REPORT. 



To His Excellency, Newton Bootii, Governor op California: 



Sir: — Since our last biennial report California has experienced two 

 successive seasons of unusual drought. During the rainy season of 

 eighteen hundred and sixty -nine and eighteen hundred and seventy, the 

 entire rainfall in the central portion of the State was only thirteen and 

 fifty -nine one hundredths inches, while in eighteen hundred and seventy 

 and eighteen hundred and seventy-one it was but eight and forty-seven 

 one hundredths inches, making the total rainfall for the two entire rainy 

 seasons a trifle over twenty-two inches, or two and one half inches 

 more than fell during the unprecedented dry seasons of eighteen hun- 

 dred and sixty-two and eighteen hundred and sixty -three, and eighteen 

 hundred and sixty-three and eighteen hundred and sixty-four, and but 

 little more than the average rainfall for each year for the past twenty- 

 two years. 



Notwithstanding these facts, it is a source of congratulation that the 

 agricultural, and indeed all the material interests of the State, have 

 suffered much less during the past two years than they did during the 

 corresponding seasons of eighteen hundred and sixty-two and eighteen 

 hundred and sixty-three, and eighteen hundred and sixty-three and 

 eighteen hundred and sixty-four. Indeed, taking into consideration the 

 progress made in the development of our industries during the past two 

 years, and footing up the results of that progress and of the two years' 

 production, we find abundant reason for general congratulation among 

 the people, and for universal gratitude to Him who visits the earth with 

 both rain and sunshine, and who tempers the winds to the shorn lamb. 



lessons op the drought op eighteen hundred and sixty-three and 

 eighteen hundred and sixty-pour. 



These occasional seasons of drought in California ar.e not without 

 valuable lessons — they are accompanied with benefits as well as disad- 

 vantages. In eighteen hundred and sixty-three and eighteen hundred 

 and sixty-four the general failure of crops throughout all the cential 

 portions of the State, and the great scarcity of grazing and hay for 

 stock, directed general attention to the low land constituting the deltas 

 of our great rivers, and also to the high table lands located well up on 



