CALIFORNIA. 
207 
not pull the other fruit. Only a certain number are allowed to work in 
the garden, and the whole is placed under the constant superintendence 
of a gardener. It would be almost impossible to protect the fruit other¬ 
wise. They have fruit of all kinds, both of the tropical and tem¬ 
perate climate, which they represented as succeeding admirably well. 
A few barrels of wine are made, but nothing can be more rude than 
their whole process of manufacturing it. The tillage is performed 
with ploughs that we should deem next to useless; they are nothing 
but a crooked piece of timber, four to six 
inches square, somewhat in the shape of our 
ploughs, which merely serves to loosen the ^ 
ground to a depth of three or four inches ; but in such a soil, and in 
this level land, this rude implement answers the purpose, and produces 
crops on an average of from sixty to eighty for one. The ploughs are 
drawn by oxen, and are well adapted to the Indians, who more readily 
learn to use them than they would more complicated machines. 
After spending some time in the garden, w r e were recalled to dinner; 
and if we had cause to complain of the slightness of the breakfast, the 
dinner made ample amends, every variety of dish being abundant and 
admirably prepared. Don Miguel congratulated himself and us that 
the administrador was not in a fit state to prevent us from enjoying it, 
by the everlasting narration of his adventures. Senora Aliza had quite 
surpassed even her usual good feasts in this dinner, which called forth 
much praise from our companion. 
At the missions throughout the country four meals are daily taken: 
at an early hour, chocolate; at eleven o’clock, breakfast; at two, 
dinner; and at seven, supper. The dinner and supper are the principal 
meals, and at them the Californians indulge to a great extent. 
After our meal was finished, Don Miguel, having some business at 
the Pueblo of San Jose, about a league from Santa Clara, he invited us 
to accompany him thither. After some difficulty in procuring horses, 
we set out on sorry nags, and on leaving the mission entered an avenue 
lined on each side with large trees. These I understood had been 
planted at an early day, by one of the padres, in order to protect the 
people from the sun during the celebration of the church festivals, and 
to leave no excuse to the inhabitants of the pueblo for not visiting the 
mission church. 
Just before arriving at the pueblo, we crossed over one of the tor¬ 
tuous branches of the Rio Guadaloupe, some twenty feet wide, and had 
a view of the pueblo. It seemed as if this were a gala-day, and as if 
every one were abroad celebrating it on the banks of this river, or 
rather creek ; the overflow of which had served to keep the grass green 
