STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



359 



NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, CLIMATE, RESOURCES, ETC., AS REPORTED 

 FROM MODOC AND SISKIYOU COUNTIES. 



MODOC COUNTY. 



It is the extreme northeast county of the State, with Oregon for its 

 northern boundary. It extends eastward from the celebrated Modoc " lava 

 bed," south of Tule Lake, to the Nevada State line, and is nearly one hun- 

 dred miles in length, and sixty miles in width. The topography of the 

 county is a succession of mountain ranges and valleys, and is principally 

 drained by Pitt River, which has its outlet in the bay of San Francisco. 

 The lava bed section, at the northeast corner of the county, is a succession 

 of gulches and crevasses, which range from a few feet to one hundred feet 

 in width, and many of them are one hundred feet deep; some have sub- 

 terranean passes, which lead for miles under the rocks. This broken 

 country extends in a belt eastward to Goose Lake. This lava section of 

 the county has no arable lands, and it is fit only for grazing purposes. It 

 is a vast plain of table land, and in some places it is sparsely covered with 

 juniper. 



The county has an area of 4,260 square miles, of which 3,685 square 

 miles are Sierra mountain lands. Surprise Valley has 400 square miles, 

 and the other valleys some 175 square miles. 



The agricultural lands suitable for cultivation are all in these valleys, 

 of which Surprise Valley is the most important. It lies on the extreme 

 east of the county, extending from north to south, and includes in its east- 

 ern side three lakes, whose lengths are respectively 16, 20, and 15 miles, 

 with widths of from 3 to 5 miles. These lakes have no outlet, and are 

 sometimes dry by evaporation. The length of the valley is about 60 miles, 

 and width 15 miles, and it is skirted on two sides by lofty and timbered 

 mountains. It is watered by numerous streams, and it is covered with 

 clover and grasses. Its soil is a rich, black loam, occupying a strip from 

 2 to 6 miles in width, whose surface gently slopes toward the lakes. 



The valley of Goose Lake lies mostly on the eastern side of the lake 

 (which is 30 miles long and 15 miles wide, extending into Oregon), reach- 

 ing back some 4 or 5 miles, and is watered by numerous small streams. 

 Its lands are good for farming purposes, being covered with bunch and 

 other grasses, and are partly under cultivation, yielding crops of wheat, 

 barley, oats, etc. 



The adjoining mountains, Warner's Range, are heavily timbered with 



