30 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



ground moistened for plowing November 13, and rainy season in 

 full effect December 15. Of course, there will be occasionally a 

 year in which a good fall of rain may come earlier and, occasionally 

 also, storms from the southward deeply moisten southern California 

 before the normal storms of northerly origin reach the upper parts 

 of the state. Therefore planters everywhere should always be ready 

 to take advantage of the first deep moistening of the soil to start 

 plants which thrive in our autumn temperatures. 



The Occurrence of Frosts in California. The occurrence of 

 frost in California is, from one point of view, a purely local ques- 

 tion. As has already been stated, the frosty and the f restless places 

 are often in sight of each other on the same landscape from the 

 same point of view. It can be even more closely drawn than that. 

 It is sometimes quite as plainly to be seen as the high-water line of 

 a river flood on a sloping meadow. This occurs, of course, in what 

 are termed the thermal belts and is determined by elevation, air cur- 

 rents, outflow levels and several other incidents of local topography. 

 There are often wide variations in these lines from year to year and 

 yet there is steadfastness enough about the phenomena to enable 

 residents to agree among themselves as to what localities are "in the 

 frost" and what are out of it. Upon this decision depends the busi- 

 ness risk in planting out beans, peppers, tomatoes, etc., for winter 

 growth, and it is upon such fields that the frost, not always content 

 with the local definition of its limits, draws the dead line which the 

 morning sun brings into such fateful prominence. Of course, the 

 grower is not necessarily content to accept such natural boundaries 

 of the thermal belt. He can materially change it all by frost-fight- 

 ing, but the discussion of that matter belongs to another chapter. 



It is important to know as nearly as possible the beginning and 

 end of the frost free period in each locality, and data to assist in 

 determining this fact are given in the chapter on the Planting 

 Season. 



COMMMERCIAL VALUE OF THE CALIFORNIA CLIMATE. 



It is a striking fact that winter storage of fresh vegetables is 

 not necessary in California. The mild California winter does not 

 freeze hardy vegetables, consequently they are allowed to grow until 

 the shipping season arrives, as in the case of celery, cabbage, par- 

 snips, salsify, etc., or are gathered, sacked and placed under some 

 cheap shelter from the rains, as in the case of potatoes, beets, car- 

 rots, etc. No storage pits or cellars are thought of. In fact, the 

 most direct and cheapest method of loading cars is employed in 

 many instances, for railway spurs are carried right into the center 

 of the celery, cauliflower and cabbage fields, the crates filled and the 

 cars loaded from the ground on which the crops were grown. This 

 not only reduces the cost of handling and eliminates the cost of 

 storage, it enables the grower to supply the winter and spring mar- 

 kets on the Atlantic side, in the Middle West and the great interior 



