TWO SPRINGTIMES IN CALIFORNIA 23 



vertical sun of midsummer could not do because of the screen of 

 summer fogs which the landward winds interposed. These two 

 manifestations, differing in effects upon the coast and in the interior, 

 are simply phases of one seasonal change and mark the approach 

 of the autumnal springtime in California, the beginning of a new 

 growing season, the advent of another crop-year reminding the 

 California ruralist of new duties and announcing new opportunities 

 to one who understands the superlative advantage in California of 

 beginning early and keeping everlastingly at it to get the most from 

 the land and from his own labor. 



Of course, California has also the delights of the true vernal 

 springtime, marked by the change from the short, dark days of the 

 rainy season, to the more abundant light and heat of the drier 

 months ; a season of blossoms and flowers and of activity of the ten- 

 derer plants, when the "rare days of June" appear in the California 

 March and April. Of the two California springtimes which attend 

 the equinoxes, the one of September is the greater in agricultural 

 and horticultural signficance because it is really the beginnning of 

 the crop-year and because timely work then gives success with 

 plants which make their returns during the winter and, besides that, 

 it insures the best results with other plants which yield their re- 

 wards in the dry season which lies beyond. The delicious Septem- 

 ber weather with us is not, therefore, an outholding of cheer to en- 

 courage one to endure an approaching winter but a foretaste of the 

 delights of a rainy season which, except during actual storms, is a 

 time of plowing and sowing, planting and pruning and of other fun- 

 damental operations which underlie the success of the year. The 

 March springtime, on the other hand, opens the way to the haste of 

 haying and harvest, the distress of late plantings in high heat for 

 which they have no proper rooting, unless the grower comes to 

 their relief with cultivation as their needs require. The September 

 springtime looks to a beginning and the March springtime to a finish 

 of the year so far as a finish can come to a year which is action 

 from end to end. 



Geographical Distribution of Production. According to the 

 United States census of 1910 the plants generally classified as vege- 

 tables, and which are included in this treatise, yielded value to the 

 grower of half a million or more in ten California counties, as fol- 

 lows: 



Of the foregoing counties seven are in coast valleys and three 

 (marked *) are interior valley lowlands, so far as their vegetable 

 products are involved. Some of them are contiguous ; some of them 



