1883. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



207' 



sea breeze, with its moister air, its lower tempera- 

 ture, and the frequent night fogs, evaporation goes 

 on in these valleys with scarcely a check the mo- 

 ment the rains are over. 



The direction of the two ranges, the Coast and 

 the Sierra, has also its influence, and that far from 

 a favorable one ; for by their course from north to 

 south they leave the country open to the full 

 sweep, both winter and summer, of the harsh, dry, 

 parching north wind, which checks and retards all 

 vegetation, and neutralizes the effect of much of 

 the rainfall. 



By examining the physical features described 

 above, we find they may be changed in three ways 

 to give a moister and more productive climate to 

 the interior valleys, which are more fertile than 

 the coast lands, but lack rain. 



1st. Drop the Coast Range of mountains until it 

 is practically obhterated. By doing this the great 

 winter rain-current would no longer be obstructed 

 in its landward flow, and the humid ocean air hav- 

 ing ready access, evaporation would be checked 

 and a dry hot air no longer greedily suck up the 

 surface moisture of the soil. 



2d. Keep up the elevation of the Sierra, but 

 bring it slightly nearer the coast, so that it may 

 condense all the moisture possible from the rain- 

 currents. 



3d. Wall the land in upon the northwest with 

 mountains, so as to shelter it from the drying 

 winds that now sweep oyer it, in winter checking 

 and retarding, by their chill, the growth of vege- 

 tation, and in summer parching it up and blasting 

 the tender shoots. 



The above changes are exactly what have taken 

 place in Southern California. Out of the broken 

 confusion of the Tehichipi and Tejon mountains, 

 where the Sierra and Coast Ranges seem to be- 

 come inextricably entangled, the Sierra at length 

 emerges and turns eastward under the local name 

 of Sierra Madre as the northern wall of the Los 

 Angeles and San Bernardino country, then turn- 

 ing southward it goes on to form the backbone of 

 the peninsula of Lower Cahfornia. Stray frag- 

 ments of the Coast Range rise at different points but 

 reach no great height. This breaking down of the 

 coast range throws the whole valley system of the 

 southern part of California open to the sea, making 

 it practically a vast system of coast valleys, with 

 the Sierra as a background. The sharp turn east- 

 ward of the coast line south of Point Conception 

 also brings the sea nearer to the Sierra, making its 

 influence more felt, while the deflection of the 

 Sierra to an almost due east direction, turns it 



into a huge barrier, raised directly across the path 

 of the cold, dry north wind, which sweeps the up- 

 per portion of the State. Under the shelter of its 

 peaks, which range in elevation from 6,000 to 

 11,000 feet, these southern valleys nestle, looking 

 from the snow-clad crests above them out toward 

 the warm southern sea. 



Boundaries.^Thxs highly-favored region, "beau- 

 tiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth," is 

 known by the general name of Southern Califor- 

 nia. It extends from the southern boundary line 

 of the State northward along the coast for two 

 hundred miles to Santa Barbara, and eastward 

 over one hundred miles to the Sierra range. It 

 embraces the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, 

 Los Angeles, San Diego and the southern portion 

 of San Bernardino, including within these bounda- 

 ries about twenty millions of acres. Its main fea- 

 tures are a coast plateau rising from the sea to an 

 elevation of 1,500 feet, and numerous valleys or 

 interior plateaus, at a greater elevation, opening 

 into it from the mountains. 



Climate. — The climate of this region is as varied 

 as the face of the country. Along the coast plateau 

 the range of the thermometer is very slight and 

 uniform, the extremes being 65^ to 80^ in summer 

 and 25- to 35° in winter. The following table 

 shows the average temperature for each month, 

 during the last five years in the central part of Los 

 Angeles county : 



•Tamiarv 50W July 68i^ 



Febiuarv 52!4 August 09 



March..'. 5:% , Sapteniber «Hi^ 



April. 57 I October bli| 



May ^W/i I November .55 



Jiuie 6614 i December 53 



The interior plateau, owing to the greater dryness 

 of its atmosphere and proximity to the Sierras, has 

 a much higher range of temperature, the thermom- 

 eter rising sometimes to 100°. But these extremes 

 of temperature occur only during a few days in 

 the year, and on account of the dryness of the at- 

 mosphere are more endurable than a much lower 

 temperature in the Eastern States. Sultry or hot 

 nights are unknown in any part, and sunstroke is 

 an unheard of thing. 



U^et Season. — There are but two seasons, the 

 wet and the dry. The former begins in Novem- 

 ber and terminates in April, and the latter extends 

 from April to November. The wet season can be 

 best compared to one of the pleasantest of Eastern 

 springs, as it is the season of green grass, wild 

 flowers, budding trees, and mild, delightful out-of- 

 doors weather. The rains generally occur at night, 



