28 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



The average percentage of sunshine by seasons, with the aver- 

 age number of actually clear days, is as follows for the stations 

 named, as deduced from the records of the United States Weather 

 Bureau for a number of years: 



TABLE OF CLOUDS AND SUNSHINE IN CALIFORNIA. 



WINTER SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN 



if rr ir rr ir *r ir ^ 



STATIONS Sf S.5 S.5 S.5 S.S 



r 5 a " ^ r Si S" Si 



j> ~ p j r p . p r p 



Eureka.. 52 12 50 12 72 21 64 33 



San Francisco 53 35 57 38 57 29 65 42 



Los Angeles 66 49 56 36 69 39 75 54 



San Diego... 61 37 51 26 54 24 63 38 



Red Bluff 55 38 62 42 88 80 78 70 



Sacramento 63 39 69 52 93 85 82 68 



Keeler 74 60 76 61 88 79 84 74 



Fresno 55 31 66 51 93 85 85 65 



Many useful deductions may be drawn from the above compila- 

 tion. It should be borne in mind, however, that the weather con- 

 ditions most favorable for vegetable growing are in some respects 

 different from those which minister to the perfection of fruits. The 

 fruit tree, with its roots deep in a moist soil, welcomes high heat to 

 mature its fruit. The perfection of the esculent falls far short of 

 the maturity of the plant and lies mainly in the measure and tender- 

 ness of foliage, stem, immature fruit or fleshy root. These are usu- 

 ally best attained at a degree of heat less than required for fruit 

 ripening. Again edible plants as compared with trees are shallow- 

 rooting and suffer in a very hot surface soil which a tree escapes by 

 penetration of the subsoil. The growth of winter vegetables is ad- 

 vanced by abundant sunshine during the rainy season; the growth 

 of summer vegetables is promoted by cloud-screen from excessive 

 sun heat, and it is clearly refreshed by a summer fog. Herein, in 

 part at least, lies the explanation why the earliest vegetables come 

 from moderately elevated interior regions (except as already noted 

 for interior irrigated desert valleys) and the main crop of midseason 

 and late vegetables is to be sought in regions whose climate is modi- 

 fied by cool coast winds, which sometimes carry fogs and always 

 temper sun action by their content of insensible aqueous vapor. 

 Some plants are especially responsive to this action of coast breezes. 

 Lima beans on the Ventura coast are sometimes rescued from failure 

 through deficient rainfall by days of cool, misty breezes from the 

 adjacent ocean. The same is true in varying degrees of all vegeta- 

 tion and the fact is often of very great economic importance to 

 California. 



Distribution of Rainfall. The local rainfall throughout the 

 state has, of course, about the same relation to local gardening as it 

 has to other farm work, but it seems hardly necessary to discuss it 



