THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 53 



on the opposite side it is bordered by rather high foothills, beyond 

 which are the San Bernardino county vineyards, some forty to sixty 

 mileS away. 



Climate. The nearness to the ocean modifies the climate much. 

 The temperature is more even all the year round than anywhere else 

 011 the coast where raisins are grown. The extreme of heat is 105 

 degrees; in fact, July 27, 1889, it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the 

 shade, while in the winter it seldom goes lower than 28 degrees 

 Fahrenheit, and indeed very, very rarely as low as that. In many 

 places there is no frost at all, except, perhaps, one in April, which, of 

 course, cannot but prove damaging to the vines. This absence of 

 heavy frost, which is beneficial to every other semi-tropical product, 

 is not favorable to the vine. The grape requires heavy frost to become 

 dormant. The farther south we go the less frost and the less grapes, 

 at least of the Asiatic kind. There are, as we know, native grapes even 

 in tropical countries, but they are adapted to their surroundings and 

 cannot be considered here. The proximity to the coast modifies the 

 air considerably. With 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, which 

 is an exception here, I felt as warm as I do in the San Joaquin valley 

 with the mercury at 1 14; the two extremes in both places affect us 

 just the same. The air here is certainly much more moist, which again 

 must have a marked effect upon the vine, and in no small degree 

 promote fungoid growths, or parasites generally. In this respect, then, 

 the coast vineyard must certainly be at a disadvantage. The fog is 

 not an unusual visitor in the district between the coast and the foot- 

 hills, which, in fact, covers the whole area ever planted in raisin 

 grapes. For days in succession every morning is foggy, and the fog 

 condenses on the leaves of the trees and falls under them in real 

 showers, making the adjoining and underlying road wet. For a few 

 days again the sun will rise bright, again to be followed by foggy 

 mornings. By from nine to eleven o'clock the fog is again gone and 

 the sun shines brightly. Kvery evening and morning there is a heavy 

 dew, and every branch, leaf or grass is then dripping wet. Several 

 mornings when the fog was in I found the thermometer at 62 degrees 

 Fahrenheit, while at noon it rose tcrover 100. 



Soils and Ripening. The soil here is the very best, and I doubt if the 

 same fine quality of soil is found anywhere else in California over the 

 same extended territory. I ride for miles and miles, everywhere the 

 finest and richest loam of a gray color, sometimes a little drawing 

 towards slate blue, sometimes again towards yellowish. It is immensely 

 rich, and can hardly be improved. There is, however, especially near 

 Orange, a different kind of soil consisting of the sand loam, but inter- 

 mixed with very coarse gravel. This soil is warmer but consequently not 

 so rich. The grapes ripen on it two weeks earlier, but yield only one- 

 half as much as those on the richest loam along the creeks. The vines 

 planted here were alone the Muscat of Alexandria. Strangely enough 

 I find no traces of Sultanas or currant, which latter, it seems, should 

 be especially adapted to the coast climate. 



The Vineyards. In planting a vineyard, rooted vines were seldom 

 used. Cuttings grew so readily and so well that they were much 



