390 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 





SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. 



Santa Cruz is one of the most mountainous counties on the southern 

 coast; the ranges, however, being neither high nor much broken. The 

 eastern boundary line rests upon the summit of the Santa Cruz branch of 

 the Coast Range at an elevation of 2,000 feet or more above the sea, extend- 

 ing south to the Pajaro River, while to the west, and separated by the San 

 Lorenzo Valley, is another mountain range reaching southward to the bay 

 of Monterey at Santa Cruz. Still westward to the coast the country is hilly 

 and broken, often to the water's edge. In the southern part of the county 

 the Pajaro River forms the boundary line, and is bordered by a valley 

 region extending east and west, and embracing rich dark loam and adobe 

 lands, which are well adapted to wheat and barley. Northwestward from 

 this there is another valley region lying east of the town of Santa Cruz, and 

 at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. It embraces several terraces or 

 benches, which are from a mile to two miles wide, and extend through the 

 valley, the first 30 feet above the level of high water, the second 34 feet 

 high, and the third 199 feet higher still — showing a total rise of 263 feet. 

 The town of Santa Cruz is located upon the^west of these benches, extend- 

 ing southward by Soquel and Aptos to the Salinas marshes. It has been 

 estimated that the bottom lands of the county embrace 40,000, and the ter- 

 race plateaus 50,000 acres. 



SAN BENITO COUNTY. 



San Benito is a long and narrow county. Its northeast and southwest 

 boundary lines lie respectively on the summit of two branches of the Coast 

 Range (viz.: the Gabilan and inner Coast Range), whence the surface 

 slopes abruptly to the valley of the San Benito River, which flows north- 

 westward through the middle of the county and unites with the Pajaro 

 River. A few small streams of little importance are tributary to the San 

 Benito. 



The average of tilled lands for the county at large is 91.5 acres per square 

 mile; but, as already stated, the entire acreage is confined almost exclu- 

 sively to the northern part of San Benito Valley, where the average is, 

 much higher. 



Average Precipitation in San Benito County. 



