Early Horticulture in California [pp. 117-128]

Early Horticulture in California.
swered," cried the child, as she clung to the
miserable and famine wasted foirm. " O
Jesus," she added in a voice of almost agonized entreaty, "Thou who hast answered the
prayer of a little child, consider the desires of
thy faithful servant, and glorify thy name."
As she prayed she dropped upon her
knees before the altar, and with an instinct
of sacrifice, caught from her mother's hand
the wreath of ethereal snow flowers, and extended it towards the rude image of the
blessed child; and lo! within her hands the
fragile leaves and blossoms were transformed
and became a glittering crown of gold and
silver, sparkling with precious stones.
This was the miracle by which God granted the prayer of the good Friar Luis and
the little Indian convert.
Far and wide spread the wonderful tidings,
and hundreds and thousands, both heathen
and converted, thronged to the altar whereon
the glittering wreath lay. Every leaf and
flower were as perfect in form as when they
clung to She rugged mountain sides; but oh,
how glorified, how wondrously transformed!
So the obscure village became a place of
pilgrimage, and from the gifts of the faithful
immense sums soon filled the coffers of the
wondering Friar Luis, and within a few
months he began the fulfillment of the dearest object of his life, the erection of his church.
But alas! a great grief came upon him.
God removed from his sight his beloved Indian child. Otzli died in the arms of her
mother, who, once more restored to her right
mind, and a true convert to the Christian
faith, soothed the last days of the loving and
saintly child, and afterward became the
abbess of the first nunnery of Indian converts established in Mexico.
Father Luis lived to see the completion
of the church, and to dedicate it to the Savior under the name "La Santa Indita ".; and
for many years it was renowned for its wealth
and grandeur, and thousands annually flocked to visit the tomb of the sainted Indian
maiden, and to worship before the altar,
where her effigy of pale brown stone, most
exquisitely carved, upbore the miraculous
wreath before the image of the loving Savior, who said, "Suffer little children to come
unto me."
Such is the legend of the beautiful church
which still stands, half lost in tropic verdure,
at the foot of the snow-clad mountain; but
it has been despoiled of its wealth, the miraculous crown has been removed to a secret resting place, and is represented by one
of tinsel and colored glass. But the memory of the trustful child remains, and awakens still the reverence and love of all to
whom her history is made known.
Louise Palmer Heaven.
EARLY HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA.
No writer has yet attempted to give a careful account of early horticultural experiments
in this State, and if the work be not undertaken before the last of the pioneers has
passed from the field of his triumphs, many
personal reminiscences of value will be lost.
The generation that has seen the transformation of cattle-ranges into wheat fields, and,
within less than two decades, the change of
wheat fields into orchards and vineyards,
can tell stories of unequaled horticultural
triumphs. Thirty years ago each planting of
a vine or tree was considered a hazardous
experiment on this coast, except, indeed, in
those favored spots where the Spanish padres
had tested the fertility of the soil. It is almost impossible for the younger men and
women of California to realize how slowly the
horticultural possibilities of this domain of
Coast Range, great central valley, and Sierra
foothills, were at last revealed.
The discussions that took place in the columns of the early agricultural journals of
California, show how little men knew of the
soil they were beginning to cultivate, and of
the climate which was adapted to such a va
1885.]
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