Many a California young man from high school gets his first taste of
work away from home in the harvest fields. Generally this is a good
experience for him. He receives some pretty hard knocks, and sees the
rough side of life, but if he has self-control and good principles, he
will be the better for the venture, returning more manly, earnest, and
self-reliant.
Chapter XIV
The Golden Apples of the Hesperides
The orange, like many other of California's most valuable products, was
brought into the country by the patient, far-seeing padres. Orange,
lemon, and citron, those three gay cousins of royal blood, traveled
together, and soon were to be found in many of the mission gardens. The
most extensive of that early planting was an orchard at San Gabriel, set
out by Padre Sanchez in 1804. In the height of its prosperity, this
mission is recorded as having two thousand three hundred and
thirty-three fruit trees, a large proportion of which were orange trees.
San Fernando had sixteen hundred trees. San Diego had its orange
orchard: how many trees is not recorded, but its olive grove numbered
five hundred and seventeen flourishing trees.
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