The Gabilan Mountains in their climate and adaptability closely resem- 

 ble the Santa Lucia. They contain immense deposits of limestone and 

 quantities of quicksilver. Nestled in between the spurs of these mountains 

 are many beautiful little valleys which possess a good soil, delightful 

 climate, and are especially adapted to semi-tropical fruits. 



The great Salinas Valley, the heart of Monterey County, opens at one 

 extremity to receive the refreshing zephyrs which glide over Monterey Bay. 

 This great plain extends for more than a hundred miles to the south, with 

 its diversified width of from six to eighteen miles. It embodies within its 

 area over 1,000 square miles of the finest soil that may be found upon 

 God's earth, and through its center runs the waters of the Salinas River, 

 the fourth largest river in the State. 



In the course of ages this stream has shifted from one side of this vast 

 plain to the other, leaving behind those qualities of the soil which are 

 characteristic of the great valley of the Nile. At the same time, it divides 

 the lands into three distinct classes— the rich heavy bottom lands, which 

 will grow anything from an orange to the most common of cereals; the 

 table-lands, which will grow almost anything, especially wheat and barley; 

 and the upland, which is especially adapted for the cultivation of wheat, 

 rye, oats, and barley. It is these qualities of the soil, together with the 

 prolonged Indian summers which reign here, that have made Salinas Valley 

 the mainstay of Monterey County and one of the principal commercial 

 factors of the State of California. Imagine 64,000 acres of land capable 

 of yielding from twenty-five to thirty bushels of grain to the acre! 



The following figures are actual returns for Monterey County products 

 for the year 1906 and can be verified, showing only a part of the income 

 of the county: 



85,000 tons barley at $1 8.00 per ton $1 ,530,000.00 



215,000 tons sugar beets at $5.00 per ton 1,075,000.00 



40,000 tons wheat and oats at $23.00 per ton 920,000.00 



1 5,000 tons potatoes at $24.00 per ton 360,000.00 



25,000 head of beef cattle at an average of $25.00 



per head 625,000.00 



1 ,200 cars of apples at $500.00 per car 600,000.00 



$5,110,000.00 



In addition to the above, dairying is a very prominent, if not a leading, 

 industry of the county. It is no exaggeration to say that some of the finest 

 dairies of the State are located in Monterey County. Milking-machines 

 are now being installed in two of our largest dairies, and the successful 

 operation of these machines will in the near future induce the starting 

 of additional dairies. 



We also produce beans in a limited way. About 500 tons were shipped 

 from the county in 1906, and the only reason that a greater area is not 

 planted is because the sugar-beet is a more profitable crop and the land 

 that will produce one will raise the other. The apple orchard is rapidly 

 coming to the fore as our leading industry, and, like the orange of other 

 counties, there is no limit to the demand. The markets of the world 

 demand the "Paparo Bellefleur," and this season the shipments to London, 

 England, were greater by fifty per cent than in any preceding year. The 

 two varieties in which we excel are the Bellefleur and the Newtown Pippin. 



Last year the California Homeseekers' Investment Company located a 

 colony of some 300 people at Greenfield, in the center of Monterey County. 

 Each colonist was assigned from twenty to forty acres, and though now 

 only established a little over one year, they have made a phenomenal 

 growth and are both prosperous and contented. 



In conclusion, we desire to say that Monterey County offers the home- 

 seeker a greater diversity of products profitably produced, better climate, 

 and cheaper land than can be found in any other portion of the State. 



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