6. Descriptions of the Collections


irrigation were started as early as 1797. The mission in Sonoma Valley was the first to produce wine
commercially, and by 1830, viticulture had already began to take on major commercial value. Agustin
Haraszthy, regarded as the father of the California wine industry, brought grapevines from Hungary to
San Diego (via Wisconsin) in 1849 and in two years had established vineyards. Many of the publications
of the early deciduous fruit growers are in desperate need of preservation.

At the time of the discovery of gold in 1848, California was principally occupied by native Americans
and Spanish settlers. Their leisurely, rural civilization was swept aside by the throng of Yankee Forty-
niners, and California began to be quickly settled by people from all over the world and every state in the
Union. Fiction such as The Grapes of Wrath, movies like This Earth is Mine (filmed at Beringer, one of
the earliest California wineries), and documentaries about the migrant workers in Carey McWilliams
Factories in the Field, reveal part of the history of California agriculture and rural life; the rest is found in
myriad primary research resources and published documents including the diaries and letters of settlers;
newspapers and ephemera; bulletins, circulars, reports and other publications of the University; land grant
publications; and in the publications of an incredible array of organizations such as the California Farm
Bureau Federation, the State Agricultural Society, the State Fish and Game Commission, the State Board
of Viticultural Commissioners, and the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.

California's politics, economy, culture, society, environment and technology are inextricably tied to
agriculture. California Farmer, like its counterparts in other states, together with state agricultural society
publications, played a crucial role in the development of California's agriculture. There were editorials
on water rights issues, the concept of ownership of public lands, and perhaps most importantly (in
retrospect), the journal played a role in exempting grapevine owners from taxation. Eugene W. Hilgard,
noted for his critical work in soil science, provided the first comprehensive description of phylloxera,
which destroyed much of the grape crop in the 1870's and devastated rural communities. Pacific Rural
Press had two major publications in 1877 on .the coddling moth, an insect capable of destroying whole
orchards. Hubert Howe Bancroft himself wrote on this topic, and there were numerous articles on the
first infestation by the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) in the 1920's--a forecast of its return in the late
1980's. The publications of the California State Grange, which began in 1873, provided legislative and
labor information to its members.

What was so special about California that farmers risked all to come? The literature of agriculture and
rural life provides the answer--California's two-season climate (winter rain and summer drought) and
technological ingenuity in providing water to farm an arid and semi-arid region were virtually unique.
The six distinct growing regions: the North Coast, the Central Coast (including the Napa and Sonoma
wine regions), Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Mountain (Shasta and Trinity), and Southern
California provided the state with the ability to raise an incredible diversity of crops. Forest and
rangeland, comprising 60% of California, supplied a mix of wildlife, watershed protection, timber, and
recreational possibilities unsurpassed in the nation. The literature also reveals the major controversies over
the land. The concept of publicly owned lands--a distinctive feature of California and other western
states--provoked the debates and struggle for resources that is reflected in the literature, including
exploitation of the forests, logging rights, and protection of endangered species.

The incredible diversity of crops that distinguished California agriculture early on continues to this day.
Almonds are grown only in California, and are second to grapes in importance. California's citrus crops
are world-renowned; in 1873 two navel trees were brought from Bahia, Brazil, to Riverside Colony--
ushering in a totally new crop for the state. California leads the United States in the production of many
crops, including avocados, asparagus, cauliflower, oriental vegetables, pistachios, lettuce, and processing
tomatoes.

The Gold Rush was a pivotal event for agriculture in California, and indeed elsewhere, as farmers picked
up and moved west with the tide. Rice was brought in for the Chinese laborers, who worked in the mines