STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



375 



THE FOUR CITRUS BELTS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. 



The following tables show the temperature at places situated in the four 

 recognized citrus belts of the northern hemisphere, and certainly the Cen- 

 tral California citrus belt has no cause to complain of being colder, or its 

 climate less equable than the other so called citrus regions. Take North- 

 ern Italy, the portion along the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea 

 has about the same climate, but the towns are running in opposition to 

 each other as health and winter resorts, for which reason their reported 

 minimum temperatures should be looked upon with some discredit. No 

 doubt the low temperature recorded at Cannes is a fair sample of what it 

 is. From that place to Genoa on the east, 20° is recorded as the lowest. 

 In all probability 2° less than that would be nearer the mark. The winter 

 temperature of any place in Central California in the following table will 

 beat the Italian citrus climate. 



Now take Florida. We find that Jacksonville and Pensacola have high 

 annual and winter temperatures; but look at their minimum of 19° and 16°, 

 respectively. If citrus fruits can stand that temperature in Florida without 

 serious damage, what is to hinder the same kind of fruit in the central citrus 

 belt of California from pushing ahead? Here they have never recorded as 

 low a temperature as Pensacola. Take the citrus belt of Southern Cali- 

 fornia. Look at the minimum temperature at Poway, San Diego County — 

 21° in 1878 and 1881. In all probability it went as low as 18° during 

 the passage of the cold wave of January, 1888. Poway, Los Angeles, and 

 Riverside have exactly the same winter temperature as Marysville and 

 Nicolaus, and 2° lower than Oroville. Riverside is reported to have had a 

 minimum temperature of 17°. (See " Bee " of January 18, 1888, letter from 

 W. G. Williams, of Loomis, Placer County.) Los Angeles must have had 

 a temperature of at least 20° during our past cold spell, although her 

 record before this was 23° as the lowest. 



From these tables a great deal of information on the temperature of the 

 four citrus belts can be learned. The yearly and winter temperature in 

 Florida goes to show that one cannot judge understandingly of a climate 

 for citrus fruits unless he knows the actual minimum or lowest tempera- 

 ture that occasionally sweeps over such semi-tropic belts. The tables are 



as follows: 



Italian Citrus Belt. 



