16 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



mountain slopes, and frost will settle in the valley. In the lower 

 and most exposed districts delicate flowers will be injured. 

 Many plants that grow by the house or in other protected places 

 will nourish and bloom all the winter. Along the foot-hills, at 

 an elevation of from 400 to 1,800 ft., frosts will be very light 

 or altogether absent. In the warmer foothill belts, oranges and 

 lemons grow, and ripen throughout the winter. In the valley 

 sunshine and shadow have been alternating. More rain falls 

 here in December than in any other month, and yet there is 

 considerable sunshine. There are about 300 sunshiny days in 

 the year. Hail falls occasionally, but no snow, unless it be a few 

 stray flakes, and they usually melt before the ground is white. 

 No snow has been seen in the towns along the foot of the Santa 

 Cruz Mountains for at least eighteen years. The thermometer 

 has ranged between 34 and 58 deg. above zero except on nights 

 when frost occurred. It seldom registers less than 30 deg. above 

 zero, and the lowest temperature we find recorded for the past 

 decade is 22 deg. above zero. 



In January the rainfall will not be as great as it was in 

 December, and the wind will be less vigorous. Yet nothing can 

 be said which will certainly indicate days on which rain will or 

 will not fall. In January, too> the wind is more capricious. 

 During more than half the year the wind is quite methodical, 

 and compared with those which visit other States, very gentle at 

 all times. On the mountain tops a breeze blows quite steadily 

 from the north-west in the day-time, summer and winter, in- 

 creasing in force, of course, during the latter season. In the 

 valley, however, wind-currents are influenced by the local topo- 

 graphical conditions, and are mild or strong without regard to 

 the conditions prevailing upon the mountain tops. Ploughing 

 and sowing continue, trees are being planted, and orchardists are 

 still pruning. Grass is growing rapidly, and vegetables are 

 coming in. Onions, lettuce, carrots, beet, cabbage, turnips, and 

 radishes we have with us always. In this month, however, new 

 potatos and green peas are first seen in the market. The mean 

 temperature of the month is 43'3 deg., with 30 deg. and 56*5 deg. 

 as extremes. Once during the past ten years the thermometer 

 fell to 25 deg., above zero, of course. The temperature never 

 reaches zero in the Santa Clara Valley. 



In February there will be less rain and more sunshine than 



