John Rock

Background

John Rock was born in Lauter, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, the son of Heinrich and Elisabeth Roch. As a youth he left home secretly and emigrated to America, where he changed his name to Rock.

Education

He first resided in New York, employed as a florist and later as a nurseryman. At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the Union forces, enlisting with the 5th New York Regiment, Durye's Zouaves. He was in many engagements, was made a sergeant, and remained in the army until the end of the war. In 1866 he moved to California and was one of the pioneer nurserymen of that state. His first nursery was at Santa Clara. Later he opened the Rock Nurseries on the Milpitas Road and in 1884 established the California Nursery Company at Niles. This nursery, which became a great storehouse of horticultural material, played a most important part in California horticulture. It was here that he assembled the large collection of grape varieties from all parts of the world that provided the material from which phylloxera-resistant stocks were developed. He also introduced many fig varieties into California and was the first to call the attention of American investigators to the fig collection of the London Royal Horticulture Society. When in 1894 the United States Department of Agriculture imported this collection it was placed in Rock's hands for propagation and all of the sixty-six varieties were successfully established. Among the other plants that he introduced into California were the pistacia, black Spanish mulberry, rose-colored seedless Sultana grape, Moorpark apricot, Cork oak, Oriental plane tree, Cedar of Lebanon, Deodara cedar, Damson and Mirabelle plums, thin-shelled almonds, and Italian chestnut. In a tribute to Rock it has been said of him: "Intensely in love with his work, it is no wonder that he spent thousands of dollars in exploiting new and little known fruits and plants, many of which proved worthless; nor that, on the other hand, his untiring zeal in the development of California horticulture has been the direct means of introducing a larger number of varieties of fruits and plants into this State than any other one man" (Kruckeberg, post, p. 5).

Personality

Personally Rock was modest and retiring, a man of few words. It would seem that his influence on California horticulture, generally recognized by his contemporaries and successors, was due as much to his personality as to his material contributions.

Quotes from others about the person

• In a tribute to Rock it has been said of him: "Intensely in love with his work, it is no wonder that he spent thousands of dollars in exploiting new and little known fruits and plants, many of which proved worthless; nor that, on the other hand, his untiring zeal in the development of California horticulture has been the direct means of introducing a larger number of varieties of fruits and plants into this State than any other one man" (Kruckeberg, post, p. 5).