330 AGRICULTURE ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE 



to ten or more feet apart. Sometimes manure is dug in two 

 or more feet under each hill, producing a very rapid growth. 

 Melons do not ripen in northern countries, but from the 

 desert part of California (Coachella, Imperial) they are shipped 

 East as early as May. In tropical countries the seeds of the 

 watermelon are eaten as peanuts are with us. 



FLOWER CULTURE 



Owing to the great variety of climates found within 

 it, the Pacific Slope has probably a greater variety of 

 beautiful wild flowers than any other region. From 

 early times California wild flowers have been carried to 

 other countries as choice garden flowers. Thus the 

 yellow and white native poppies, the baby-blue-eyes, 

 the gilia, godetia, clarkia, eucharidium, collinsia, 

 and many others that grow abundantly on the hills 

 and in the valleys of California have become familiar 

 garden flowers in the Eastern states and in Europe. 



Of course, all garden flowers originally grew wild 

 somewhere, but California seems to have supplied a 

 larger number of valued cultivated flowers than any 

 other country of similar extent. On the other hand, 

 in California the various climates make it possible to 

 grow out of doors probably a larger variety of the flowers 

 of other countries than can be done anywhere else. 



Of course, we must not try to grow flowers, any more than 

 other crops, in places where the climate (heat, cold, moisture 

 of the air, dryness, etc.) is too different from their native 



