15 



materials found upon the hills to the north, which causes the texture of the soil to 

 become much lighter and more susceptible to the influences of heat which super 

 vene in the earlier part of the seasons. 



On the more elevated portions of this plain the soil is made up of a coarser ma 

 terial with *a strong admixture of small gravel, which gives the impression of 

 harshness and sterility to some extent, but a closer examination develops the fact 

 that these grounds are equally capable of production with those of the bottoms. 



All portions of this plain and its branches are not susceptible of cultivation to 

 the same extent as the above, for the reason, that in the vicinity of the lateral 

 plains there are to be found beds of coarse, arenaceous rocks resting on patches 

 of the granite, which have played an important part in making up the soils of 

 those districts. Although the material composing these, grounds is sufficiently 

 comminuted for ordinary purposes of agriculture, still they will prove unprofitable 

 for cropping, from the uncertainty to which they will always be liable, resulting 

 from a deficiency in the elements necessary to produce the cereals in particular. 

 In grounds of this character, two years has been sufficient to render these lands 

 totally unadapted to the production of wheat, though barley and oats thrive fairly 

 upon them still ; this results evidently from a deficiency of the phosphates and 

 lime, which are almost imperceptible in their productions or the soils themselves. 

 I have conversed with farmers in this and the adjoining valleys, and found a very 

 erroneous opinion existing as to the character of the soil and the presence of lime 

 in the adjoining hills. The white, siliceous deposit of the infusoria was mistaken 

 for calcareous' rocks, arising probably from the name of chalk being ordinarily 

 applied to this material. 



That the grounds forming the main body of the Petaluma Valley proper are, 

 for the most part, well adapted to the produce of wheat, barley and oats, still it is, 

 in my opinion, very questionable if these crops can succeed well in this district, 

 those of oats and wheat more particularly. The reason of this is most obvious, 

 and is dependent on climatic influences entirely. 



One of the great causes operating to induce a loss in this species of cropping 

 b|jng the universality of the rust, to which they must be constantly liable 

 according to our present information respecting the causes of its appearance. It 

 is a matter of no small moment with the agriculturalist of this part of the State 

 to determine this matter satisfactorily and weigh all the evidences pertaining to 

 this point ; and if he proceeds otherwise he incurs the risk of a loss of his labor 

 and expenses in the introduction of crops. During the past year an extended 

 range of the agricultural portions of this part of the State was traveled over by 

 myself and nearly all the peculiarities relating to the grain crops noted ; and 

 I may state it as a general fact, that all the wheat, and of whatever variety, 

 suffered almost total destruction from the supervention of the rust at the period 

 of the milk, in this and the adjoining valleys to the east, as far as the Bucca / 

 Valley, that came within the range of the cool winds of the ocean. A field that / 

 was healthy to-day would in forty-eight hours become valueless, so sudden were 

 the effects produced upon these crops. 



The wheat alone is not the only thing that suffers, for we find that the wild 

 oats that cover the hills is affected in a like degree, and to that extent that 

 cattle refuse to feed upon it. I heard of but four instances in which the culti 

 vated oat was affected. 



This, however, is sufficient to show that there is an uncertainty existing touch 

 ing these two grains, that should demand the careful attention of the farmer 

 situated in these sections. 



On a preceding page of this Report I stated, under the head of " Physica\ 

 Geography," that the position of the mountains forming the Coast Range woulf 

 be considered again in relation to this subject. 



