In the Santa Clara. 273 



mer with the Captain in Siberia. Farewell, ye good people of San Jose and 

 the valley of Santa Clara. May you all live long and still have something to 

 eat. May your city flourish and your orchards still abound, and your boom 

 boom on forever ! 



Before the close of our session at San Jose our spirits rose to enthusiasm 

 with the announcement that after our return to San Francisco we were to 

 be favored with an excursion into Northern California. The Southern Pa- 

 cific railway arose, by its representative, Mr. J. B. Lauck (of whom I have 

 several things to say anon), and announced the programme of our journey 

 into the Napa and Sacramento valleys as far north as the city of Redding. 

 Be it known that this muniticent otter on the part of the railway included 

 everything in the way of expense through a journey of several hundred 

 miles. Of course, the company did not propose to furnish us provisions, but 

 we had now learned that the California towns along the way were an ever- 

 recurring picnic, each vicing with the other in its abundance. The propo- 

 sition was, of course, accepted with enthusiasm; but in the mean time still 

 another excursion had been provided for us down the coast to Monterey, 

 and this latter came first. 



Accordingly, on the morning of Saturday we bade adieu to San Jos^, 

 and took our course for that old town where the hoisting of the stars and 

 stripes first announced the domination of a new power over the effete civ- 

 ilization of the Spaniards. The distance down the valley, and with a sudden 

 turn to the coast, is ninety miles. Through this region the same scenery and 

 aspect prevail as in the upper parts of the valley. While we roll along on 

 our way I will offer a comment or two about the general features of the 

 orchards of the California valleys. I have already spoken of the trees, as to 

 their freshness, thrift and beauty of color, but not as to their shape. 



The Californians trim everything low. They cut back the growing 

 tree, of whatsoever kind it is, until its whole development is so near the 

 ground as to be almost in reach of the unassisted hand. Travelers from the 

 older States are astonished at the low stature of all the tree-growths on the 

 Pacific slope. Take the apricot or prune tree for example. Yonder they 

 are, by hundreds and thousands, and all alike as to their form. The Cali- 

 fornian, with his tremendous nursery shears or clippers, or his big knife 

 with the aquiline beak, in the first place cuts off his tree when it is trans- 

 planted, or a year thereafter, at the height of about two feet from the ground. 

 Around this section a cluster of vigorous shoots spring up. Of these from 

 three to five of the best are selected to constitute the major divisions of the 

 tree. They, in their turn, are allowed to grow for one or two years, when 

 they too are cut off about three feet from the lower stump. Each of these 

 branch sections acts like the original stump in sending out laterals, and thus 

 the trees develoD in almost perfect symmetry and regularity. It surprises 

 the foreigner in these parts to notice the beauty of this tree development in 

 the orchards of California. As to setting, the distance from row to row is 

 an average of twenty feet. Some orchardists place their trees nearer than 



