STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 357 



Another thing which these tables show, and this is something of interest 

 to the health-seeker. It is constantly urged that the central portion of the 

 State is a more agreeable climate. We admit that it has features which 

 are more attractive, but they are features due to conditions which the man 

 with delicate lungs or the rheumatic patient would do well to consider. 

 The greater prevalence of natural woods adds greatly to the beauty of the 

 scenery, which is often heightened by the undulating character of much of 

 the country in what is called their " thermal belt." The greater number 

 of live oaks and other wild trees indicate a moister climate, and the hilly 

 lands best adapted to fruit growing are expensive to irrigate. The second 

 table fully confirms the idea of a moister climate, if we were not convinced 

 by the indications nature gives of the fact in the more common growth of 

 forest trees. Compare the rainfall of Riverside, 8.16 inches, and Colton, 

 9.84 inches, with Auburn, 33.15 inches, and Oroville's 22.11 inches. It will 

 appear that where there is one rainy day in Riverside in winter there are 

 over four at Auburn, and nearly three at Oroville. Here is a point for deli- 

 cate people to study who are looking over this State .with a view to settle- 

 ment. The advantage which California's climate offers over that of the 

 East is not simply its absence of severe cold, but rather the smaller amount 

 of stormy weather which makes almost constant out-of-door life possible. 

 Nowhere at any desirable point in the State can be found a spot where there 

 are fewer rainy days in the year than in Riverside, and this is why it has 

 become so popular a resort for people with delicate lungs, or with rheumatic 

 troubles. It is this peculiarity which gives and always will give Southern 

 California the advantage over the northern part of the State as a place for 

 residence, at least for delicate people. 



From the second table it will be seen that there are reasons shown why 

 Riverside — and this applies equally to all this great San Bernardino Val- 

 ley — is better adapted to orange and lemon growing than the points at the 

 north where they are now so energetically planting citrus trees. Oroville 

 has an annual mean temperature a little higher than Riverside, and yet 

 the record shows that the mercury dropped last season 5° lower than it did 

 here, and remained at the low point longer, and we know how dangerous a 

 temperature even 25° is to oranges and lemons. Red Bluff shows a record 

 of 16° and Auburn 13° above, both low enough to ruin all citrus fruits, and 

 the latter figure a dangerous one even to the olive. Fresno, whose hot, dry 

 climate has proved so admirably adapted to raisin making, shows a record 

 of 115° in summer, but drops far below the danger point to oranges, 18° in 

 winter. 



Riverside is confessedly the most successful orange-growing section in 

 the State, and yet her experienced growers know how anxious they are 

 when the mercury gets as low as 28°, and that 6° lower than that means 

 the loss of much of the crop. But that difference is just about the advan- 

 tage this section has over points now selected for orange growing at the 

 north. It is just this greater security to our crops that makes our climate 

 so much to be preferred by those who desire to engage in orange growing, 

 and it is this one item alone which gives much greater value to land in 

 Southern California, which is in hardly any other respect superior. 



