State Agricultural Society. 249 



Spring spreads out its mantle of green over the entire country, from the 

 southern boundar}^ of the State to Mount Shasta on the north, and from 

 the ocean-washed coast on the west to the rolling foothills of the Sierra 

 Nevada. But as in the case of the cold Summer ocean winds, so these 

 warm Winter winds meet obstructions on their way, behind which their 

 influences are not so perceptible. So, also, there are some valleys along 

 the ranges of mountains into which they cannot easily penetrate, and 

 there, also, they are not so much felt, but there are, also, others into 

 which they enter without obstruction, and thus in these create a climate 

 rivaling the most delightful climates of the tropics. Thus creating in 

 our wet as well as in our dry seasons as many climates as there are 

 peculiarities in locality; and thus explaining the uniformly mild climate 

 of the entire agricultural portions of the State during this season. 

 From these specially favored localities come the early vegetables and 

 fruits which intermingle in our markets and on our tables with the 

 still fresh vegetables and fruits of the past season, giving us practical 

 demonstration of the many unequaled advantages of our country. 

 Though Spring thus pushes herself in to join hands with Autumn, and 

 crowds out old white-haired Winter from all the valleys, still Winter 

 lingers on the northern and eastern borders of the State high up on the 

 Sierras, and despite his younger sister of the valley, for months holds 

 there undisturbed possession. And, as if in reve'nge for having been 

 driven out of the garden of Eden below, tears out his locks, and, throw- 

 ing them beneath his feet, covers from view the last vestige of green 

 in all his elevated dominions. And now and then, with an extra effort, 

 sends down a three days' northern blast to sweep through the country 

 below, or of a night sends his stealthy offspring, Jack Frost, to clip the 

 tops of Spring's most delicate productions. 



From the above explanations of the climatic causes, it will be seen that 

 the strip of country most exposed to the ocean influences, including 

 those counties about San Francisco Bay, must have the most even tem- 

 perature — comparatively a cooler climate in the Summer and a warmer 

 in the Winter. This same cause has its influence over a large portion 

 of the counties composing Southern California, producing there an even 

 temperature during the entire year. Wherever the ocean has most in- 

 fluence, there the climate is evener as between Summer and Winter and 

 between day and night. The effect over the entire State is, even in the 

 season of the warmest days, cool and invigorating nights, giving anima- 

 tion and vigor to all animated nature. 



SOIL. 



Having briefly described the geography and topography of our State, 

 and traced from them the mysteries and advantages of our many-sided 

 climates, we now come to the consideration of the formation and com- 

 position of our soils, which, in conjunction with our climate, has made 

 our State the agricultural wonder of the world. Nearly all the valleys 

 of the State are much of the same general type, having evidently been 

 formed by the washing down of the decomposed rocks and soils of the 

 surrounding mountains and the decay of spontaneous vegetable pro- 

 ductions. 



The rivers and creeks that run through and drain them have per- 



32 fagri\ 



