THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



91 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Santa Barbara. 



This country is located on the sea coast 

 in the southern part of the state near a 

 group of islands of the same name, and 

 has become noted for its equable climate, 

 attracting thousands from their frozen 

 homes to spend the winter where Decem- 

 ber is as pleasant as Ma>-. Since Dr. Lo- 

 gan, President of the U."S. Medical Asso- 

 ciation, recommended Santa Barbara as 

 the best sanitarium on the continent, our 

 hotels and private houses have usuall}^ 

 been crowded to their utmost capacity by 

 the throng of invalids who were seeking 

 an extension of their lease of life. 



Climate. — Our summers are mild and 

 pleasant, the mercury ranging from sev- 

 enty to eighty, and seldom reaching 

 ninety. The evenings are pleasant, and 

 the nights always cool. Our winter 

 months are warm and genial, like May 

 and June of the East ; frost is seldom seen, 

 and every breeze is freighted wfth fra- 

 grance from our flower gardens. 



Soil. — In this portion of the State the 

 soil varies from black clay, called adobe, 

 to a light sandy loam, formed from de- 

 composed Tertiary rocks, of which our 

 mountains are composed, and is remark- 

 ably productive, yielding sometimes won- 

 derful crops of corn, barley, wheat, and 

 alfalfa. 



Water. — The water is generally pure, 

 not so cool as in higher latitudes, and 

 easily obtained from wells, springs, or 

 mountain streams. In flat land on the 

 coast near the level of the sea, it is some- 

 times brackish, but in all such cases pure 

 artesian water is usually found at reason- 

 able depths. 



Irrigation. — In this and the adjoining 

 valleys we have learned that deep and 

 thorough cultivation, so as to save and 

 economize the usual fourteen inches of 

 rain fall, is better than flooding the sur- 

 face. Eventually, underground irrigation 

 through wooden pipes for horticultural 

 purposes, will be popular. 



Fuel. — There is a plenty of wood for 

 present purposes, but if our population 

 continues to increase at its present rapid 

 rate, within ten years there will be very 

 little natural timber, and people will have 

 to use the prunings from their vines, fruit 

 and ornamental trees, or burn petroleum 

 which flows from springs so abundantly 

 that hundreds of barrels are running daily 

 to waste. 



Hot Springs. — There are a number of 

 hot springs in the mountain canons that 

 have become quite noted for their healing 

 qualities, and are usually thronged to the 

 full capacity of their hotels. Senator 

 Morton, and thousands of others, have 

 bathed there, and recommended their 

 mineral waters. 



Titles. — Land titles are generally set- 



tled and founded on U. S. patents which 

 have been issued to confirm old Mexican 

 and Spanish grants. 



Society ought to be good, for the la- 

 mented Kev. Dr. Thomas stated that it 

 was composed of the cream of other com- 

 munities. 



Churches. — The Congregational, Pres- 

 byterian, Methodist, Baptist and Episco- 

 pal denominations each have an elegant 

 church edifice, and an able divine to oc- 

 cupy the pulpit. 



Schools.— Santa Barbara boasts of a 

 fine young American college, with build- 

 ings that cost sixty thousand dollars; a 

 Spanish Catholic San Franciscan college, 

 in a flourishing condition; a St. Vincent 

 school for young ladies, an excellent sys- 

 tem of public schools, and an able corps 

 of experienced teachers. 



Homesteads. — In this vicinity, and 

 about all other promising towns in this 

 part of the State, small farms are held at 

 from one to three hundred dollars per 

 acre, according to quality, location, size 

 and improvements. 



Cheap Homes. — Recently several col- 

 onies have been formed, and one is now 

 forming, for the purpose of purchasing 

 new land in beautiful little valleys near 

 the coast, where unoccupied ranches, as 

 good as any that have yet been settled, can 

 be purchased at from five to ten dollars 

 per acre, on long time and at a low rate of 

 interest, with a view of subdividing and 

 settling the same, as Vineland has done, 

 making their own towns, schools and 

 churches, so that one thousand dollars 

 will go as far as two or three usually do 

 in securing a new home. 



Productions. — This and the adjoining 

 valleys are well adapted to the produc- 

 tion of apples, pears, peaches, plums, 

 nectarines, apricots, pomegranates, alm- 

 onds, olives, English walnuts, oranges, 

 lemons, limes, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, 

 corn, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and 

 honey. Full grown almond trees should 

 yield from seventy-five to one hundred 

 pounds of nuts, worth from twenty to 

 twenty-five cents a pound. One hundred 

 trees are usually planted to the acre. At 

 this rate one acre should yield from 

 fifteen to twenty-five hundred dollars 

 worth of fruit per annum, in a good sea- 

 son and when they are in full bearing. 

 Oranges, lemons and limes do quite as 

 well. 



Fences. — The law restrains stock, and 

 crops require no fencing. 



Lumber. — Rough lumber in town usu- 

 ally sells at $27 per M., and other grades 

 in proportion. 



Wages. — Labor is well rewarded in all 

 departments, especially house servants, 

 who usually receive from twenty-five to 

 thirty dollars a month, and cannot be re- 

 tained long, even at that price, lor the 

 rich old bachelors are sure to promote 



