Cultivating california: Growers, Specialty Crops, and Labor, 1875-1920.(Review)

DAVID VAUGHT, Cultivating california: Growers, Specialty Crops, and Labor, 1875-1920 (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Pp.x + 280; illus.; maps. ISBN 0 8018 6221 3, [pound]29.50).

In this book, David Vaught seeks to understand labor relations in California agriculture by examining thc culture of growers of California's specialty crops. His approach is unique in several ways. The focus is on thc culture of the growers rather than the workers. Instead of assuming that the industrial model best describes California agriculture from its beginnings, Vaught treats this as an empirical question. He examines the records and writings of growers of raisins, …