Doc. No. 9.] 45 



tation growing upon them, bore a just relation to the character of the 

 ground on which they flourished. Passing to the westward toward the 

 valley it was found that the same character of soil continued to the first 

 hills rising from the plain, these bearing an altitude of one hundred feet 

 above its level. On reaching the summit of these hills, the rich, mellow 

 soil to the east instantly gave out, and in its place a heavy, clayey cov 

 ering was found upon the surface for a considerable distance into the 

 valley ; this transition occurred within so short a distance that I was led 

 to examine more particularly the cause producing it, and accordingly 

 followed the line of these hills until an outcrop of these rocks were 

 found. ; they consisted of aluminous and chlontic slates, having a high 

 inclination and dipping to the west ; from their position they presented 

 a perfect barrier to the passage of the richer soil of the hills passing on 

 to the valley in any other junction than north and south. As far as this , 

 line of slates extended, the valley beyond partook, in a greater or less de 

 gree, of the character that would be produced by their disintegration, 

 and ill adapted generally to purposes of agriculture unless by artificial 

 application of reclaiming agents and tillage. As soon as the slates began 

 to disappear in the foothills, the character of the soil on the plain be 

 yond assumed a different appearance, and a marked and corresponding 

 change in its vegetable productions. 



A mechanical impediment simply is the cause of unproductiveness in 

 such cases, and in instances of this kind, the remedy usually abounds in 

 abundant quantities and at short distances from the points where it may 

 be required. 



On the south-east shores of the Bay San Francisco, there are large 

 areas of land that at the present time are considered useless for agricul 

 tural purposes, from their low position and semi-argilaceous character ; 

 they have often been denominated " mud flats," and heretofore have 

 been considered unadapted even to grazing for sheep. These flats gen 

 erally extend (toward the bay) one or two miles from what are consid 

 ered available and good agricultural lands. Their general appearance 

 to the passer-by is such as would not be likely to impress a person very 

 strongly in their favor, as lands retaining much fertility, but from their 

 superficial appearance would be regarded as a poor representation only 

 of a salt meadow, productive of little else than the common samphire. 

 But such is not the fact and if experience and experiment have any val 

 ue or weight, they will be thrown in the balance to the favor of those 

 lands ; experiments have been made during the past season on these 

 sections, which cannot fail to convince us of the fact, that the opinions 

 heretofore entertained respecting the available character of a large por 

 tion of these districts, are entirely erroneous. A single experiment illus 

 trating their capacity for production if properly tilled, will be giverj^ 



Near Uniontown, in the County of Alameda, several acres of land, 

 producing the samphire on their flats, was broken up and planted to 

 corn ; in one case it was sowed in drills ; the corn continued to flourish 

 until September which was the last time I saw it ; and at this time the 

 stalk of that in the drills had acquired an average heighth of about nine 

 feet. On the south side of the arroya Alameda another field was plant 

 ed in hills, which AY us equal, if not superior in heighth. The soil, 

 when broken up, is rich and highly productive in other grains, notwith- 



