The Coast Climate. 13 
when it is known that the apple and the orange, fruit kings 
whose kingdoms lie at opposite borders of the temperate zone, 
so far distant that one may be called semifrigid and the other 
semitropical, have in California utter disregard for the parallels 
of latitude, which set metes and bounds upon them in other 
lands, and flourish side by side, in suitable localities, from San 
Diego to Shasta. Impressive as this truth may be, it is not so 
startling as another fact, viz., that fruits, in suitable interior sit- 
uations, ripen earlier at the north than at the south—a complete 
reversal of the tenets of the geographer. 
It is apparent then that the selection of locations for or- 
chards must be made with a knowledge of special conditions 
governing the distribution of equal temperatures and other nat- 
ural agencies contributing to the development of fruit. This 
distribution, as has been intimated, is not by straight lines, as 
in parallels of latitude, but by curves, which proceed in various 
directions, governed chiefly by topography. These are curves 
of temperature, of rainfall, of elevation, of soil formation and 
deposit. Geography retires from authority; topography and 
climatography govern. 
Let these ruling conditions be reviewed, then, briefly: First, 
as to general areas; second, with reference to special situations 
and locations. 
COAST CLIMATE. 
The chief characteristics of the coast climate are equable 
temperature, increasing southward; summers cool and winters 
warm, as compared with the interior; abundant rainfall, decreas- 
ing considerably southward; a somewhat humid atmosphere, as 
compared with the interior; frequent fogs or overcast skies; 
prevailing westerly winds. 
The extension of coast influences toward the interior is 
governed by local topography. Coast valleys open to ocean 
winds are cooler and moister and demand hardier fruits than 
valleys sheltered by intervening ranges. Gaps and passes in the 
. ranges are subject to winds of considerable force and low tem- 
perature, and are not generally favorable for fruit; on the other 
hand, situations sheltered on the north and west favor growth of 
fruit even though quite near the coast. Sometimes a distance 
- of a few miles, sometimes a windbreak of natural forest or of 
planted trees, so modifies coast influences that fruits do well. 
‘Elevation on the sides of coast valleys secures similar results. 
For example, the floor of the Pajaro Valley is well suited for 
‘apples, late pears, cherries, plums, prunes, and berries (except 
gooseberries), while on adjacent hillsides peaches do well. 
In southern California, coast winds are warmer than in the 
