Humboldt County
History
History of Humboldt County California - Historic Record Co., Los Angeles, 1915
CHAPTER XX.
Past and Prospective Humboldt Agriculture.
The student of history, especially if he goes to original sources, will soon learn by talking with men and women who settled in Humboldt county any time between 1858 and 1870 that the history of agriculture in those times was much like the famous book on snakes in Iceland. The author had the book bound in beautiful covers, and it contained almost a thousand pages, only one of which contained any printed matter. The only words appearing in the entire book were printed in bold letters on the first page. The text was as follows "As for snakes in Iceland, there are none."
As for agriculture in Humboldt county during the early days of its occupation, there was almost nothing worthy of the name. Much of the development of this county ever since it was settled has lain along the line of lumbering. The fact that mighty virgin forests abound in this great county has always attracted the capitalists and the woodsmen alike. It was natural that the great profits which were made in this industry should intensify it, and it is also natural that agriculture should take a secondary place during a long period of years. Of course sheep and cattle ranges abounded in the old days, and a rude form of agriculture also existed side by side with the grazing industry.
But the conditions of yesterday could not continue indefinitely, for the reason that the great development of agriculture along scientific lines was sure to make our acres valuable to the husbandman. Such men as Henry DeVoy soon saw the great advantage of our climatic conditions and scores of them have reaped fortunes from the soil.
It is well known that there was a period when it was almost impossible to market the perishable crops satisfactorily. Even today (1914) the only way to ship crops satisfactorily is by water, although the completion of the Northwestern Pacific will bring new and different conditions to the farmers of Humboldt county.
There was a time, particularly from 1870 to 1880, when clover was known as the king of agricultural products. Prior to that time Humboldt county was known as the greatest potato belt in all the West, but potatoes were so cheap in those days that the growing of these tubers was abandoned in favor of clover.
With the coming of clover it was inevitable that the dairying industry should take its place as one of the great productive occupations of the county.
Many years ago a number of far seeing farmers and business men began to devise ways and means whereby they might use the cut-over lands which had sustained forests of redwood, but no great progress was made for the simple reason that there were no organizations to take the matter up seriously, aggressively, and scientifically. It might be said in a general way that the organization of the Humboldt Promotion and Development Committee, following the editorial agitation by Leigh H. Irvine, managing editor of the Humboldt Times, supplemented by his addresses on the history and philosophy of community development, was the beginning of the organized movement which finally culminated in the present efficient farm bureau system that characterizes the agricultural activities of the county.
The promotion committee was organized on October 19, 1912, and by the middle of July, 1914, Prof. A. H. Christiansen had been detailed to the county by the State University at Berkeley as official farm adviser. He immediately began his work in conjunction with the promotion committee and it was not very long before farm centers were organized throughout the county. These are really farmers' clubs, which meet and discuss practical questions pertaining to the good and welfare of the farmers. All sorts of questions concerning soil analysis, rotation of crops, fertilization, the use of lime, and green manuring are discussed at these meetings. The farm advisor usually visits a center at least once a month, but the work grew so fast the first year that a determined effort was made to obtain another advisor to enter the field with him.
The older school of Humboldters—men like Ex-Governor James N. Gillett and W. S. Clark—were long suspicious of any efforts to make Humboldt county a typical agricultural region; but those who have watched the painstaking work of those farmers who are following Professor Christiansen now realize that thousands of acres heretofore regarded as unfit for agriculture are destined to become productive. The beginning of the new agriculture may be said to have dated from the coming of Professor Christiansen and the organization of his farm bureau. Methods wholly unknown to the farmers of early days are now practiced successfully every day. The use of lime on sour lands has worked wonders wherever it has been tried.
Another important epoch in the history of Humboldt agriculture may be said to have dated from the arrival of Charles Willis Ward, of New York in 1913. His father had left him a large amount of redwood land and he was drawn to the county by reason of litigation affecting the title to his holdings. As he had been engaged in the nursery business and truck gardening in New York City for many years, as he is at this writing, he began to experiment with Humboldt soil. Within six months after his arrival he had transformed an ordinary Eureka lot into a rich garden of delightful vegetables. By the use of his soil board, and by scientific fertilization and gardening he produced seven crops of lettuce within a few months, each crop following the other in rotation.
He demonstrated that the climatic conditions and soil are such as to warrant, a great deal of activity in berrying, truck gardening, and like industries. He soon bought two large places in Eureka and has turned the yards into scientific gardens for the production of vegetables.
Not content with this small way of doing business he bought a good sized farm on Yager creek, not far from the town of Carlotta. As Mr. Ward is the author of the World's Standard Work on Carnations, and as he has long been a successful horticulturist, there is much hope in his prophecy that Humboldt county is destined to afford a living to hundreds of men and women who know how to raise good vegetables by the use of modern methods. He says there is not an acre of ground anywhere in the vicinity of Eureka, Arcata, and other towns around the bay that is not capable of producing a good living for a family of moderate size.
No history of Humboldt county's agricultural and horticultural development would be complete without some mention of the great work carried on by the Humboldt Land and Development Company, of which Mayor Frank K. Mott, of Oakland, is president. This company bought almost twenty-three thousand acres known as the Fort Seward country in the year 1911. In anticipation of the completion of the railroad the company, under the management of E. B. Bull, laid out a townsite adjacent to the river at Fort Seward. Scientific gardeners and farmers were brought to the land, and it was through the effort of Mr. Bull that Judge G. W. Rowe, vice-president of the American Pomological Society, first visited Humboldt county. As stated elsewhere in this work, he found the greatest apple lands in the world in this far away country.
Enough is known of the agricultural achievements of the past to warrant great hope in the future. The history of the walnut industry, though a brief one, shows the line of endeavor that is likely to characterize the future of Humboldt county. Many years ago some venturesome soul planted some walnuts of commercial value. Though they were neglected and almost forgotten, they have often produced wonderful crops. In the Petrolia country, which was looked over, about 1911, by Joseph Bagley of Eureka, who is deeply interested in walnut culture, there are many evidences that the old trees are heavy bearers. These scarred veterans of the forest have here and there attracted much attention and favorable comment. Expert walnut men from other parts of California, notably C. W. Sheats, have come and seen and been conquered by the beautiful growth they have beheld. A number of interested persons, encouraged by these evidences of past growths, are now projecting plans that look to the subdivision of some of these lands for the purpose of scientific walnut culture.
Though the old residents have wandered over all parts of the county, they usually paid little attention to the rolling lands except for grazing purposes. The last ten years, however, have shown that the prairies are susceptible of wonderful uses by the farmers. The prairies are, in a general way, the following: Dow's prairie, Trinidad prairie, Hydesville prairie, Rohnerville prairie, the upland prairies of Mattole, the upland prairies of Garberville, and in a general way the prairies along the Klamath river. The uplands have been developed sufficiently during the last few years to attract the attention of the historian who cares to note the progress of agriculture. The uplands above Hydesville, those in the Table Bluff section, those above Trinidad, above Mattole, and along the Upper Mattole river have been developed sufficiently to indicate their great value. As a rule they are excellent for dairying, while every vegetable grows to perfection.
Melons and tomatoes thrive better here than almost anywhere in the state. It may be worth while to look into the future and give the reader an idea of the line of development likely to characterize the agricultural activities of tomorrow. By the time this chapter is before the reader Humboldt county will have an outlet by rail which will enable it to market its products without delay and to reach the buyer when the price is of most advantage to the producer.
In predicting what the future of any part of Humboldt county may be one is reminded of the famous declaration of the immortal Patrick Henry, who declared in one of the most famous speeches ever made on American soil that he knew no way of judging the future but by the past. He would guide his footsteps by the lamp of experience.
So, in making a forecast regarding any section of California or any part of Humboldt county, one must bear in mind the lessons of experience. Those who know the Eel river valley best willingly testify that every acre of her rich bottom land is susceptible of highly profitable uses. The heavy soil is like a mint in the open, for it is rich enough to enable any man of thrift and experience to coin a fortune therefrom.
Although the values of these acres are today deemed excessive by some people, the truth is that we have scarcely begun to use the soil to its full capacity. With the coming of an increased population to Northern California, Humboldt county is certain to be visited by thousands of men and women who know what's what in agriculture, and particularly in dairying.
This simply means that our present method of handling this important branch of industry will be modernized, and when every acre is made to give the best possible account of itself production will be greatly enhanced. Expert agriculturists who have seen and examined the great dairying sections south of Beatrice unhesitatingly predict that there will be a greatly increased output per acre within the next few years. If we admit that the present rich acreage can be made richer still, the picture of tomorrow becomes a pleasant one indeed.
How are these improvements to be brought about? Primarily through efficiency engineering applied to the farm. For example, the cows now furnishing milk for the dairymen produce about two hundred pounds of butter fat per year. The cows that should be used in this industry would produce six hundred pounds of butter fat during the same period. Not only is this true, but the six hundred pounds of butter fat from the improved breed of cows will be a far better grade than any ever yet produced in Humboldt county.
The improvements which the thoughtful person sees in the dairying industry alone will come about by the use of better cows and better feed. Those who know most about the dairying industry are of the opinion that it would be well for dairymen in the Eel river valley to agree upon some good strain of milk-producing cows. The Holstein, Guernsey, and the Jersey are said to be excellently adapted for this rich country. There are advantages in uniformity. The history of dairying shows a tendency toward uniformity.
A third element destined to contribute to the greatness of the dairying industry, therefore to the wealth and prosperity of this section, will be found in clean milk. Scientific methods and sanitary precautions will be very much increased within the next ten years, and every improvement of this character will make for a greater Eel river valley. Let us assume that dairying will remain the chief business of this section of Humboldt county. There is not likely to be any diminution of the demand for high grade dairying products in the United States, and with the increase of population which California is sure to obtain, dairying on an intensified and scientific basis will surely always remain one of our greatest productive industries.
In the Scotia country, and after you cross the Van Duzen river, also up the Eel river and the Van Duzen, one cannot fail to see many rich pockets, little valleys and hillsides susceptible of intensive horticulture, agriculture, and dairying. Alfalfa will yet come into its own in many parts of this region. The first section of the Van Duzen valley will be excellent for alfalfa, hog-raising, mixed agriculture, the vine, berries and fruits. It is easy to see either one or two good sized canneries or many small ones dotting the hillsides of tomorrow. With greater freighting facilities it is not impossible that fresh fruits and berries may find a market in the years to come.
Going up the main Eel river by way of Pepperwood, Shively and Camp Grant, one beholds a region that stands almost alone in its wonderful possibilities for almost all kinds of fruits, berries and alfalfa. When the cry "Back to the land !" begins to ring throughout the country these lonely acres will be peopled with a large and independent population of intelligent husbandmen. In the past these wilds have been in the hands of hunters and trappers.
People are reading these days and Bolton A. Hall's theory of three acres and liberty has not fallen on the desert air. Some of us are remembering that Abraham Lincoln said that the problem of the future of this land of the stars and stripes would be to master the art of making a good living from the smallest possible area of the soil. He held that a community whose every member knows how to cultivate the soil need never fear any kind of oppression, for that community would be alike independent of crowned kings, money kings, and land kings. If this be true, and it sounds like wisdom, we can see that this section will contain a prosperous and independent people.
The conditions obtaining in the bench and hill lands just described are largely duplicated in the Mattole valley, along the upper South Fork, and in the White Thorn valley. With increased transportation facilities, the completion of the railroad, the jetties and the Panama Canal, it is possible that the extreme southern portions of Humboldt county will experience rapid development. Albert Etter is already in touch with large Australian corporations whose managers have heard of the wonderful possibilities which the Mattole section presents to those interested in canning fruits and berries.
It is impossible that Briceland and the many table lands, lowlands and other desirable sections will remain uncultivated. Many little agricultural centers, villages and shipping points are likely to spring up throughout this section with the development of alfalfa, farming, dairying, fruits, hog raising and the production of walnuts and other nuts that give promise of high commercial profits. Joseph Bagley is the pioneer among scientific walnut growers in this section. C. W. Sheats, late of Santa Ana, has recently (1914) located in the walnut business in this section.
In forecasting the possibilities of poultry raising in the county, the southern part of the county should not be overlooked. Those experienced in this line of work are unanimously of the opinion that our climatic conditions, coupled with the richness of our soil, make southern Humboldt the ideal spot for the poultry business.
Of course the rougher lands will have to be used in connection with stock-raising, for there are many acres where the successful farmer will be compelled to run stock in connection with gardens, orchards and dairying. It can not be denied that much of our land will always remain a grazing area. It is to be regretted that we have not yet come upon any method that will guarantee an equitable subdivision of the very large holdings in southern Humboldt. There are hundreds of tracts susceptible of supporting a large number of families, but they now constitute portions of vast areas which are owned by one or two men. Nobody would confiscate this property, but one of the problems of the future will be to reclaim this land from its present wild condition and make it the scene of many happy homes. There are vast tracts given over to cattle which should be cut up into small farms.
It should not be forgotten that one of the greatest apple experts in the world, George E. Rowe, vice-president of the American Pomological Society, has declared that Humboldt county contains some of the best apple-growing lands on the face of the earth.
When the Humboldt Promotion and Development Committee was started on October 19, 1912, Judge Rowe addressed the assembled delegates at a convention of the federated commercial bodies of the county at the Chamber of Commerce in Eureka. He said southern Humboldt was the only place he could name anywhere that would produce all of the highest grades of apples in perfection of color, size, flavor and texture. He emphasized the fact that our climatic conditions are such as to render late shipments particularly profitable, After he had finished his second inspection of the apple bearing and other fruit lands of Humboldt county, particularly of southern Humboldt, Judge Rowe, writing on September 29, 1913, addressed the Humboldt Promotion Committee as follows regarding his opinion of the great fruit bearing sections in question :
"After having spent the month of September examining your valleys, hills, and table lands; consulting with your oldest settlers, ranchers and fruit growers; examining fruits in the old orchards and vineyards that have had but little care, I am even more optimistic than I was last year when I told you that Humboldt county was the most perfect garden spot in America, and that your soil and climate under proper direction would yield millions to future generations, where your redwoods have yielded thousands to the present.
"That is true and it might be stated even stronger, for the range of fruits and vegetables of the highest class that can be grown here at a good profit can not be equalled in any place in the world. Apples, pears, peaches, prunes, grapes, as well as the best small fruits and vegetables can not only be grown economically, but can be placed in the world's great markets to better advantage and at less actual cost than from most of the other fruit sections of the West.
"What has increased the value of your redwoods ? Twenty years ago, and even less, they could be bought for from $6 to $12 per acre, while the same timber today is worth from $500 to $2000 per acre. The redwood is no better than it was twenty years ago, but men of genius and means have found a market and a way to put it on the market at a reasonable cost. Fifteen or twenty years ago your dairy lands were worth from $25 to $50 an acre. The land is no better today than then, but the land is worth today from $300 to $500 per acre. Why ?
"Because men who have made a study of the industry have found a way to produce the goods and find a market for dairy products at a large profit. What has been true of the dairy industry will also be true of the fruit industry in the hands of men who will put the same energy into the one that the other requires. The successful development of any industry requires men with knowledge, coupled with ambition.
"Humboldt county has the soil, on its hills, table lands, and valleys, that is well adapted to dairying and fruit growing, and a climate that is equally adapted for the growing of the highest qualities of fruits.
"With the opening of the Panama Canal and the new railroad transportation, I look forward to the time when Humboldt county will boast thousands of happy, successful farm homes, where today there are but hundreds."
Continuing his discussion, Mr. Rowe said that the results would be wonderful when people begin to understand the cultivation of apples and other fruits along scientific lines. He thought the finest results possible anywhere on the globe would be obtained in southern Humboldt county. He said: "Here you can grow the very highest class of apples in the world, and this is the only spot I know of where every one of the highest class varieties will grow to perfection. The keeping qualities are also very fine. The varieties which will pay best and which I have particularly in mind are Spitzenbergs, Northern Spy, Canada Reds, Mclntoshes, Jonathans, Kings, and Grimes Goldens.
"Now there are many places where two or three of these varieties will grow well, but southern Humboldt is unique in having an apple belt where all kinds of the best varieties do splendidly. Though you can also grow cheaper grades of apples, it would not be a business proposition to do so. It is not a good policy to produce the inferior apples, because you would come into competition with other sections of the country that grow inferior varieties and can grow nothing else. Your lands are worth more for the high grade apples than for other things. You might develop and grow here to command the market, or at least a great market at a late period in the season. This is of inestimable value."
Humboldters know that the elevated apple lands of this county will miss many of the pests that infest other sections. Apples that grow to the pink of perfection and are also exempt from these pests, are about all that the world might ask.
It is easy to paint a picture of many happy families and thrifty communities as a result of the development of the apple industry, which is sure to be one of the greatest activities of the next five or ten years in those parts of the county which are adapted for the growth of apples.
The building of a large number of evaporating plants and canneries for the products of our orchards will undoubtedly change the entire face of the country and the trend of industry. If we should be careful with regard to the class of immigrants whom we encourage to come this way, selecting the better European type and some of the more intelligent farmers and horticulturists from the East, we shall find great improvement in our social and civic life.
Albert E. Etter, Humboldt county's famous plant breeder and strawberry grower, predicts great things for the small fruits and berries. He sees many spots which are capable of being transformed into veritable gardens of Eden, this without any fear of frost or pests. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of the growing berries and fruits that are known to mature to perfection in the county: Apples, pears, prunes, peaches, cherries, apricots, plums, nectarines, quinces, raspberries, currants, strawberries, and loganberries. Almost anything that thrives in a mild climate will do well somewhere in Humboldt and beyond the coast region one may find prosperous vineyards, olive trees, walnuts, figs, almonds and other fruits and nuts that grow in warm zones where the soil is rich.
In the Eel river valley and out in the Briceland district as well as in countless other places, strawberries are excellent in size, color and flavor. Cherries grow anywhere, but they thrive particularly in the Hydesville district, twenty-five miles from Eureka. Wild fruits almost anywhere testify to the warmth of the climate and the worth of the soil, berries and nuts being abundant. Wild huckleberries, blackberries, and strawberries are abundant.
Mr. Etter says that Humboldt county can grow several types of strawberries and other small fruits that will make her famous. A large industry in canned and preserved fruits would be the result, since the market for such products is not today well supplied with the right kind of products. Before the business had been gone into extensively he thinks it would be well to experiment with standard varieties and possibly develop those imported from England, because they are known to be excellent for the purposes of jam. Red currants and gooseberries would also thrive in all that part of the country which will grow them at all. Mr. Etter says that God could have made a better fruit than the Humboldt strawberry, but he didn't do it. He says the same cool and uniform climate that gives us superb strawberries will also give us excellent currants, raspberries and celery, string beans, peas and cauliflower. Deep soil and the humidity of the air, with the comparatively cool days and nights, make a lower moisture content in the soil necessary for perfect development than where the temperatures are comparatively high.
Strawberries grown in a hot, dry climate, require so much irrigation that they become mushy. Southern Humboldt has the proper conditions of temperature and air humidity for the production of the best small fruits in the world. These berries require a rich soil, a cool, humid atmosphere and either shade or a cloudy sky. The equivalent of these conditions throughout a large part of the county indicates the reasons for the remarkable berries and vegetables that are destined to give us a reputation the world over. t is not well to go fully into the question of pears, cherries and other forms of fruit, but all familiar with conditions know that a long list of valuable fruits and berries will thrive in this county.
Thus it will be seen that in drawing a picture of southern Humboldt we have possibilities that ramify into many directions. With better roads, more resorts and the establishing of centers for tourists, it will be impossible to tell what the future has in store for us.
While on the tourist question, it might be said that there are so many beautiful spots in southern Humboldt county that it seems impossible that the future will fail to give us a number of men and women engaged in catering to the great tourist trade. It is almost unnecessary to refer to the fact that Switzerland lives on the tourist trade, as does Los Angeles, in our own state. In Los Angeles, for example, they built more than $34,000,000 worth of new structures in one year, largely as a result of the tourist traffic. Switzerland is a splendid example, and there a number of towns have hundreds of hotels, while two hundred and twenty thousand men and women are making a living from the tourist trade. There are eighteen thousand restaurants alone.
Why should not Humboldt county become in fact the playground of the West? Why should southern Humboldt not become one of the most attractive spots in all the world for those who enjoy great scenery, hunting, fishing, and that contact with the beauties of nature which this section alone affords ?
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.