6. Descriptions of the Collections


and on the railroads--and the crop was imbued with enormous political implications due to the concept of
"Chinese exclusion". Carey McWilliams, commenting on the "yellow peril," in Factories in the Field,
noted that "it is the farm labor history of California that illuminates the social problems and that places
them in the proper perspective." Japanese farm workers followed the Chinese, and colonies of Russian
immigrants brought their own crops and techniques. Only ten years after the Gold Rush began, wheat
had become a prominent commodity and cattle took on additional significance to supply hides and
tallow. The Mexican land grant system led to the development of enormous "ranchos"--a philosophy that
continued for another century. The dominance of large farms and ranches, as opposed to family farms
in the eastern and midwestern states, has always been characteristic of California. The distances, terrain,
and lack of transportation overland made it prohibitively expensive for most small farmers to market
their produce and livestock, although a few coastal farmers used the sea to transport goods.

The history of conflicts over agricultural labor also distinguishes the history of California agriculture and
rural life, and the literature of the day elucidates the economic, social and political implications. After the
controversy over the Chinese and Japanese laborers, the role of Mexicans as migrant laborers for the
seasonal harvests became a major issue. There is a wealth of literature in need of preservation that is
devoted to the rise of the braceross," and the creation of the United Farm Workers under the direction of
Cesar Chavez. One of the underlying concerns was the effect of pesticides on farm workers, (the Delano
grape strike was a significant example) and California's role in pest management has been widely
publicized. California was the model for federal law, and many of the important leaflets and special
publications of the California Agricultural Experiment Station, and Agricultural Extension (now
Cooperative Extension) Service are critical candidates for preservation and improved access. Many of
these publications were translated not only into Spanish but, more recently into Vietnamese, reflecting the
history of immigration into California. Paul Taylor's assessment of labor appears in numerous
publications which are highly regarded and important to preserve for the historical record. In the most
recent election in California, the issue of illegal immigrants was highly publicized, and has yet to be
resolved. Much of the background information about this controversy can be found in the agricultural
literature.

It is impossible to discuss California agriculture without mentioning the importance of water, irrigation,
and the constant battles over water rights. The creation of canals and waterways has been well
documented; California's irrigation system provides water to 7.6 million acres and the system has been
cited as so immense that it is the only other man-made undertaking besides the Great Wall of China that is
visible from the moon. California water laws, beginning in 1850, are comparable to the English common
law concept of "riparian rights," whereby water rights are given to owners whose land borders on water
courses. This created conflicts with the miners who had preceded the farmers and cattle owners. Even
today there are debates over the use of water for recreational purposes versus agricultural needs--rice
farmers in particular are criticized for flooding fields. The concept of water as a public utility is reflected
in the literature documenting the 1887 Wright Act, which established irrigation districts, and in
documentation for the Colorado River Project and the Central Valley Project.

The other area of literature that needs preservation is forestry and fisheries. The University of California
has filmed only one major title, and there are numerous publications from the California State Forestry
organizations, as well as two unique collections of photographs (Fritz/Metcalf and Sudworth) and
soil/vegetation maps of California forests in the 1920's. The Bibliography of Early California Forestry,
consisting of 69 volumes, exists in very few locations in California--one at the University and one in the
Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, which has limited public access. Hilgard's
writings include his experiments on tree culture. The control of wildfire is also well documented and,
ironically, Walter Mulford, who began the forestry program at U. C. Berkeley, saw his house burn in the
1923 Berkeley fire. The 1991 fire in the Berkeley/Oakland hills caused scholars to re-examine many of
the earlier photographs and documents.