THE WEST AMEKICAN SCIENTIST. 39 



spring gushes out of a little ^ide canyon, pass under low-spreading, stunted live oak 

 trees and across a few gra?sy fields to the La Grulla ranch, where Chris. McAleer 

 greets the traveler with free hospitality. This was the old headquarters of the fili- 

 buster, Gen. Walker, who was defeated by the Mexicans and afterward hanged in 

 Central America for raising a revolution. Across the creek from the large two- 

 story house there are about fifty hot and warm springs of water. The place is said 

 to have received its name from the large number of geese which formerly made it a 

 resort. 



Passing through the canyon into which the valley again narrows, we descend to 

 the Santo Tomas valley, where a number of houses are situated, some half dozen of 

 which are near the old mission ruins. A group of olive trees surpassing in size any 

 others seen are almost the only traces of early cultivation in the vicinity. Consid- 

 erable quantities of wine are produced, and a few acres are under cultivation, irri- 

 gated by the wa'er from three or four large springs. This pretty valley is some 

 thirty miles in length and contains much valuable land for cultivation. 



The steep, rocky hill out of this valley is sufl&cient to discourage one from going 

 the next thir*-y miles, through a rolling, rocky country. Plenty of water is to be 

 found, however, along the water courses, a few sycamore trees and seemingly fertile 

 lands along their borders. Mr. Gabb says of the San Vicente ranch: 



' It contains several leagues of good, very fertile bottom land and a considerable 



* tract of grazing land on the low, rolling hills. A large portion of the bottom land 



* seems to have been cultivated during the time of the missions, judging from the 

 'remains of irrigating ditches winding around the hillsides. Let American enter- 



* prise wake these people out of their lethargy, and San Vicente will become one of 



* the most flourishing ranches of Lower California. 



' Our camp was one of the most beautiful I e ver beheld. We were on a per- 



* fectly level tract of a few acres, nearly shut in by a grand old hedge of prickly 



* pear; the whole area was covered with a mat of the greenest grass. Back of us 



* was a table ten or fifteen feet high, on which stood the not unpicturesque ruins of 

 *the mission buildings; at our side was a fine stream of water, and overhead the 

 ' dense foliage of a clump of venerable olive trees, in the midst of which we had 

 'made our camp. The mules luxuriated in the rich, juicy herbage, and we enjoyed 

 ' the beauties of the place to the fullest, leaving it with regret.' 



Considerable of the bottom land has been washed out along all the arroyos in 

 Lower California during the past few years, and many ferti'e canyons have been 

 completely cleaned out of all their vegetation and soil; the heavy floods, which have 

 caused such havoc in Alta Calif ornia, leaving nothing for cultivation along the former 

 banks of some rivers. This seems to indicate that our floods in Upper California are 

 not wholly caused by the advent of civilization, and cannot be laid to forest fires Oj. 

 the effects of clearing and cultivating the soil. 



Near San Vicente are the excellent copper mines which produce very rich ox- 

 ides and carbonates in large quantities. Extensive shipments of ore have been made 

 at different times, and excellent iron ore exists in the neighborhood in large quanti- 

 ties, but, owing to the heavy duties and other requirements of the Mexican govern- 



