Alfalfa: Santa Cruz Island

Alfalfa: Santa Cruz Island was as a regular crop of major importance, along with oat hay, grown by the Caire family in several fields, including the Asiatic, Americano, Burgundy, Cantina Vieja, Domestico, Dos Pinos, Ermitaño (hermit), European, General, Islay, Matanza, Reservoir Field, Rialto, Selva, Slaughter House Field and the Upper. In addition, the 1921 agricultural plan the planting and sowing of 12 sacks of seed in Campo Nuevo located near the island’s west end. An irrigation plan was also proposed:

“This field is certainly a logical place to put alfalfa, but should be leveled first and checked and then given a trial irrigation. This will show clearly any uneven places where the water does not run. These can then be scraped off and dirt thrown in the low places and after that plant the alfalfa.”

The building at Campo Nuevo had been occupied only seasonally, and it was abandoned by 1937 when the Stantons took over ownership in 1937. By 1918 Cottony-cushion scale, Icerya purchasi, had infested the island’s alfalfa crop. It was known that the Australian ladybird, Rodolia cardinalis, known by the common name of vedalia, feed upon this scale insect On November 26, 1918 the island superintendent wrote to the State Insectary in Sacramento:

“We are becoming rather badly troubled with cottony cushion scale and our spraying has had little or no effect in keeping it under control. We would like to make application for a colony of Novius cardinalis [vedalia] for delivery at the proper season.”

Another request was made in 1919. Sacramento replied they lacked the scale insect on which to raise the ladybirds, and therefore the island superintendent sent a supply of the scale in order to facilitate the raising of ladybirds for release the island. Today there are at least 15 species of ladybird beetles found on Santa Cruz Island.

» Ladybird beetles; Cottony-cushion scale

In the News~

August 12, 1903 [LAT]: “Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara… Under the present owners a lobster and fish canning plant is operated there, 50,000 head of sheep roam the hills and valleys, and a large acreage is planted to vineyards, alfalfa and barley…”

May 15, 1915 [SBMP]: “Island building campaign on for entire summer. Contractor with fifteen men leave for Santa Cruz Island. Sailing yesterday afternoon for Santa Cruz Island, contractor A. J. Avery and a force of fifteen men go prepared for an all-summer’s building campaign for the Caire estate. These operations will include the construction of silos and barns on various of the island ranches, camp first being established at the west end of the island, then on the east end, and finally at the middle ranch, where there are nearly 300 acres of alfalfa and hundreds of other acres suitable to the cultivation of corn...”

June 11, 1915 [SBDNI]: “Contractor A. J. Avery, having progressed rapidly with the work of constructing a number of buildings on Santa Cruz Island is bringing his men back tomorrow to put them to work on more improvements to be made on the Club at the Montecito Hot Springs. On the island Mr. Avery has been building three large barns for the Caire’s ranching operations and two cottages for the help. He is also building silos for the alfalfa crop now raised on the island, and has made many alterations and additions to the buildings he erected for the Caire family a year or two ago.”

October 26, 1916 [SCICo]: “We turned the steers out on the General, letting them clean up the alfalfa there and then sent them to Christy and put them on the Opuesto where there is lots of alfalfa… We do not believe that it would pay to sow alfalfa anywhere except on bottom land where there is an abundance of moisture, as it requires a good seed-bed to get started and lots of moisture to keep going.”

November 7, 1916 [SCICo]: “The steers that Troup took were the poorest in quality of any we had but were in good condition. The balance have been on alfalfa pasture for two weeks and have been picking up rapidly. Mr. Troup was willing, we thought it desirable, to hold them for 3 or 4 weeks more and should gain from 1200 to 1500 pounds by so doing.”

November 14, 1916 [SCICo]: “A wall has been built S.E. of the hog pens [at Scorpion] to keep the creek out. This should make a pretty good field out of this patch, and with a part in alfalfa and a part in barley it would allow more hogs being raised at this ranch, if for no other purpose than home consumption.”

November 21, 1916 [SCICo]: “Relative to the horses we are using very few of the old animals. The barley hay we are feeding is very coarse and there is too large a percentage of straw. We would feed more alfalfa hay if we had it but cannot get it without hauling from Christy and this would be prohibitive… We are now plowing the Avuelo and Pico at Prisoners’ Harbor so as to have them in good shape for alfalfa in the Spring.”

May 4, 1917 [SCICo]: “Shearing is in progress at Scorpion. The alfalfa has been cut and raked and the Campo Maximo is now being mowed. Cagnazzi has been drinking and had things pretty badly stirred up when the superintendent arrived with the vaqueros. Cagnazzi is not at the main ranch, his feelings being hurt because the superintendent took two bottles of whiskey away from him.”

April 23, 1918 [SCICo]: “The corn in the Domestic and Upper is coming along fine and some of the alfalfa planted is going well.”

July 1, 1918 [SCICo]: “The alfalfa planted in the Domestic and Upper is drying up.”

November 28, 1918 [SCICo]: “We have heard through the fishermen that the Agriculture Appropriation Bill had been signed last week. If Prohibition is to be with us for a long time, our suggestion would be to root up the vineyard, using the bottom lands for alfalfa and the upper lands for barley and convert the Cellar and Fermenting Room into milking barns and cheese factory.”

February 13, 1919 [SCICo]: “Some harrowing and disking has been done in the Upper and Domestic preparatory to planting alfalfa.”

February 24, 1919 [SCICo]: “The Domestic has been planted to alfalfa.”

March 22, 1919 [SCICo]: “Alfalfa has been planted in the Upper, and the west half of the Domestic has been replanted.”

January 1, 1920 [SCICo]: “State Commissioner of Horticulture. Kindly let me know what procedure is necessary to procure a colony of Australian ladybirds for us against the cottony cushion scale. Many of the trees, bushes and even alfalfa plants are badly infected. Clifford McElrath.”