SANTA MONICA FORESTRY SUBSTATION. 



341 



Botany of the District. Some attention has been given to the study of 

 the local flora, and several hundred specimens have been collected for 

 the Herbarium of the Botanical Department at Berkeley. 



In this connection acknowledgment should be made of the kindness 

 of Professor A. J. McClatchie, of the University of Arizona, and of Dr. 

 H. E. Hasse, Surgeon of the Soldiers' Home, near Santa Monica. The 

 latter gentleman has placed freely at the disposal of the Forestry Sta- 

 tion not only his botanical library, but also his invaluable knowledge 

 of the flora of Southern California. 



CLIMATE. 



Rainfall. The season of 1897-8 was exceedingly hard on tree growth. 

 The lack of late spring rains in 1897, and the exceptional dry ness of 

 the following winter, made up a combination of circumstances peculiarly 

 trying to vegetation. The rainfall at the station for 1897-8 was only 

 5/24 inches, and the full benefit of this was not received, because it came 

 in small quantities at long intervals, and was followed by strong, dryin 

 winds. As shown by the accompanying table, there was no rain at al 

 at Santa Monica during the months of November and December, 1897. 

 The spring rains were very scant, and cereal crops in the district were 

 practically a failure. Light showers at the end of April and middle of 

 May enabled some little hay to be made, but were not sufficient to be 

 of much benefit to trees. Every possible effort was made to keep the 

 station plantations in good growing condition by thorough cultivation 

 of the soil. In addition, the tops of many of the large trees were heavily 

 thinned to reduce their draught on the soil-moisture. 



The following table shows the rainfall by months, as compared with 

 that of the previous season: 



STATISTICS OF RAINFALL, IN INCHES. 



District Comparisons of Rainfall. It is interesting to note that the 

 annual rainfall at Los Angeles, twenty miles inland, though larger, 

 differs little from that at Santa Monica; but, as might be expected, pro- 

 ceeding farther eastward along the base of the Sierra San Gabriel toward 

 the loftier peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains, one finds the rainfall 

 to increase materially. This will be seen at once in the following state- 

 ment, giving the annual rainfall at Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and 

 Pomona for five consecutive years: 



COMPARATIVE RAINFALL STATEMENT, IN INCHES. 



