and yield profitable crops. The French prune grows to great perfection, yielding largely, and promises to become one of the paying industries of the future. Peaches of all varieties do exceedingly well in this county. They seldom or never fail; and this may be said of nearly all kinds of fruits grown here. Some years the yield is not as great as others, but is never a total failure.

In addition to the fruits mentioned above, the following also do very well in Ventura's soil: Limes, guavas, loquats, currants, pears (which bear enormously), cherries, plums, figs of all kinds at all seasons, pomegranates, quinces, nectarines, persimmons (Japan), strawberries (ripe the year round), raspberries and black- berries.

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THIS YEAR'S EXPORTS.

The barley product of Ventura County for this year is about 120,000 sacks, the arveage yield being about 350,000 sacks; the low pro- duct this year is due to last year's nnusnally wet winter. Of wheat there were about 20,000 sacks, which is a fair average, com- paratively little land being sown to wheat. Of hay are raised about 2,500 tons annually. This year hay is more abundant than usual in this county. Of corn about 150,000 will be this year's harvest, the average yield in- creasing from year to year, as barley-raising is abandoned for the culture of corn and beans. Of beans-that great Ventura staple-18,200 acres were this year sown to Lima beans, yielding about 1,000 pounds to the acre, this being somewhat below the average of 1,500 pounds to the acre. About 2,500 acres were put to other varieties of beans, yielding about 1,500 pounds to the acre. The apricot and walnut yield was very large also, about 300 car loads of green apricots having been shipped to Newhall alone, for the purpose of sun-drying.

The shipment from this county of fresh apricots, delivered at the railway stations at $20 per ton, amounted to about $100,000 last season.

So abundant was the crop that one grower, Mr. A. D. Barnard, of the Cañada Larga Rancho, invited through the newspapers all parties who would, to take away from his orchard all of this fruit that they would haul, without money or price. Of walnuts twelve to fifteen car-loads, or 240,000 pounds, will have been shipped this year. There are about 200 acres of walnut trees bearing, and 350 acres not yet bearing, in this county.

Of oranges and lemons, the total value will probably approach $40,000. Olives will not reach a large figure, outside of the Camulos Rancho. Peanuts enter into the exports, as

many as 500 sacks, or 25,000 pounds, having gone out; potatoes amount to about 200 car- loads; a variety of promiscuous products also are exported, including hogs, of which a large number are raised, sometimes as many as 10,000 a year. The yield for this year is not determinable.

STOCK RAISING.

This industry has been carried on in Ven- tura somewhat extensively for many years. When under Mexican rule it consisted solely of cattle and horses, but when the Americans took possession they made sheep-raising a specialty. Under their supervision the county has supported as many as 250,000 head at one time. At the present time there is some- what over 75,000 head in the county. Re- cently imported draft and other horses have been introduced, the assessment roll indicat- ing several thousand American horses, some 3,000 of which are graded. Percheron, Hambletonian, Belgian, Morgan and other breeds have been imported. Among cattle there have been imported Durham, Short- horn, Jersey and Holstein breeds, making the grade of cattle the very best. The county is far in advance of many others in the best breed of horses and cattle, farmers having reached the conclusion that good stock can be as easily raised as the poorer varieties and to much greater profit. The raising of hogs is also engaged in extensively and profitably. Diseases among stock are unknown here, except scab in sheep, which has not proved destructive.

A gentleman of Santa Paula imported twenty-one head of Holstein cows four years ago and has already sold $11,000 worth from their increase, while keeping up the original number. This is a fair sample of what is being done in this and other portions of the county in improved stock of nearly every kind.

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The resources and capabilities of Ventura County in this regard may be best judged by the following resumé of the fine stock ran- chos in this county: Three miles from Hue- neme on the road to Ventura, and about half way between the former place and Montalvo, the first station on the Southern Pacific Rail- road east of Ventura, is the splendid stock ranch of Mr. J. G. Hill, one of the representa. tive and wealthy men of Ventura County.

The property embraces 630 acres of the La Colonia ranch, and is as desirably located and composed as as good soil as any part of the 45,000 acres of this magnificent property. The whole ranch is very nearly a mile square, and is fenced and cross-fenced into suitable fields for tillage, grain or grazing.

The owner of this valuable place is doing much toward the improvement of horses in this section. Several years ago J. C. Simp- son, of Oakland, brought to California from Chicago the beautiful dapple-gray stallion, A. W. Richmond, which he sold to a Mr. Patrick, the latter to H. Jolinson, he to Hill & Greis, and finally Mr. Greis sold his in- terest to Mr. llill, the horse dying on the latter's hands last November, at the age of twenty-seven years. This horse was said to be one of the finest, if not the best, carriage or driving horses on the continent. He was the sire of Joe Romaro, record 2:19g; Arrow, record 2:131; Columbine-the dam of Anteo and Anterolo, the only mare in the world that has produced two sons to beat 2:20; Rose- wall, who has just made himself a record, taking six straight races, against stock im- ported to beat him; and a host of the finest driving stock on this coast. Being owned by Mr. Hill and Hill & Greis for some five or six years, his colts have become numerous, and are considered the best stock in the county. Most of the colts strongly resemble he sire, being showy and of a gentle dis-

position. Some of his progeny develop great speed, but more of them become intelligent, attractive family carriage horses, and are owned and prized by many of the best families in this part of the State.

Chief among the valuable horses Mr. Hill has at the present time is Ulster Wilkes, a two-year-old stallion by Guy Wilkes, record 2:151, dam by Ulster Chief by Hambletonian No. 10, second dam by May Queen, record 2:24. This is considered one of the finest- bred colts in America. He is very hand- some and will, without doubt, make an extra fine horse. Fayette King, a dark brown stal- lion, three years old, by The King, son of George Wilkes, first dam by Beecher, second dam by imported Consternation, full thorough- bred. This is a fine horse. Sterlingwood, another chestnut stallion, three years old, by Sterling, first dam by Nutwood, second dam by John Nelson. This is also a valuable animal.

Another beautiful black two-year-old stal- lion, Steve White, by A. W. Richmond, first dam by Ben Wade (thoroughbred), second dam by Traveler, third dam by Son of John Morgan, fourth damn by Tiger Whip, is one of the prettiest colts in the county.

Aside from the above list Mr. Hill has other fine stallions and some splendid mares by Joe Daniels, Ben Wade, Wild Idler, Cor- bitt and other horses of high record, in all about 120, the majority of which are un- usually fine animals. He has a three-quar- ters of a mile track on the ranch, and keeps a man who thoroughly understands the business to train his stock. Aside from one or two running horses, one of which is Dottie Dimple, record 483, half mile, this breeder gives his attention almost exclusively to carriage and trotting horses, and has certainly done Ven- tura County much good in introducing a class that would do credit to the blue-grass region

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of Kentucky or any other section of America or the world.

This rancho is supplied with every neces- sary appliance, commodions buildings, well watered and fenced, and is one of the best for stock-raising on the Pacific coast. Aside from his stock of horses, Mr. Hill keeps some 400 hogs, and raises large quantities of corn, hay and barley.

About a mile from the above rancho is that of, J. D. Patterson, of Geneva, New York, covering 6,000 acres. This was also a part of the La Colonia property, and is probably the largest horse rancho on the sonth side of the Santa Clara River. The whole of this, however, is not devoted to stock, 1,000 acres or more being planted to barley, the product of which was 27,000 sacks last year. This farm keeps 500 head of horses, mostly of the French draft species. Of this number 150 are brood mares.

Mr. Patterson is the owner of the cele- brated Montebello, a pure Bonlornais stallion a beautiful mahogany bay, foaled at Jabeka, Belgium, in 1875, and imported into this country in August, 1876. His weight is 1,800 pounds. He has taken first premiums wherever exhibited, as well he might, for a finer horse of its kind would be hard to find.

Another noble stallion of this ranch is Black Lewis, a California-raised black fellow, nearly as heavy as his sire. This horse is five years old. Leopold, another son of Mon- tebello, a beautiful dapper-bay stallion, weighing 1,850 pounds, a pure blood, three years old. Cæsar, another three-year-old, and Philipi, another of the same age, Victor, Bonita and Patera, the last three yearlings, are all fine stallions by same sire ont of the imported six-year-old mares Marie and Lady Henrietta, and the pure blood, four-year-old, California-raised mare Florence, and are all splendid specimens of this species of horses.

The owner of this property began raising this breed of horses in 1880, and has been very successful. He sells them all over this coast and farther east.

To Mr. Patterson is dne the credit of in- troducing an excellent strain of draft horses.

This ranch, besides raising barley and horses, also produces large quantities of hay and corn; also keeps some 2,000 hogs. The location, soil and equipments are all superb. The fences are good and everything bears the unmistakable evidence of thrift and pros- perity.

On the same old La Colonia, about four miles from these, is located another horse ranch owned by J. K. Greis, of Nordhoff, and Thomas Bell, of New Jerusalem, known as the Greis & Bell Ranch. This is a smaller one than the others, containing only about 425 acres, but on it are kept some very fine horses, mostly of the Richmond breed. This rancho keeps several fine stallions; and, like the two above mentioned, keeps a large num- ber of fine brood mares, and makes a busi- ness of raising colts that develop into the best carriage and family horses. They pay special attention to the breeding of fine car- riage stock and train them for this purpose, not, of course, discouraging speed in trotting or racing. Their place, which is located near Springville, is a valuable one, and is kept in " apple-pie order," being like the other two a credit to the owners and to the county.

Such marked success has attended the de- velopment of this industry here that it seems hardly extravagant to predict that the day will come when California shall lead the world in fine horses. The desirable monn- tain ranges of Ventura County, with the rich alfalfa fields of the valleys, are just the thing to develop the fine forin and strong limb of this noble animal; and it would be no unnatural thing for this little seaside county

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to wave the banner of victory over the world, having achieved the honor of producing, if not the fastest running, the fastest trotting and the finest driving stock on the continent.

BEE KEEPING.

There are about 18,000 hives of bees in this county. In a good year the county pro- duces about 3,000,000 pounds of honey, suf- ficient to fill 150 cars. In many cases 400 pounds of honey to the hive have been pro- dneed. One apiary of 700 hives, and snr- rounded by bees amounting in all to 1,800 hives within the radius of two miles, aver- aged 130 pounds each. Another apiary, con- taining 445 hives in the spring, inereased to about 1,200 and yielded eighty tous of honey. These are presented as fair examples of the products of the honey bee in this section.

The bee-keepers of this county use honey extractors, replacing the comb. They have learned to handle it economically in a whole- sale way, and receive their full share of the profits. The Langstroth hive in its simplest form is almost the only one in use. The principal part of the honey is put up for shipment in sixty-pound tins, two tins in a case. Some is put up in twelve pound tins, and considerable in one and two pound tins for the English market. But the larger por- tion is sold by commission merchants in San Francisco, orders being received by them from all parts of the world. Some send their honey by the car-load to the interior States, at a cost of about two and one-half cents a pound; others send it by sailing vessels around Cape Horn to the Eastern States, at a cost of less than one cent a pound.

This industry can be greatly extended in this county. The best locations are at the mouths of canons where water is plentiful. Some apiarists cultivate a little land while

taking care of their bees, and others indulge in stock-raising.

MINING.

Mining in Ventura is as yet comparatively undelvoped.

The mountains of this county are as yet but partly explored, and the most scientific explorers who have visited this section are unacquainted with much they contain. They will yet doubtless yield valuable returns to the faithful investigator in precious metals, valuable minerals and not nnlikely gems.

Pirn Mining District. This district is several miles in extent, and in scenery, abundance of timber, excellency of water, salubrity of climate in summer and health- fulness, is hard to excel. The mountains are covered with pine and oak timber; and in the Lockwood and Piru creeks, which traverse the entire district, and are never failing streams fed by springs, abundance of water can be procured for running stamp mills and other mining purposes. Most of the ore is easily accessible and can be worked with comparatively small cost. Considerable placer mining has been done in this district, in which dry and wet washers have been used. Men have made from $1.50 to $5 a day, but the principal wealth lies in the quartz ledges, which require stamp mills to reduce the ore.

Some of the mineral-bearing peaks rise 8,000 feet, and one, Mount Pinos, over 9,000 feet above sea level. Gold was discovered here long before the excitement of 1849. The territory of this district on the northern line of the county has the honor of furnish- ing the first gold mines discovered and worked in the State.

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Author: Storke, Yda Addis Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 738

Author: Storke, Yda Addis
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 738