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Show ... .,, , . . .. I> .. ., ' ~ i • . ,. •'- · ~~t . (,._ • I I ,. .:: -~,-, ; ' ') ~ - .. . ..... ~ ..... •'\'. •' ·~\ ' .. ;, 76 IMMIGRANTS: AND SETTLERS' GUIDE range~ giv_e marked characteristics of climate to the counties lymg between them. CLIMATE AND SOIL. ne~!~if~ff~ ~~s a dry and wet ~eason, corresponding A 1 . e summer and Winter seasons of the t antic. But, as might reasonabl b are considerable variations both I·n tyheet expected, there · th . ' emperature and In e amount of moisture Wh "I t h .. chara~teristic of the Californi~ climates is dt e tphr~vaihng mer It ha k d bd. . . rou In sumand' th s mar e su I VIsions of climate and to these 0 er causes attention is n k a' N latitude 39o the air durin h do~ as e . . orth of P arched and · ' g t e rJ season, Is much less . ' rains occur earlie th . h districts. Along the coast th r r an m. t e southern temperate than in the re e c Imate .Is much more Sierra the atmosphere I·sg at ~a}lleyh, while east of the T . excessive y ot a d d he soil along the valle is extre !1 ry. only judicious irrigation~ k m.ely nch, and needs e·very variety of cro T 0 rna ~ It produce almost all the plants, excepf"cott~~acc~. r~ce, .mai~e, and almost parts of the Union fl . '. w IC gt ow In the warmer leys; while in the ~a?unst m .the sheltered lateral valproduce large crops 1~n~a e! Itself most of the cereals admirably. The gra~ses gi~pes, peaches, &c., thrive affording excellent ast are uxurious and nutritious, sive forests of pin~ andra!a,~ North of 39° are extencoast produce all the · The valleys along the the fruits and vegetable~er~atlhs, and all, or nearly all, of 0 e temperate zone. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, ETC. For two reasons the a . 1 " worthy a careful stud . gricu ture of California is well climate of this State~ 'a!r;.t, on account of the peculiar relation which its agri~ult s~cond, on account of the of the mineral wealth of :e pea~~ to the development tain reO'ions e acllJC and Rocky Moun-o . " The principal c rops rai· sed in California are wheat, I ~--J·, i>' i or,,, . · 'II ~~~.:... •;t- I ) .;,i-. I ,.;: .., ·.i I ,i -",' . {'' ·-:'': ''•' ., ~ .~t •' '··,·· .~ ...~ . ·I. ~ . ' · '1 ' .. .. ,., , . .. '; _, I' .. .. ~ .• ·. ~~· .. ' .. . • 1' TO THE NEW ST.ATES .AND TERRITORIES. 77 barley, oats, hay, and the root crops, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. Wheat is the chief cereal crop. The winter and spring varieties of this grain are unknown in California, but are seemingly blended together, the time . of sowing being intermediate-in the -months of December and January, after the November rains have moistened the earth. The best counties for its production are those in the immediate vicinity of the San Francisco Bay, embracing Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Solano, and Yolo. Barley, relatively, is a much larger crop in California than in the Atlantic States, a sandy soil and dry climate being both favorable to its production. This grain is so"rn during the entire winter, commencing with the rains in November, and may be continued until the close of March. Owing to the dryness of the climate the grain dries rapidly after maturity, and in harvesting it shatters out some. This sprouts, and taking root in the rainy season, yields a crop which is known as the "volunteer crop," and which is well worth harvesting. The common oats do not succeed well on account of the dryness of the climate, but the wild variety, although an annual, is perpetuated from year to year by self-seeding. It mixes itself the first year with the "volunteer crop" of barley, and in the second year appropriates most o£ the soil to itself. This crop, except in a few counties in the northern part of the State, which produce timothy, is mown for hay, and constitutes the hay crop of Cali-fornia. Corn yields but a very limited crop. In the valley of the Sacramento and San Joaquin the nights are too cool for its successful cultivation. It is only in the coast counties, in the extreme southern portion of the State, that .it can be raised with profit. The dryness of the climate of California is unfavorable to the cultivation of grasses. Hay, as has been stated, is taken from wild oats. Timothy grows in the extreme north alone, which section the dry trade-wind belt covers for a short time only. ' ·.~ ' .. 1 .. ,. ' ·', - |