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A California Strawberry History
California's strawberry cultivation began in 1912 with the banner variety and the men of the Pajaro valley who had the foresight to recognize its worth. The origin of the banner is one of the most interesting stories in strawberry history, perhaps not the least because it was learned from growers who knew the variety best Charlie Loftus, Ned and Dick Driscoll, sons of R.F. Driscoll, Joe Reiter, son of J.E. Reiter, Mrs. Jeff Vollmersand from Dr. Harold E. Thomas.
Charlie Loftus, pioneer strawberry nurseryman of Shasta County, was nine years old in 1887 when his father, Thomas J. Loftus (1847-1925), moved to a ranch at Sweet Briar, about 20 miles north of Redding, California. Along an irrigation ditch in a grassy area on the Sweet Briar ranch a few miscellaneous strawberry plants, which had probably originated from the East, had survived from the previous owner's patch, and it was there that Charlie Loftus recalls picking ripe strawberries for the family table on a day in 1888 or 1890. One single plant riveted his attention; the berries were large, uniformly conical in shape, bright red, and exquisite in flavor and fragrance. The plant was carefully marked, and when winter came it was transplanted to a large wooden keg. Within a year, about 50 runner plants were saved; and within three years, the Loftus family raised up to one quarter of an acre of the new berry, which they called the Sweet Briar. Top
One summer morning at breakfast, around 1900, Mrs Herman was served Sweet Briar strawberries picked from the Hoppe garden patch. This breakfast launched what Joe Reiter today calls the California strawberry gold rush. Not long after that breakfast Thomas Loftus of Shasta County entered into an agreement with Driscoll and Reiter to protect and propagate the new berry. Formed early in the present century, the Shasta County-Pajaro Valley agreement between plant grower and strawberry producer initiated a practice which was to be of inestimable value for the California strawberry industry, namely, that of separating plant production from fruit production. The geographical separation of the two operations being several hundred miles provided isolation against virus diseases none of which were known at that time. Also, as it turned out, northern-grown plants were somehow better conditioned to grow when transplanted to the fruiting fields than were runner plants stripped from the old plantings.
In 1912, Driscoll and Reiter instituted a promotional idea that resulted in the famous trade name of the new variety; to feature the berry for the San Francisco markets they tied the filled crates with a lithographed, blue paper ribbon on which a fancy, red strawberry was pictured. The ribbon, or banner, as they termed it, not only distinguished a new, superior berry but also became the symbol of California's excellence in strawberry market quality and salability. The name Sweet Briar was quickly forgotten.
Shortly after Banners debut as a commercial variety in the Pajaro Valley, it failed to runner. Thus Banner, which runnered prolifically when grown in northern California, proved incapable of vegetative reproduction in Watsonville. With intuitive foresight that marked their long career as strawberry growers, Driscoll and Reiter recognized that usefulness of the new plant could be maintained only if plant production were carried on in Northern California where winter cold conditioned the plants to grow normally in the spring. From this experience the California strawberry nursery industry was born. Leading strawberry nurserymen expanded the production to meet annual demands for new plants.
Nursery plants in this early period in Shasta County were harvested by hand, largely by Indians. Plants were dug in March and April, trimmed, packed in apple boxes, roots facing in, and shipped by train without refrigeration to Watsonville. Delivery was prompt, and planting in the fields was followed immediately by irrigation. The first growing year was devoted largely to "catching" runners, removing blossoms, and getting the plants established. The second growing year was the first fruiting year.
History To Date
Well the Loftus family is still in the business of propagating strawberries. The business is now operated by Roger and Tom Loftus, sons of Tim Loftus . In the last few years they have expanded the operation that was once only on their ranch in Anderson, California to several other locations. The high elevation ranches are split into two separate areas. One in Malin, Oregon and the other in Susanville, California. These two areas provide strawberry planting stock in October to fruit growers in California and the rest of the United States as well as Baja, Mexico and also as worldwide exports.
The low elevation ranch is located about 50 miles south of Anderson in a small community called Orland, Ca. This is where most of our strawberry plants are grown for export. These plants are harvested in December, held in cold storage and are sold through August. One thing unique about this particular ranch is its soil structure. The soil is a very deep gravelly sandy loam which enables us to harvest the bareroot plants with practically no soil stuck in the roots which produces a package that is very light for shipping (approx. 33lbs - 15k). It is also easier to get into the field to harvest in the month of December when the weather is unstable. Top
Other crops the Loftus brothers are growing are asparagus and grape rootstock. The asparagus rootstock is grown at the Susanville ranch on second year fumigated ground behind last years strawberry crop. The soil is very sandy and being so the asparagus crowns are very clean when harvested. There are two harvests of the asparagus rootstock, one in winter for retail sales and one in spring for wholesale growers.
The grape rootstock is grown at our location in Anderson. This location is especially well suited for growing the grape rootstock in that it is isolated from other growing areas and the climate promotes a natural disease resistantcy. With the experience in strawberry plant tissue culture we are able to tissue culture grape stock and put it through our heat treatment system to kill any viruses present. This ensures the cleanest rootstock possible.
