Mountain Climate. 17 
eral temperature 1s not too low. It is not uncommon to find in 
deeper valleys, protected against the western wind, flecks of 
snow and a wintry chill, with dormant vegetation, while one 
thousand feet higher up the foliage is fast developing. 
MOUNTAIN CLIMATE. 
Above an elevation of two thousand five hundred to three 
thousand feet, conditions gradually intrude which resemble 
those of wintry climates. The tender fruits, the apricot, peach, 
etc., become liable to winter injury and give irregular returns, 
or, as greater elevation is attained, become wholly untrust- 
worthy. Early blooming of these fruits during warm spells 
which are followed by severe frosts, renders the trees unfruit- 
ful. At four thousand to four thousand five hundred feet the 
hardy apple and pear flourish, ripening late, and winter varieties 
possessing excellent keeping qualities. Here, however, winter 
killing of trees begins and locations even for hardy fruits have 
to be chosen with circumspection. 
There are elevated tracts of large extent among the Sierras, 
where the common wild plum, the choke-cherry, gooseberry, 
and California chestnut are produced abundantly. April frosts 
have killed the fruit of those same plums, transplanted to lower 
ground, while those left growing in their natural situation were 
quite unharmed. It has been observed that these plum trees, 
with other fruits and nuts in their original positions, invariably 
occupy the broad tops of the great ridges instead of the sides 
and bottoms of ravines or narrow, pent-up valleys. Follow 
nature in the choice of orchard sites (with due regard to a sup- 
ply of moisture in the soil, either natural or artificial) and little 
hazard attends the culture of the hardier fruits of our latitude 
among the highlands of the State than is incident to other 
seemingly more favored localities. The beauty and quality of 
these mountain fruits are proverbial. 
A RULE OF GENERAL APPLICATION. 
What has been thus suggested of the great variation of 
temperature conditions within narrow limits should lead to the 
conclusion that not only must the kind of fruit to plant be de- 
termined by local observation and experience but often varieties 
of these fruits must be chosen with reference to adaptation to 
local environment. For this reason it is impossible to com- 
pile tables of varieties suited for wide areas—and yet it is true 
that some varieties have shown themselves hardy and satisfac- 
tory under all conditions. These facts will be shown by the 
discussion which will be given to each of the different fruits. — 
