168 RRSOUROKS OF CALIFORNIA. 
2 
largo tract of fertile land with abundant moisture, ‘Pulare 
Lake is fifty-seven feet above Fresno City, and might be 
drained, aud its Jand converted inte cultivated fields, bat 
whether with a profit is a question new unanswerable. "This 
country is so remote from the main centres of population, that 
probably tho chiet’ occupation for residents here must be the 
breeding of sheep and cattle. 
Turning our attention now to the valloys in the Coast Moun- 
tains, we find that in all the low land between Intitudes 89° 80’ 
and 40° 40’, the soil ix a rich and moist loam, very favorable 
for pasture and for maize, but not so well suited for small 
grain, In some valleys the season is six weeks Iater than it is 
across the mountain in the Sacramento valley. Russiun River 
valley produges more maize than all the remainder of the state. 
Lying between the bend of Russian River and the head of 
Petaluma valley is Santa Rosa plain, which has a soil of rich 
sandy loam, excellent for grain, aud probably fiverable for 
the grape. Near the mouth of Russian River is the plain of 
Bodega, the best plice in the state for potatoos, Tho soil isa 
light, sandy loam, which is kept moist by the sea-logs.  Peta- 
Juma valley is the chief dairy district of the state. The soil is 
a rich, moist loam, Sonoma valley has 2 soil of red gravelly 
clay near the mountains, and a warin, sandy loam near the 
ereek, ‘This is the chicf grape district in dhe northern half of 
the state. Much of the soil is too thin to produce good crops 
of wheat. The grape is grown without irrigntion, the distance 
from the ocean (about twenty-live miles) not being so great as 
entirely to cut off the fogs, The bed-rock is in some places 
trap, in others sandstone, and in others magnesian limestone. 
The latter is suppoyed to he particularly fivorablo to the 
growth of the grape. 
Next to Sonoma valley is Napa, which has a deep, clayey 
soil, the strongest in the state, and therefore the best for 
wheat. In proportion to its size, it produces more wheat than 
uy other part of the suc. The upper part of the valley las 
a great dea of gravel, and may be good for grapes. A larger 
