2o8 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[July. 



and the days are clear and sparkling. The annual 

 rainfall will average ten to fifteen inches. Fogs 

 prevail near the sea coast at the beginning and 

 termination of the rainy season. Thunderstorms, 

 cyclones and hurricanes are unknown. At inter- 

 vals come the northers, which blow without cessa- 

 tion for twenty-four to eighty hours at a time; 

 sometimes warm and sometimes cold ; always dry 

 and parching, and when coming before rain, ac- 

 companied by a fine impalpable dust. Being 

 broken by crossing the mountains, no serious 

 damage is done, except where their forces are con- 

 cen-trated by some canon or depression in the 

 mountains or hills. In the southern portion of 

 this region, and in some specially well protected 

 places, these winds are scarcely felt. The fogs and 

 winds are apt to follow certain well-defined 

 courses, and frost has its sections of preference. 



Dry Season. — During the dry season there is lit- 

 tle of the harsh dryness of the climate in the north- 

 ern part of California. Rains are common in the 

 mountains, with a moist, cloudy air in the valleys, 

 which is very useful by materially checking evap- 

 oration. The prevailing winds, being from the 

 southwest, are dry and invigorating, and blow only 

 during the day. At night the land breeze sets in 

 from the mountains to the sea, always making the 

 nights cool and pleasant. On account of the utter 

 lack of rain during this season, it becomes the 

 time of rest for all vegetation, and little growth is 

 made. To produce growth upon such plants as 

 need it, irrigation is required, which is carried on 

 by canals from the streams or by artesian wells. 

 Water underlies the whole of the region, often 

 within five feet of the surface. When very near 

 the surface no irrigation is necessary if the soil be 

 properly cultivated, so as to bring the water within 

 reach of the roots. At greater depths the water is 

 brought to the surface by artesian wells. The 

 underground flow of this water is so great that the 

 number of flowing artesian wells in Southern Cal- 

 ifornia is estimated at one hundred. 



Soil. — The soil of the plains west of the Sierras 

 is formed by the decomposition of the granite of 

 the Sierras, and of the low hills scattered over the 

 plains, with that from the calcareous and sandstone 

 formation of the Coast Range. It is generally of 

 a reddish brown or chocolate color and gravelly 

 nature, and apparently deficient in vegetable mat- 

 ter, excepting along the borders of the streams and 

 foothills, but is in truth rich in everything required 

 for healthy, vigorous and fruitful plant-growth. 

 The land requires generally but little preparation 

 for the plow, except along the margins of the 



streams and foothills, and is easily worked and 

 cultivated. 



The happy combination of all these various ad- 

 vantageous features of Southern California render 

 it the finest fruit country in the world. It is one of 

 the few places where temperate fruits flourish 

 alongside the tropical, and where the apricot can 

 be successfully grown as an orchard fruit. The 

 climate is wonderfully adapted to both animal and 

 vegetable life, and the most delightful occupation 

 in the world can be carried on under the most 

 pleasant auspices. 



Best Portion. — It is impossible to say which is 

 the best portion of this region. New places are 

 continually springing up, all with certain advan- 

 tages, and a selection must depend largely upon 

 personal tastes and wishes. The settler must first 

 make up his mind what he wants, and then make 

 his choice by careful personal examination or by 

 adopting the advice of reliable and disinterested 

 parties who have had long experience in the coun- 

 try. As a rule, it is best to invest in unimproved 

 property, for it is much cheaper and will rise in 

 value more rapidly. 



Orchard Site. — Too much care cannot be exer- 

 cised in the selection of a site for an orchard, and 

 there are certain general laws that should govern it. 



1st. The lowest temperature must not be below 

 2 5°, and the highest should be 80° to 100°. 



2d. The location should not be low or wet, but 

 elevated and open to the free circulation of the air. 

 The table or mesa lands near the mountains, well 

 protected against the winds, are the best. 



3d. The cool, moist atmosphere of the coast 

 brings brown scale and black rust to the oranges 

 and mildew to the grapes. To avoid this it is 

 necessary in Los Angeles county to go back to the 

 hills twenty miles in some places. At San Diego, 

 the climate being warmer, ten or fifteen miles is a 

 sufficient distance from the coast to get rid of the 

 disease. 



4th. Some means of abundant irrigation is im- 

 perative. The water may be near enough to the 

 surface during most years to suffice for mature 

 trees with proper cultivation, but young trees newly 

 planted will always require more water than can 

 be had naturally. 



5th. The soil should be a deep, sandy or gravelly 

 loam, with an admixture of some clay and a 

 gravelly substratum free from hardpan, or with the 

 hardpan not less than six feet from the surface. 



Planting Season. — The site for the orchard 

 having been selected, the land is fenced, plowed 

 and harrowed and made ready for planting. The 



